Category Archives: Codes

I live in Silvis, and I received a letter telling me that I will be contacted by Mid American about my Mast on my house that supplies electricity. They said it is too low, and it is my responsibility to get it raised?!!! Can you give me any information on this?

Posted on October 4, 2011 by visitor| Leave a comment

NESC, (National Electrical Safety Code) in a nut shell they are going around and correcting the code from the past. What is happening is people are putting in swimming pools, and large decks underneath these power lines. The code in the past I believe read 8′ or 10′ from ground or deck to power line. The new code is 12’6″ above the ground or deck. These have been slowly been taken care of over the past few years. Only lately have the letters started going out. The power company will reconnect and disconnect your power at the pole. It is your responsibility for the wire and the connection to the house. Depending on how high you have to raise the mast at the house this could cost anywhere from $400.00 to $750.00.  Hope this helps.

Sincerely, Andy Love

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Andy, I built a deck in Rock Island, I didn\’t pull a permit, I got in trouble, I got fined. Although the deck I built was done perfectly. The building inspector is passing the deck as long as I install a GFI electrical outlet and a water garden hose spiquett. Is this an actual code or is he making this crap up to punish me for not pulling a permit?

Posted on August 21, 2011 by visitor| Leave a comment

This is an actual code, I know some of the codes can be frustrating but it’s the cities way of systematically updating houses. Building inspectors have ryme to their reason. Last week I had a contractor frustrated the inspector was making him hard wire a fire alarm system in the house after a remodel. He said “that’s too much extra work” but you can’t win an argument with an inspector that has seen first hand what a house with no smoke alarms can do to a family. That GFI is in case you sell the house and someone wants to run Christmas lights around the deck you built. It’s much safer plugging into a GFI than running an extension cord through the window.

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I have a garage that I want to build. Do you know anything about height requirements in Rock Island. They keep telling me 15\’ from top of wall to half the distance to the roof???? What does that mean?

Posted on August 21, 2011 by visitor| Leave a comment

That is the height of the wall (probably 8′) + height of the truss (usually a 24′ truss 4/12 pitch has a 4′ height) divided by 2. So the equation would be 8 + (4 divided by 2)= 10. this would be 5′ below the maximum height you can do in Rock Island. If you are attempting a massive Garage and your equation comes out to be above 15′ you will need to apply for a variance. Hope this helps

Andy Love
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Posted in Codes