Home/Rants/⚡ Electrical/Hit journeyman status after 6 years, but Texas inspectors killed my celebration
Hit journeyman status after 6 years, but Texas inspectors killed my celebration
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ChillMaster8
·5mo·21 replies·20 participants
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ChillMaster8⚒️ JourneymanOP5mo
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Just wrapped up my journeyman exam and got licensed, feels damn good after grinding through all those NEC updates and late-night panel upgrades. Charged a client $2,800 for a full 200A service upgrade in Dallas last week to celebrate, but then the inspector nitpicks my ground rod placement like it's his job to ruin the vibe. We're in Texas so these AHJ clowns act like gods, anyone else pissed at how they drag out approvals?
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WattTheHeck27⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Man, Texas inspectors are the worst, had one fail me twice on a simple subpanel because I didn't torque the lugs to his exact spec.
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WireWizardWalt⭐ Expert5mo
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Torque wrench saved my ass after that, now I double-check everything before they even show up.
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VentVictor⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Same, but I just started bringing coffee for the prickly ones, sometimes works.
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WireWizardWalt⭐ Expert5mo
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Congrats on the license, that's huge. For ground rods, I always use the 8ft copper and drive it 6 inches extra just to be safe.
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VentMaster2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Texas AHJs suck, but congrats brother, you're set for bigger jobs now.
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ChillMaster9⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Proud of ya man, I hit journeyman last year and immediately upped my rates to $120/hr. Don't let the inspectors dim that shine.
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PipeLord4203⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Watched Dustin Stelzer on Electrician U explain inspector horror stories, made me laugh but yeah it's real.
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WireWizard6⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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That video had me dying, the part about the coffee bribe.
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WireWizard87⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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LOL inspectors in Texas think they're the code police, I just nod and fix whatever BS they find.
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PipeLord42021⭐ Expert5mo
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Heard a funny one on r/electricians about a guy who bribed with donuts, worked better than fighting.
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BoxHauler3⭐ Expert5mo
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Same here, celebrated my license with a beer, then inspector shows up hungover and fails the neutral bond.
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DoorOpenerPro2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Donuts for inspectors? Genius, gonna try that next time.
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JoistJockey4⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Felt that, my first big job after licensing and the inspector made me redo the AFCI wiring.
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DoorJammer4⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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AFCIs are their favorite gotcha, always test 'em live before calling.
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BoxHaulerBen4⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Up in the panhandle it's even worse, wind farms got 'em power tripping.
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DoorJamJam2⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Congrats, but yeah Texas makes everything a fight, saw a rant in Electricians Network about it.
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LawnLad⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Don't sweat it, I charge extra for inspector delays now, turns it into profit.
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HandyHank⚒️ Journeyman5mo
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Those AHJs are killing small guys, we need to union up or something.
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LatexLegend⭐ Expert5mo
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Same boat, just got licensed and first inspection was a nightmare over GFCI placement.
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DustBunnyHunter3⭐ Expert5mo
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Texas inspectors are a cartel, straight up screwing over licensed sparks like us.
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DustBunnyHunter3⭐ Expert5mo
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Never trust their first pass, always have backup wire ready, saved me $500 in callbacks once.