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A few projects I have done recently

CM1995

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Running what I brung and taking what I win
I see that a bit when people pick out trees they want to keep out of the forrest. When you remove the forrest from around a tree they like to fall over when the full force of the wind hits them. Root system grow accoding to demand. :)

Todd I think that had something to do with it. It was one of the tallest trees left standing on site other than one lone pine, so I guess it acted as a lightening rod.

It is hard to believe some of the trees that they protect. More than once we have had a dead tree barricaded and the it is big deal if you ask if they want it down. Lightning striking the gum was pretty funny. I am surprised they did not have to get the city people to come out and look at it to make sure it actually struck.

I figured you've seen the same lunacy LC. We all got a laugh out of it.

Locally it's not so much about the existing trees as it is about the new landscaping. One city has a tree inspector who measures the calipers of new trees planted in order to make sure they meet the city's requirements.:rolleyes:

Cory, how come you don't do you own sewer/water? And I love that 321, looks perfect for utility work.

Aliate Alabama has a screwy law that states only a licensed plumber can run from the lateral/meter to the building for both sewer and water. Once the lateral or service line leaves the ROW only a plumber can do it.

To answer the question I'm not set up to run main line sewer and water, I can do main line projects under $50K in value under my commercial license but my crew doesn't have the experience neither do I. The funny thing is the 4" or 6" sewer from the building to the lateral is the easy part.:beatsme However we stay busy enough with demo, grading and storm sewer. If I had the time I'd get my masters card but there's only so many hours in the week.

The 321 is perfect for what we do from demo to running storm in tight tie ins.;)
 

390eric

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Feb 24, 2009
Messages
274
Location
pittsburgh PA
CM do you need any license to run mainline sewer and water in your state. Understand you dont have the experience to do it, just curious about the license. In PA about any contractor that wants to do mainline can just can't hook it up to the buildings like you say. And that is only in certain counties. I always found it funny you need to be a master to hook up the laterals but nothing to run mainline and that is the most important part in my mind
 

Aliate

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Feb 17, 2009
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325
Location
Seattle, WA
That's pretty odd. Here you just need to be a registered sewer contractor, including a test, which I'm taking tomorrow. Theres a few guys around here that only do dirt, no utilities, and the established utility guys are either busy or retiring. So it seems like a ripe opportunity for someone who wants to specialize in utilities :D
 

CM1995

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Alabama
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Running what I brung and taking what I win
CM do you need any license to run mainline sewer and water in your state. Understand you dont have the experience to do it, just curious about the license. In PA about any contractor that wants to do mainline can just can't hook it up to the buildings like you say. And that is only in certain counties. I always found it funny you need to be a master to hook up the laterals but nothing to run mainline and that is the most important part in my mind

Eric any mainline project over $50K in value, a company has to be licensed by the general contractors license board for sewer/water either as a sub working for a GC or as a GC. There is a separate state plumbing board that licenses plumbers. I know what you mean about it not making sense on the lateral. The lateral is the easy part.:beatsme

That's pretty odd. Here you just need to be a registered sewer contractor, including a test, which I'm taking tomorrow. Theres a few guys around here that only do dirt, no utilities, and the established utility guys are either busy or retiring. So it seems like a ripe opportunity for someone who wants to specialize in utilities :D

I agree Aliate, there is money to be made in the utility market especially if you can install service laterals with the test you're taking. Fire service and vaults can be lucrative, you may want to take a look into that as well.
 

kshansen

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Mar 11, 2012
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Central New York, USA
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Retired Mechanic in Stone Quarry
Ran into some of these kind of strange rules here in NY back when we built our house. Hired guy from another county to dig basement and install septic system. He put the hole through the foundation and slipped the cast iron pipe through and did the rest of the septic system. Inspector came out and had a fit saying a licenced plummer has to install that cast iron pipe. He was able to run everything outside the foundation but a short piece of cast iron through the block wall was a problem?

Then when it came to the water pipes in the house, again said needed a licence plumber. Electric on the other hand anyone could run the 200 amp service and wire the whole house just needed to have it inspected at rough in and after it was finished. Guess the plumbers around here have more pull with politicians than the electricians!
 

CM1995

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Running what I brung and taking what I win
Kshansen that's crazy that a licensed electrician isn't required to wire the house but a plumber has to stub in the poop line to the house. All poop needs to do is run down hill, electricity will kill ya'.:confused:
 

Aliate

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Feb 17, 2009
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Seattle, WA
Eric any mainline project over $50K in value, a company has to be licensed by the general contractors license board for sewer/water either as a sub working for a GC or as a GC. There is a separate state plumbing board that licenses plumbers. I know what you mean about it not making sense on the lateral. The lateral is the easy part.:beatsme



I agree Aliate, there is money to be made in the utility market especially if you can install service laterals with the test you're taking. Fire service and vaults can be lucrative, you may want to take a look into that as well.

I passed my test today. I am now a licensed side sewer contractor in the city of Seattle. I got my u license last month for fire line. So I'm ready to go! Just need that 321 lol.
 

CM1995

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Running what I brung and taking what I win
I passed my test today. I am now a licensed side sewer contractor in the city of Seattle. I got my u license last month for fire line. So I'm ready to go! Just need that 321 lol.

