SprinklerDesigner2
Mechanical
- Nov 30, 2006
- 1,251
There is a question for all this but first some background.
I am NICET Level IV Certified in automatic sprinkler system layout with 33 years experience.
This isn't a surprise to anyone but new construction has dropped off the map. I have never seen new construction drop off like it has over just the past three or four months.
Still having to work for a living I've been carefully reading over NFPA #25 and I have been out and about conducting sprinkler system inspections.
I am not NICET Certified to "Inspect" but as a certificate of compentency holder the state where I am located specifically allows for me to conduct inspections figuring if I have been designing all these years I should know what I am looking at. To a point I disagree with this because how I look at a sprinkler system is a whole lot different then what a NICET II (Florida only requires NICET II) inspector would look at a system. I keep wanting to check spacing and densities which is an engineering survey and not an inspection. Tough for me to keep from going there.
I want to get NICET III certified for inspections and my question has to do with experience level.
Do I have 5 years experience inspecting sprinklre systems? This kind of depends. Prior to NFPA #25 coming out I conducted a number of inspections over the years but it is hard coming up with a reasonable estimate of what percentage of my time, this is spread out over 33 years, did I spend conducting inspections.
Covering the first 25 years I know I spent at least 5% of my time but 10% seems a little high unless I can count that time I spent inspecting and surveying existing systems to accomodate expansions in which case I could easily claim 15% of my time was spent inspecting. In 1985 what constituted "inspecting" sprinkler systems?
For the last 3 years I've been doing a whole lot more and for the last few months all I have been doing is inspections.
Hey, it's job security and nobody should knock that right now. Also, if on commission, the pay can be surprisingly, shocking actually, high if someone wants to work at it.
So, does anyone here have dual NICET certifictions and how did you handle the experience level?
I am NICET Level IV Certified in automatic sprinkler system layout with 33 years experience.
This isn't a surprise to anyone but new construction has dropped off the map. I have never seen new construction drop off like it has over just the past three or four months.
Still having to work for a living I've been carefully reading over NFPA #25 and I have been out and about conducting sprinkler system inspections.
I am not NICET Certified to "Inspect" but as a certificate of compentency holder the state where I am located specifically allows for me to conduct inspections figuring if I have been designing all these years I should know what I am looking at. To a point I disagree with this because how I look at a sprinkler system is a whole lot different then what a NICET II (Florida only requires NICET II) inspector would look at a system. I keep wanting to check spacing and densities which is an engineering survey and not an inspection. Tough for me to keep from going there.
I want to get NICET III certified for inspections and my question has to do with experience level.
Do I have 5 years experience inspecting sprinklre systems? This kind of depends. Prior to NFPA #25 coming out I conducted a number of inspections over the years but it is hard coming up with a reasonable estimate of what percentage of my time, this is spread out over 33 years, did I spend conducting inspections.
Covering the first 25 years I know I spent at least 5% of my time but 10% seems a little high unless I can count that time I spent inspecting and surveying existing systems to accomodate expansions in which case I could easily claim 15% of my time was spent inspecting. In 1985 what constituted "inspecting" sprinkler systems?
For the last 3 years I've been doing a whole lot more and for the last few months all I have been doing is inspections.
Hey, it's job security and nobody should knock that right now. Also, if on commission, the pay can be surprisingly, shocking actually, high if someone wants to work at it.
So, does anyone here have dual NICET certifictions and how did you handle the experience level?