A plumbing inspector ensures that plumbing systems are safe, legal, and installed by licensed professionals. They inspect new construction projects and extensive renovations, and may specialize in residential or commercial plumbing. Inspectors can be employed by various levels of government and their primary objective is to protect public health and safety.
A plumbing inspector is a plumbing professional who specializes in performing inspections of plumbing systems to confirm that they are safe, legal, and installed by licensed professionals. The government is usually the largest employer of plumbing inspectors, with some governments hiring full-time inspection staff while others contract out jobs to licensed plumbing inspectors as needed. To work as a plumbing inspector, someone generally must be fully qualified and licensed as a plumber, with an additional certification that allows them to work as an inspector.
On new construction projects, the plumbing inspector examines the plumbing systems and appliances as they are implemented to confirm that the installation is legal. The plumbing inspector checks vents, traps, faucets, fixtures and lines. He or she may also ask for proof that the plumbers doing the work are licensed and that their licenses are current. Some plumbing inspectors choose to specialize in either residential or commercial plumbing, while others may inspect both types. If a plumbing installation fails inspection, the builder will be cited and the problems identified by the plumbing inspector must be corrected.
After extensive renovations involving plumbing systems, the inspector may be dispatched again to confirm the safety and legality of the plumbing. This can be especially important when people are updating old plumbing systems, as mistakes can be costly or dangerous when people are replacing entire plumbing systems. Plumbing inspectors may also be called in when a problem arises with a plumbing system, such as when the water company suspects that a restaurant is discharging grease directly into the sewer.
For plumbers who don’t like field work, it is possible to work as a plumbing plan examiner. Plan examiners review proposed plumbing layouts and plan to determine whether or not the system will comply with plumbing code. Getting plans approved by an examiner is often an important part of the process of applying for a building permit. When plumbing systems are inspected on site, the inspector will usually refer to the plumbing plans to determine whether or not the physical plumbing matches the proposed plan and may ask for an explanation if there is a variance.
Inspectors can be employed at various levels of government. In all cases, their primary objective is to protect public health and safety by ensuring that plumbing systems are suitable for the tasks for which they are being used. Plumbing inspectors are also concerned about code violations that could be clues to illegal activity, such as plumbing in a garage, which might suggest it’s being used for a grandma’s unit.
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