jbow


You obviously take pride in yur work and treat your customers like you would want to be treated... like family. We need more people like you. So many people thse days just really don't care about thier work. They text, talk on the cellphone, and just collect a check after doing the least they can... and smile in your face as if they have done something good.
You are the real deal, good going!

J

+1
 

8 years....I just don't know the words.

Herb I did all the electical for my shop except connecting a breaker box
into the main service for my house.
I had an electrician do that. You may remember a few months back when I
posted about the electircal issue I had in my house....loose connections on what
the electrician installed and could have burned my house down. A different electrician
that repaired the damage informed me of the root problem.

Goes to show you never can tell. You pay for professional work and it could cost you
more than you thought.

Yeah... I had a conversation with an old friend I used to work with. He has moved on over the years and now works on the NC state licensing board for electrical contractors.... this is the board that has jurisdiction over fire alarm installs. (Go right to the top)  We spoke about this for almost half an hour. It boils down to this: unless someone actually saw him do this, it would be hard to prove that he did it.  Technically anyone could have disconnected the bell circuit. Without a witness, there is no way to prove it was him and at an inquiry hearing, he would simply deny having done it. 

The way to establish enough evidence to convene a hearing into his negligent trade practices would be to get a witness, or have the fire marshal dig into his past fire permits and have someone else inspect those systems. If other similar problems are discovered..... non-code compliant workmanship, and can be documented, and then contact other fire marshals in the counties and towns around us for them to do the same....and a pattern can be established, then they would have the evidence needed to have a licensing hearing to suspend or revoke this guy's license to work. 

As far as the fire marshal...and their responsibility to inspect.... The fire marshal approves plans and then doesn't go to the site until the final acceptance test is to be conducted.  At that test, they want to see the system work. They know what they are looking for when it comes to a system working. Bells sound, strobes flash, fire doors close. If those things happen, most are satisfied and will sign the CO. 

In an addition project like this was, they probably will NOT inspect the existing part of the building. They assume that is working fine. In this case it was not, and no one caught it. No one caught the lack of duct detectors on the new HVAC equipment. That was a failure of the mechanical inspectors. 

On Monday, the head HVAC inspector is coming to the site to have a look at the equipment and tell us why their inspector "missed" that little tidbit. 

Had I bid on that project, I would have noticed, and asked the engineer why there were not duct detectors or HVAC shutdown on this project. Perhaps there is a lop hole exception to the code that they used legitimately.... that's what we will ask the inspector on Monday. If so, I want to see it in writing with his signature on it. 

So... until the AHJ gets involved, and can find the evidence needed.... this guy gets to continue to work and put people and property in danger. Sad to say, but it may take him killing or injuring someone before anything can be done. 

I do believe it is the Fire Marshal's job to conduct this investigation across a multi-county area, starting with our home county..... but I can not force it. 

Lizard Lick Alarm Systems?


 
J

jbow


Lizard Lick Alarm Systems?


 
J

funny... they are at least professionals in what they do.




I'm spending today going through the software in the panel from the comfort of my office. I'm finding more stuff that ain't right in the programming and stuff he removed from the system.... like a module in a power supply that reports supervisory information back to the panel on the condition of the power supply.   

Water flow and valve tamper set up as standard general alarm zones. 