Congrats!:drinkup

A 308 or 314 might be a better fit.
 

thepumpguysc

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Mar 18, 2010
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Sunny South Carolina
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Master Inj.Pump rebuilder
I know what you guys mean.. ALL they where concerned about was the depth of my electric line hole..?? go figure..
The inspector took a tape and measured from start to finish at the pole..
THEN.. a buddy hooked it up from the house to the pole?? no permit/ license NOTHIN.. CRAZY..
 

CM1995

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Running what I brung and taking what I win
Installing a yard inlet at the entrance to the condo project, space was tight as always.

IMG_1824.jpg



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15" and 12" HDPE drain line in front of the building for area drains.

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This is a Nyoplast inline drain, there is a a PVC hub and metal grate that will set on top of the riser. Once finish grade is done, the riser will be cut and the grate installed.

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Crossing under the 2" copper domestic water service and 6" fire main.

IMG_1829.jpg
 

CM1995

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Running what I brung and taking what I win
Continuation of the tight site called the "condo project". Had to straddle the back of curb stakes in order to grade out an area to set the rear stakes. The picture is sideways but gives the perspective.

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Since there wasn't enough equipment on this site I called the rental store and they are bringing out a CTL, backhoe and another 320.:rolleyes:

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Backfilling the west side of the building with the '53. There was a lot of very good topsoil on this site.

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Backfilling the retention system we installed at the rear of the building.

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View from the office from the small cubicle.

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JNB

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Feb 13, 2012
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North Texas
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Flyin' low and rollin' slow...
Looks like everyone including the painters brought their stuff out to play!

Out of curiosity, do you run the tooth bucket on the Bobcat more often than not? I figure that in all those years before skids steers arrived on the scene, track loaders with tooth buckets did everything from hogging out material to finish grade. No reason a CTL can't do the same. Even laying stone there's usually a bucket position that backdrags smooth. I still may pickup a nice 4n1 for better street cleanup with less hand work.
 

CM1995

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Running what I brung and taking what I win
Looks like everyone including the painters brought their stuff out to play!

Out of curiosity, do you run the tooth bucket on the Bobcat more often than not? I figure that in all those years before skids steers arrived on the scene, track loaders with tooth buckets did everything from hogging out material to finish grade. No reason a CTL can't do the same. Even laying stone there's usually a bucket position that backdrags smooth. I still may pickup a nice 4n1 for better street cleanup with less hand work.

LOL, yeah JNB the painters man lift has been in the way the whole time.:rolleyes:

I don't even have a smooth bucket, the tooth bucket is the only one we use for everything. In the past I've had smooth buckets but they just sat at the shop and collected rust. In the residential days we'd use one to clean up subdivision streets but that was about it.

Our dirt/clay/rock here is so varied that a tooth bucket is mandatory. I learned how to run a skid as a teenager for my father grading and cleaning up around new home construction. He was cheap so we only had one bucket, a tooth bucket so I just learned how to make it work for everything.:D
 

movindirt

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under a shady tree
I take 2 buckets to every job, a tooth and a smooth, the only time the smooth bucket gets used is if the street needs scraped off, other then that its tooth bucket all day long. If the teeth are flush with the bottom of the bucket it will leave a smooth surface, but if it is a bolt on tooth edge and the teeth stick down a extra inch then you might have a issue. Was that part about the ctl, backhoe and 320 sarcasm CM? :D
 

CM1995

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I take 2 buckets to every job, a tooth and a smooth, the only time the smooth bucket gets used is if the street needs scraped off, other then that its tooth bucket all day long. If the teeth are flush with the bottom of the bucket it will leave a smooth surface, but if it is a bolt on tooth edge and the teeth stick down a extra inch then you might have a issue. Was that part about the ctl, backhoe and 320 sarcasm CM? :D

Yeah the teeth are flush on our tooth bucket and it also has a reversible cutting edge so on the odd occasion we have to scrape asphalt it works ok.

Did you pick up on the sarcasm?:tong

This site is getting smaller every day, I'm ready to call the lowboy and put this one in the history books.;)
 

Landclearer

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I am going to lay storm pipe for you, no ground water:D The site does look a little tight but every day you are moving one step closer to the door. It will be interesting to see once the entire site is done. I like coming back to a job after it is all landscaped and see how it turns out.
 

CM1995

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Running what I brung and taking what I win
I am going to lay storm pipe for you, no ground water:D The site does look a little tight but every day you are moving one step closer to the door. It will be interesting to see once the entire site is done. I like coming back to a job after it is all landscaped and see how it turns out.

Come on down LC, we run into groundwater during the winter but it's nice pipe laying weather.:D

That's what makes our jobs satisfying - constructing or being a part of the construction of a project you can ride by for years later and have stories to tell.:)
 

Landclearer

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Come on down LC, we run into groundwater during the winter but it's nice pipe laying weather.:D

That's what makes our jobs satisfying - constructing or being a part of the construction of a project you can ride by for years later and have stories to tell.:)

Laying pipe here during the summer sucks whether it is wet or dry:mad:

I guess everyone in the const. biz does that, I always look at stuff I have worked on and think about it being good or bad or something interesting happened on the job.
 

CM1995

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Running what I brung and taking what I win
Did you guys get much rain from that tropical storm that was down in that area last week CM?

Not much movin, it rain pretty hard Sunday morning but that was it. Our sites were wet Monday morning and now they are as dry as a popcorn fart.
 
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