Opening deadfront voids warranty, says builder

Title pretty much says it. I was told by a construction coordinator with a major builder (last name rhymes with “Morton”) that removal of the breaker panel cover by anyone other than a licensed electrician “voids the warranty”. I would assume that’s the builder’s warranty as I doubt that a licensed electrician could dodge responsibility on such a flimsy premise.

Has anyone else been told such a thing?

I think this BUNK looks to me like he is nervous that you might find some errors .

Both the buyer and I were a little dubious about this, especially after the builder spun a tale about how an inspector left a screwdriver inside the panel causing a fire. After the builder left, we both tried unsuccessfully to imagine how a screwdriver sitting inside a panel could cause a fire absent some other defect.

Tell him that you and your client need that in written form.

Of course, if the house still belongs to the builder, there is no warranty in effect. The warranty is activated at the time of sale. Sounds like an easy out for your buyer. “I refuse to close on a house that does not include a warranty… My contract stated there will be a warranty. Return my deposit immediately.”

It’s B.S.

I agree it’s bogus, you could have a licensed electrician remove and reinstall the cover for you.

Removing a removable cover does nothing to anything…just proves it is removable. The CC is a WHACK NUT.

In Tucson for new construction, we are not allowed to open panels or walk on the roofs.

According to whom? Is this part of an inspector’s SOP?

I did a new const townhome last week.
The builder required me to have $1,000,000 insurance.
Not allowed on rooftop, in attic, remove CBP covers.
This is pretty typical down here.
The builder was Lennar.

panel cover removal are because service wires or others arc-flash when abraded by screws…go figure
sparkies never leave wires installed behind the screw holes
don’t ask how i know this just trust me i’ve experienced more of these than i have fingers & still have all 10
to be fair not all (2) were new construction

roofs are from scuffing, broken tile or damage to membranes or metal panels being reported & of course the installers would never leave a “completed job” in such horrendous conditions…so it had to be the inspector doing this to our properties

panel cover removal are because service wires or others arc-flash when abraded by screws…go figure
sparkies never leave wires installed behind the screw holes
don’t ask how i know this just trust me i’ve experienced more of these than i have fingers & still have all 10
to be fair not all (2) were new construction

roofs are from scuffing, broken tile or damage to membranes or metal panels being reported & of course the installers would never leave a “completed job” in such horrendous conditions…so it had to be the inspector doing this to our properties

i just do what i do & let 'em whirl

the difference between an outlaw & a convict is 1 got caught

Yes, that’s the new stupidity being displayed by build supervisors lately and usual is accompanied by no you can not remove it and no I (the build stupervisor) won’t remove it. That along with removing the HVAC air handler cover voids the HVAC warranty, Blah, Blah, Blah, BS, BS! When this occurs, if the client is not there, they are told immediately and it is annotated in the report.

Lately I was told removing the air handler cover voided the TPE energy rating check, requiring a re-test. I nearly got into a fistfight with a builder who insisted repeatedly that I removed one when I had done no such thing, for which I proclaimed him a jacka**. He practically chased me down the attic ladder for that. I think he felt bad later because he actually asked me for some of my business cards so he could recommend me to others needing inspections. This is a weird business…

He only wanted your card to pass around to let others know who to watch out for. :wink:

Obviously if the unit is taped or pookied (mastic) obviously I don’t open it as I don’t carry materials to reseal it. With those yes I can see them declaring a problem and I expect some Inspectors do open and do not reseal them. Unfortunately we have Inspectors out there doing all kinds of dumb things like wading through 16" of insulation just to get 10 feet that they could easily see from the access platform. :shock:

It’s just more crap to prevent Inspectors from finding issues with their work! :roll:

I’m not entirely convinced all this BS is from fear of discovery of faults. I think it all comes down from legal. When the electrician’s insurer’s lawyers can deflect blame to someone else (i.e. a general inspector), they might be able to dodge a claim, so the builder’s lawyer says “electricians only” behind the deadfront.

I suppose it’s possible that someone could monkey with stuff behind the air handler cover, thus possibly messing up the efficiency of the unit and voiding the energy efficiency certification, but I don’t believe this concern outweighs the importance of knowing that items behind the panel are in good condition.

If builders don’t want inspectors accessing certain panels, fine, but those panels should be labelled and sealed to prevent/reveal tampering. Otherwise how would I or anyone else know to leave them alone, and how can they determine with any certainty whether such a panel has been removed?

Let’s say I happen to arrive early, the new place is open from painters still hacking around.
Time to remove the cover! :wink:

Unless he explicitly tells me not to open the cover, I’m going in. I dont give a crap what he has to say about a warranty for a presale, new construction home. I’ll cut the duct tape off a louvered furnace cover every time. It serves no purpose except on Lenox units because they don’t seem to be capable of engineering a cover that will stay in place on a horizontal intallation, unless it’s taped in place.

That’s exactly what it is! Last year I inspected a home by a very large, supposedly well respected builder, and found so many significant issues. The Building Supervisor was a real idiot and even the buyers were complaining about him (I did other homes by this particular Supervisor). Three months later I come in and do another home by this Supervisor. All off a sudden I can’t open dead fronts as it will void the electrical warranty, can’t open HVACs as it would void the electrical warranty, can’t walk the roof as it would void the roof warranty, Blah, Blah, BS, BS, etc.

Less than a month later I do a home on the street immediately behind this one that was the exact same design, same builder, etc. However this time it was a different build Supervisor and the idiot was still there (large development). I never dealt with this Supervisor but met him on site and had a short pleasantry talk and during that I specifically asked for any restrictions on electrical, HVAC, roof, etc. He had no problem with me taking off dead front panels, etc., etc.

It has very little if nothing to do with liability and everything to do with Supervisors who do not want their arses in a wringer when the buyer learns how bad they are and the number of problems they caused! Good builders and good Build Supervisors do not worry about their work and actually want you there as it gives them another set of eyes but this time paid for by the buyer. They want their buyers to be happy and comfortable knowing they have a good home. BTW the build Supervisor who was not a problem also knew what he was doing and that house was very nicely done!