I really hate the sort of thing you are describing. This guy can cast a poor light on your whole industry. I ahave owened an exterminating company for 24 years this spring and I have seen (and continue to see) operators who are dubius at best. Some get in trouble, the GA Dept of Ag does not have the red tape your regulatory seems to have. They watch film from video cameras, inspect paperwork, an come down on people like a ton of bricks, especially concerning treatment of schools, daycare, and nursing homes. They try to keep people in line in residential service too. We generally deal with the "regulators" from the Ag dept but recently the EPA has united the PCOs and the "regulators" because they issued some new guidelines to regulate the outside use of synthetic pyrethroids, just about the only effective and safe product we have left to use. Some people in California (where else) found what they considered too high levels of SPs in water, in streams etc.. of course nothing was being affected but nontheless they decided that we could only treat one foot up and one foot out around a house above grass or ground cover. On hardscapes we can only treat a crack where a slab, deck, or porch connects to a home... with a pinstream. We can spray about a 1' area under eaves, and a 1" band around windows... BUT in their wisdom they gave us the ability to do 2 sq ft spot treatments anywhere on the side of a house... but walkways, driveways, decks, etc are off limits which makes it near impossible to control ants... and who can spray a 1" band around second story windows...
All these unthoughtout regulations will result in more and more label violations because people will not pay us if we cannot solve their problems. To cap all that off... no SPs can be sprayed in any rian, mist, snow, or anything.
For the past month we have been using a different chemical that is not covered but is not as effective, but it is mid winter and does not matter. I heard at our winter conference at UGA that they are waiting on one signature to give us three ft up and three ft out, that along with the 2sq ft spot treatments will pretty much slove the problem except for driveways. They did not limit the number of spot treatments so instead of spraying the side of a home we can spray dots all over it, it is the ONLY way to stop ladybugs, kudzubugs, or boxelder bugs. They have limited spraying under a deck or railin to ten ft out from a house... carpenter bees do not respect this. They have limited rat bait boxes along a fenceline to 100' from a man made structure... which will be a problem for many properties. They make baitboxes that a raccoon cannot reach into, cannot shake the bait out of... but who cares.

I have seen some things you would not beieve. From people mixing the cheapest chemical at 1/2 strength, to throwing rat bait just anywhere, with kids and pets around, spraying unlabelled chemicals, working with no lisence... and on and on. I've seen liscensed operators get $20,000 fines and unlisenced operators get a $250 dollar fine.

I try to treat my customers like family on both a personal and professional level, it is the way I think of them. I tighten knobs on drawers and cabinets. Straighten pictures. I figure, once I am there I am going to do my very best to do the job right... and usually I can. All anyone who knows what they are doing is that they have to care and take the time to do the job, whatever it is... RIGHT. There is an old saying, if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing right and it is a good way to live. I see from your post that you do that.... it really is maddening when you have to deal with those who just dont seem to care.

When we moved in this house whoever installed the original security system put the control box in the freaking garage where there was no sensors. No I am not accusing theives of being smart wnough to know... but if they did and they got in the garage all they would have to do would be to unplug the system, then disconnect the battery. We had the system replaced and the box moved inside. The last house we lived in was built new and every ground wire in every switch and outlet was loose, all the other wires were pushed in the back. You never hearn so much A/C noise. Once I went through and tightened all the ground wires, things got much better.

What is wrong with people?

J

jbow


What is wrong with people?

J

 
Dey're HUMAN! 
 

J... yeah, putting the panel in an unprotected area is a no-no. It should always be protected by a motion sensor or contact on a door or window that one has to get past to get to the panel....I do this when locating the keypad too..... a motion detector should be looking at it or protecting it as well. 

I recall one guy who called me years ago to look at his business after a break in. The perps broke in to the store beside his.... a karate studio. They ransacked the karate studio and counted the ceiling tiles from the front to the distance they knew from casing the store beside it which was their target (a shoe store).  Typical strip mall stores....all alike. 

Once they got to the proper point, they simply kicked through the sheetrock wall.... 2 layers of sheet rock per side (fire rated walls) and they were in the shoe store stock room, where the panel, phone board, and shoes were all located. They cut all the wires to the existing burg panel and simply opened the back doors and loaded thousands of dollars worth of shoes. The thing was, this guys burg system, installed by someone else, wasn't even working. And he didn't want to pay me to fix it back to working condition. 

The end of the story..... this guy got his insurance pay off, bought more shoes to restock,,,and got hit again. This time the insurance company refused to pay off....and he closed the doors and went to work for someone else. 

The karate studio owner knew me, because in the past, we had trained together at a different school. He had me install a burg system in his studio. They stole a bunch of his uniforms and the energy drinks and snacks he sold, ransacked the office looking money, tore open a vending machine, and used their pick axe on his hanging heavy bags..... which were the Century Martial arts wave bags..... filled with water.... quite a mess they made. 


I've seen 2 break ins of this sort.... through the wall into the target. 

