Does plumber have to report non-code homeowner mods?

[tracyballard]

Hello folks! I've been saving my money to try to get my plumbing finally fixed, which has been a problem for several years now, and I want to have a good plumber come out and do a camera-inspection, and maybe hydro jetting for now, and eventually I guess I'm probably going to have to fix or replace all the drains in the concrete slab in my house. The problem is I'm afraid if the plumber sees my temporary fixes to keep water draining he may have to report it, or even have my house declared non-livable. We have a drain that runs from the kitchen sink to the bathroom - first to clothes washer in bath room, then to the tub/shower, then back to the back bedroom and another shower. First the part going from the kitchen to the tub got clogged, then finally the whole system got totally clogged, and has been for a few months - we have to bail the tub out with a bucket and dump it into the toilet, which fortunately drains great. Same for the clothes washer, have to put the drain hose in the toilet to wash clothes. The problem I am worried about is how I have the kitchen sink routed - I have a PVC pipe going from the kitchen to the sewer cleanout in the backyard and going directly into the cleanout via a hole drilled in the cap, with a 45 degree elbow and short length of pipe. It fits snugly but not airtight, and you can easily lift it off and set it aside to remove the cleanout cap - is my plumber going to find this totally unacceptable? thanks for your patience with my unusual question, we are very low income and just trying to keep this house going for now, until we get some debts paid off and can put some money into the house. Best wishes everyone and thanks in advance for any responses.

 

[Terry H]

No we see stuff all of the time. We are only made to bring up to code if we work on it.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[TheOverThinker]

No worries from having a plumber out.
Stay humble.

Watch out for the important things: sewer gas coming up where there's no trap.
The washer can drain to the yard, in California we call that "graywater", and it's even legal.
The kitchen sink too.

 

[Sylvan]

I am on a negligence case in a Manhattan hotel where they was a stoppage in a kitchen and the plumber snaked the line and a few days later there was a massive flood of sewerage spewing from a 6" soil line

I am testifying the non licensed plumber was neglectful that the rubber cap used as a cleanout is not code approved and he should have brought it to someone's attention ( documented)

Knowing there is a code infraction and not reporting it depending on HJA the plumber can be fined or worse have their license revoked

I would suggest you call a small drain cleaning company as many have no idea what a plumbing code is .

A scalding case in Brooklyn the building owner , boiler maintenance company are being sued for "lack of knowledge"

There is a mixing valve (tempering) installed and no one noticed it was missing either check valves Or the 27" loop (heat sink) and of course no gauges were within the vicinity to actually get an accurate reading

The water temperature spiked to over 147 Deg F while a lady was taking a shower

I went to 2 depositions and have a court case pending to testify against the building owners and boilers service company .

Seeing a code infraction or a device installed wrong and not mentioning it can lead to problems as a professional should know better


SEE BELOW as major cities will not tolerate incompetency or even a mistake


https://www1.nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/professional-engineers-and-registered-architects.page

 

[Sylvan]

"volunteering to give up the plumbing license etc means the department of building made these people an offer they could not refuse There is a list of plumbers, electricians, engineers, elevator inspectors and construction site momagers

Some are given jail time along with a stiff fine

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/buildings/industry/professional-engineers-and-registered-architects.page

 

[Jeff H Young]

No we see stuff all of the time. We are only made to bring up to code if we work on it.

Interesting topic but Im not so sure anything requires me to bring up to code to AHJ eg. Im repairing a leak at a water heater and find its not vented properly, or a leak at some bootleg bathroom addition or even replace toilet in such . But as far as reporting a homeowner I suppose it could reach a point to where you would require reporting them but Ive never seen something that would cause me to. Kind of like reporting your neighbor for child abuse Hell yes I would report them if its that bad Im not going to let innocent people die. So if some one has kids or vulnerable people in there home and it be comes an s hole like on hoarders or something yea ill report them. Otherwise I could care less if its a grown adult of semi sane person and no one else going to die Id leave it alone. whatever the law is.

 

[WorthFlorida]

Is this a new home or an old one. Did you always have these non drain issue? Older homes it could be tree roots, ground movement causing a separation of a joint, cast iron pipe rusted away, clay pipe collapsed,

Anyone can mess up their inside plumbing and without inspection. The problem, is when they want to sell the home? The temporary fix is a temporary fix if needed to prevent sewer water from backing up. It's not code violation. If a code violation is outside the home plumbing system and create health issues, then it should be reported. A temporary connection to a clean out and no spillage onto the ground is not a health issue. Some parts of the country (parts of Florida), dumping gray water onto the ground is prohibited.