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Steel building and bolt torque inspection

Baconator

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 1, 2020
Member Number
1740
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314
I am putting up a steel building and my county requires a 3rd party bolt inspector. I have found a company to do it, however the receptionist doesnt know anything about what they actually inspect and hasnt been able to put me in contact with the inspector. Inspection is $400, so Id like to be prepared when they show up. Id prefer to use another company, however you have to use the company that designed your foundation, so these guys are my only choice.

I am trying to figure out what they want to inspect. My drawings state that snug tight of the bolts is acceptable for my building. Do they just look all of the bolts over to make sure Ive tightened them?
I was planning on having them do the inspection before we side it, as once that happens the manlift wont be able to fit inside and see all of the connections.
I wish I lived in a free county, this bullshit place requires a permit for a damn shipping container.
 
Use luzhoon bolts they can walk around and see ends snapped off. Or draw line across bolt and nut when snugged then tighten 1/4 turn more to show torquing. You can also look up torque code for 3/4 "a325 bolts. A good 3/4" electric rattle gun will usually get them tight enough. Ask the receptionist to talk to a field inspector to get the info you need.
 
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It'll be either a torque spec, they'll throw their calibrated torque wrench on a few randomly to see if they're good or turn of a nut method and they'll probably want to see you do a few.
 
POR said:
Use luzhoon bolts they can walk around and see ends snapped off. Or draw line across bolt and nut when snugged then tighten 1/4 turn more to show torquing. You can also look up torque code for 3/4 "a325 bolts. A good 3/4" electric rattle gun will usually get them tight enough. Ask the receptionist to talk to a field inspector to get the info you need.
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I dont think they would be specifying "snug tight" if it called out for a325s. I guessing this is not a structural steel building and more likely light weight tube.


Are they also inspecting the anchors to the foundation?
 
RusM said:
It'll be either a torque spec, they'll throw their calibrated torque wrench on a few randomly to see if they're good or turn of a nut method and they'll probably want to see you do a few.
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My drawings state turn of the nut method, however in the following line it says snug tight is acceptable because I am not in a seismic region.
A325 bolts are all 1/2 and 5/8, so looks like 1/3 of a turn past snug. Do they want to watch you tighten them that far, or just see the marks on them?
 
i dont know much on the issue, but i know when working marine construction there where a number of refinery job that used bolts that would push out a blue paint when they where torqued to spec. might be an option to look into.
 
Baconator said:
My drawings state turn of the nut method, however in the following line it says snug tight is acceptable because I am not in a seismic region.
A325 bolts are all 1/2 and 5/8, so looks like 1/3 of a turn past snug. Do they want to watch you tighten them that far, or just see the marks on them?
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Mark them at tight iron and then again after 1/3 turn. Write T.O.N. next to every one and you will be fine.

Or just tighten all of them as tight as you can get with whatever wrench you are using and pay your kid to run around and put a bunch of Mark's by them.

Be prepared to show the inspector your method but with everything marked when he shows up you will be fine
 
Fuck that. Where are you at that they inspect "Bolt Torque Specs" for a Building on your own property ?

The Building inspectors that I deal with are just interested in "Hurricane" straps. Nothing but bent,curved metal. Which I will say "helps" to a degree but pia to go back and install.
 
On a side note,we have to use Fasteners that have a "Crush Ring" that is basically a washer made to seal around the Fastener that you can Visually see if it is "Compressed".
 
Mudslinger99 said:
The Building inspectors that I deal with are just interested in "Hurricane" straps. Nothing but bent,curved metal. Which I will say "helps" to a degree but pia to go back and install.
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gotta give mister simpson his money, he needs to make it back after paying so much to have his products required by code in so many places
 
My building plans just referred to snug tight as well. Glad my county is lazy and just wants the tax $. Footing inspector didn’t even get out of the truck and the electrical inspector didn’t even have me remove any covers. He just looked at my panel and then asked to walk outside and look at meter can.

As others have said, I’d just use a paint marker and turn an additional 1/3 turn. Are they just inspecting the foundation anchors or are they going to go up in a lift or ladder and check girt and purlin bolts too?
 
Curbkrawler said:
My building plans just referred to snug tight as well. Glad my county is lazy and just wants the tax $. Footing inspector didn’t even get out of the truck and the electrical inspector didn’t even have me remove any covers. He just looked at my panel and then asked to walk outside and look at meter can.