I worry because the upper panes f my upstairs windows are not wired, only the bottom, if it comes up will set off the alarm. I'm, not sure... maybe only the bottoms of the lower level windows are wired. I will check and get if fixed if they aren't. Our old system was crap and kepy going off when we were on vacation a few years ago. The company said it was a type of control box they would never use. We now have a Honeywell Ademco Vista system (I just looked and realized I cannot find the key to it... I could swear I had placed it on a nearby shelf.... arrrr). We have one motion sensor but it is off because I would get up in the night and set it off. I do need to get one put in to cover the upstairs walkway/foyer. I'm glad you posted this because there are some things I need to address and have put them off for to long.
Also, our siren is not connected so the alarm is silent other than the high freq signal from the control pads. "Central Station" blows up our home and cell phones in less than a minute though if we accidentally set it off and they sometimes dispatch the police if they don't get an answer on the first number. They always manage to get them called off before they get here though.

My windows and doors are Andersen, about 5 years old and house settling (I guess) has caused some wind and cold to get in. I need to get someone out here to readjust them or replace the weather stripping on them. We have french doors to the outside in the bedroom and den/big room... it is a contemporary farmhouse. The frenchdoors look nice but also look, to me, like they would be easy to kick in... so I sleep with a .40 on the nightstand and an 8mm on the amoir... so if they break in at night, they better come in shooting. We don't use the "instant" setting during the day because we go in and out a lot and it would be a PITA. I keep the chime off too because it is annoying, maybe I should re-think that and use it sometime.

Anyway... thanks, a thought provoking thread.

J

J... with most installs, it is very common to wire only the bottom sash on the window. Most perps, if they come through the window (only 30% of the time...they prefer doors) will raise the sash. If they don't .... the motion will get them.

On the Vista system.... you have 4 arming modes. Assume you have quick arm enabled.... you can hit #2 to arm away. (or if quick arm is not on it is CODE2 to arm away)  Entry delay on door, everything else instant motion on. 

If you arm up with #7 you have instant night mode.... doors/windows instant no motion... 

#3 is stay mode.... entry door has delay, everything else instant, no motion.

#4 is maximum mode.... no delays on doors or windows, and motion on.  You need a wireless key or cell phone app to use this mode efficiently. You can not get in without tripping the system.

I never place motion upstairs unless a customer demands it. Strategic locations downstairs are generally sufficient. 

the siren should be re-connected or repaired. It's as much for you as it is for the perps. In the night you need to be awakened for fire or break ins... and the perp needs to hear it. I've had about 12 customers experience a B&E after I installed the system for them. When the perps in all cases where the system was turned on....( yeah some customers pay for the system and then stop using it) .... as soon as the siren sounded, the perp knew he was busted and decided not to enter the premises and left empty handed. 

Being in the business, we do not arm the system in the day when we are home. BUT... if I leave home for even a few minutes I turn it on. At night, we have gotten out of the habit of arming it. My wife is a very light sleeper and there is a dog in the back yard who sleeps lightly too.... pity the fool prowling in the dark. 

Chime is useful for businesses and anyone who wants to hear the beep beep beep every time a door is opened. 

I have a very old (100+) house... and my system here has gone through 3 panels.... the first when I first started the business, then I installed a very nice system (long story) until it got hit by lightning that knocked out the dialer, and most recently a nice Vista 21IP which communicates over internet and uses phones for a backup. I now have the option to add wireless transmitters for the windows that were impossible to wire previously with out major work. I have all the doors in the system and strategic motion throughout the house as well as a comprehensive fire/heat detection system. Smoke in bedrooms and out as required by code....and heat in the attic, kitchen and laundry. 

All the Vista systems support wireless devices and they are very, very reliable. 80% of the systems I install are at least partially if not fully wireless on the protection points. 

As far are doors go... they are all easy to kick in. The wood used is weak, and thin. Unless the builder is on the ball, it's almost a joke.  New doors are coming out that are really well made and harder to kick in. They sell decorative metal strips and reinforcing that will make it a hard, noisy attempt at B&E. 

I was joking around with my daughter one day and locked the front door on her.... she shouldered it and nearly busted the frame...... (I really need to repair that damage one of these days)  

We also have a keyless entry on the new addition main front door to the house. My kids never needed to carry keys. Just remember a code. The downside is that my sister in law also knows one of the codes and walks right in..... at least I don't have to go open the door for her....  but she only does it when she know's we're home.... one day she opened the door when we were gone and didn't know the alarm was on, or how to turn it off..... she bugged out before the cops arrived.... and never tried that again. 


Fire protection is more important than burg. Don't tell anyone but, you have a better chance of having a fire than you do of having a break in.... statistically speaking.