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codebook_dale · Electrical inspector (former contractor) · 26 years · Ocean County, NJ · Aug 10

Tip from a pro

From the inspection side: whose license belongs on a heat pump swap

I get some version of this question every week this time of year, so I'll put it in one place. Not legal advice; your local construction office has the final word. As I understand the current rules, a condenser or heat pump replacement in NJ usually touches more than one subcode. The mechanical work goes on a permit from a contractor holding the HVACR license. The new disconnect, the whip and any circuit changes are electrical work, which means an Electrical Contractor pulls that permit or the work is done under one. Some companies have both licenses in-house. Plenty don't, and that's where I see trouble: the HVAC crew runs a new circuit because the panel was right there, and nobody pulled the electrical. The HVACR license is also newer than a lot of people assume. If I remember right it became required around 2014, so you'll still meet techs who talk like it doesn't exist. If you're a helper and you don't know whose license a job is under, it's a fair thing to ask. And find out which edition of the code the permit falls under; it changes what I look for.

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HVAC feed

What is the red switch plate at the top of my basement stairs for?

Before you go out on your own: what nobody tells you about year one

I'm not hiring HVAC helpers without a 608 anymore. Fair or not?

From the hiring side: why a paper trail matters more than you think

Where the money from a $189 service call actually goes

Failed Core by a couple questions, passed Type II. Do I retake everything?

EPA 608: what my students get wrong every year

Honestly thinking about adding an HVACR license to my electrical shop

Don't cut a line set on demo until someone certified has recovered it

First week of the fall semester: 22 new faces, three have held a torch

Cape Cods: ductless heads upstairs or a ducted unit in the kneewall?

Side jobs, from the owner's side: what happens when yours calls my office

where can a condensate pump actually drain in a finished basement

Heat wave week: 14 no-cool calls in two days and what I keep telling new techs

Where do people in the city actually sit for the 608?

Hiring two first-year apprentices this fall. Ask me what I look for.

From the inspection side: whose license belongs on a heat pump swap

worked 58 hours during the heat wave, check came back all straight time

Target superheat needs indoor wet bulb. Students, buy the probe.

Topics to explore