As others have said, I’d just use a paint marker and turn an additional 1/3 turn. Are they just inspecting the foundation anchors or are they going to go up in a lift or ladder and check girt and purlin bolts too?
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this is what mine required as well. we must live in the same area:laughing:Pay the money and do whatever floats your boat.

Paint marker is the easiest way. Go to home depot and get white Milwaukee paint marker. They mark the best. I also wouldn't supply him with a lift or loader. Far too dangerous imo. A ladder is plenty enough, and will deter the inspector from wanting to check all the fasteners.
 
Curbkrawler said:
Glad my county is lazy and just wants the tax $. Footing inspector didn’t even get out of the truck and the electrical inspector didn’t even have me remove any covers. He just looked at my panel and then asked to walk outside and look at meter can.
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"gee I sure am glad the tax man holds a gun to my head and doesn't even pretend to have a reason to do so"
 
[486 said:
;n126881]
"gee I sure am glad the tax man holds a gun to my head and doesn't even pretend to have a reason to do so"
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Fucking do something about it. Geeze you guys and your whining about laws and taxes and government. Go join your local township board and try to roll back the laws and regulations. Start a movement and get people to join. But fuck no, make shitty comments and whine about it constantly. Bunch a virtue signaling going on here lately.
Don't get me wrong, i believe we should roll back most all traffic laws and get rid of many useless committees and programs too, but saying all laws and every bit of gov should go is not a starting point...
 
[486 said:
;n126881]
"gee I sure am glad the tax man holds a gun to my head and doesn't even pretend to have a reason to do so"
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Understand your point but my involvement ends with the submission of my vote and voicing of my concerns at town halls. I live in a county with 4 stoplights total. If I had the choice bn my situation or what some of the other folks on here describe with permitting and bureaucracy I’ll take my situation any day. I bitched to the tax assessors office about the taxes on my farm and he called back the next day and said “I thought about your situation all afternoon and I have come up with a way to reduce your taxes by $600.” I doubt there are many places that would care or do that...
 
I don't understand his point honestly. Sitting on a forum, bitching about it, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say, he's not even writing letters to anyone about it... just a Karen
There is a way to fix it, and it's a long game, but absolutely worth it. We, as like minded individuals, need to stop bitching at each other on the internet and get on our city or township boards in rural areas. Start rolling back regulations, start repealing laws. You'll get a following and voted in if you run on a simple platform of trying to get rid of a bunch of traffic laws. People here are intelligent, and it's the only way to start getting like minded people involved and using their voice. If 10 others say they will at least run for a trustee position on a city, county, township, or any other municipal board, i will also do so. I will run on a platform of deregulation and roll backs. I promised my wife I'd never be in politics again, but I'm willing to make some baby steps toward actual freedom in this country together with you guys:usa: We have to start using the commie's tactics against them. Fight fire with fire, let's stack the deck and help people realize all their doing is letting the old watch go 1984 all over our faces. We have to do something and it's fast more effective than some fuckin letters. It's a long game though.
 
Sterlingfire said:
I don't understand his point honestly. Sitting on a forum, bitching about it, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say, he's not even writing letters to anyone about it... just a Karen
There is a way to fix it, and it's a long game, but absolutely worth it. We, as like minded individuals, need to stop bitching at each other on the internet and get on our city or township boards in rural areas. Start rolling back regulations, start repealing laws. You'll get a following and voted in if you run on a simple platform of trying to get rid of a bunch of traffic laws. People here are intelligent, and it's the only way to start getting like minded people involved and using their voice. If 10 others say they will at least run for a trustee position on a city, county, township, or any other municipal board, i will also do so. I will run on a platform of deregulation and roll backs. I promised my wife I'd never be in politics again, but I'm willing to make some baby steps toward actual freedom in this country together with you guys:usa: We have to start using the commie's tactics against them. Fight fire with fire, let's stack the deck and help people realize all their doing is letting the old watch go 1984 all over our faces. We have to do something and it's fast more effective than some fuckin letters. It's a long game though.
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I am sick of career politicians. Wish more regular folks would get involved. Me personally? I have no want to ever get involved with that. I vote, I keep up with the things that I feel I have involvement or influence with, and don’t pay any mind to the rest. I think social media is one of the root causes of a lot of the divide today. If all of it disappeared tomorrow I think it would be the best thing for humanity. Never in the history of man has less important things been ever been documented more.

Sorry OP. Back to paint marking your bolts!
 
Curbkrawler said:
I am sick of career politicians. Wish more regular folks would get involved. Me personally? I have no want to ever get involved with that. I vote, I keep up with the things that I feel I have involvement or influence with, and don’t pay any mind to the rest. I think social media is one of the root causes of a lot of the divide today. If all of it disappeared tomorrow I think it would be the best thing for humanity. Never in the history of man has less important things been ever been documented more.

Sorry OP. Back to paint marking your bolts!
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well, i see your point, but not getting into the thick of it is why we're where we're at today. you know as well i do social media is not going away. you know as well as i do the left commies will not stop. the only way to beat them is to play their game, and if you have kids or grand kids or any young family members that you care for, you would do this for them. use your voice, use your intelligence to affect change. one isn't enough though, we all need to do it or we can all stop bitching about the regress as far as I'm concerned...and that's the way i hope everyone else feels too.

Btw, fuck the bolts, I'm sure their tight enough. Call the inspector, or foundation guy and see what he says.
 
gunracer1 said:
damn, i don't permit shit. i know they want us to but no one does it.
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you shouldn't have to on your own land...but in some areas they actual drive around looking for that type of shit. fucking commies...l am in about to build a wood shed for my boiler and to store my winters worth of wood in. i won't be pulling permits. also building a lean to on the side of my shop, maybe even both sides, won't be pulling permits. I'm in a spot that isn't traveled very often, and since all the construction is new, it won't be obvious.
 
I finally reached the inspector today, he does not want turn of the nut, he called that a bullshit method.
He wants each bolt tight enough that there is no airgap between any of the mating surfaces, he said I will probably break a few bolts getting it there. Seemed like a reasonable guy, but I cant stand when the inspector wants something other than whats on the building plans.

On a side note my county has been growing pretty rapidly the last few years, they hired all new building officials who are retroactively enforcing the codes. They have made a few people pull permits for things that weren't permitted and bring them up to code. I know of atleast 1 building that they had to knock down because they werent able to bring it up to code. I live in a very red county but that doesnt matter, they want their money and control.
 
Baconator said:
I finally reached the inspector today, he does not want turn of the nut, he called that a bullshit method.
He wants each bolt tight enough that there is no airgap between any of the mating surfaces, he said I will probably break a few bolts getting it there. Seemed like a reasonable guy, but I cant stand when the inspector wants something other than whats on the building plans.

On a side note my county has been growing pretty rapidly the last few years, they hired all new building officials who are retroactively enforcing the codes. They have made a few people pull permits for things that weren't permitted and bring them up to code. I know of atleast 1 building that they had to knock down because they werent able to bring it up to code. I live in a very red county but that doesnt matter, they want their money and control.
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Only one inspector has to go missing under suspicious circumstances to make the rest of them stop doing that. :flipoff2:
 
My guy showed up looked asked how I tighted them and signed off. Didn't even climb the ladder at all.
 
Baconator said:
I finally reached the inspector today, he does not want turn of the nut, he called that a bullshit method.
He wants each bolt tight enough that there is no airgap between any of the mating surfaces, he said I will probably break a few bolts getting it there. Seemed like a reasonable guy, but I cant stand when the inspector wants something other than whats on the building plans.

On a side note my county has been growing pretty rapidly the last few years, they hired all new building officials who are retroactively enforcing the codes. They have made a few people pull permits for things that weren't permitted and bring them up to code. I know of atleast 1 building that they had to knock down because they werent able to bring it up to code. I live in a very red county but that doesnt matter, they want their money and control.
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I'd ask him where it says that his method is approved by an engineer on the plans. You should get him to email that to you and send it to the building company and ask them if it's acceptable. Or just fire that company and hire one that's going to inspect it per the plans....:mr-t:
 
RusM said:
I'd ask him where it says that his method is approved by an engineer on the plans. You should get him to email that to you and send it to the building company and ask them if it's acceptable. Or just fire that company and hire one that's going to inspect it per the plans....:mr-t:
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Exactly. The PE that stamped those plans had to look up what the wind loading, snow loading, etc. for that area is and the design calcs are all based off those factors. I don’t recall the “air gap” method in my strength of materials class...
 
Any PE who specs out “snug tight” should be stripped of their license.

specs need to be a torque value range...and the inspection starts with calibrating the tool used to torque the hardware to that value.
 
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