Allegheny County has one of the best plumbing codes anywhere

I will say something with real pride: in Pittsburgh, and more specifically Allegheny County, we have one of the best plumbing departments in the country, maybe the world. Our plumbing code actually supersedes the International Plumbing Code. It started back in the 1960s, and I am genuinely proud to be a master plumber in this county and part of a system that truly works to protect public health.

A lot of homeowners are surprised to learn you cannot just do plumbing work on your own home without filing a permit. I actually think it is pretty fair, or libertarian, of the health department to let homeowners file their own plans if they know how to do the work, but typically a master plumber has to be the one filing the plan and doing the job. When we do a plumbing install, the health department comes out and inspects it.

The city mechanical permit is a different animal

Most municipalities have their own permits, but the city of Pittsburgh has a very extensive mechanical permit process for HVAC, electrical and gas work. I will be straight with you: it is expensive for both the homeowner and the contractor, in time and in money, and it is a nightmare to work through. We are a licensed mechanical contractor and we deal with it regularly, so I am not guessing here.

You would think a furnace permit takes 3 to 5 days. It does not. I have had to wait up to nine months to get the permit on a job. Nine months. For a permit before the work is even inspected.

Here is the juicy nugget for DIYers and out-of-towners

This is the part that genuinely bothers me, and every homebuyer should hear it. You get the mechanical permit, you install the whole system, the ductwork, the electrical, the brazing on the condenser and furnace, the air conditioner, the thermostat, all of it. You would naturally expect the inspector to make sure:

• The equipment is the right size for the home
• Each room actually heats and cools
• The system comes on properly from the thermostat
• The refrigerant charge is correct
• There are no gas leaks
• The heat exchanger is in good shape
• The static pressure is where it should be

They do not check any of that. The only thing I have ever seen the inspector verify is that we have the proper UL-listed tape on every joint of the ductwork. They look everywhere for that tape, and they are thorough about it. But the things that actually determine whether your system is safe, efficient and sized right? Not checked, not even a little. It seems absolutely crazy to me, but that is the reality.

What this means if you are buying a Pittsburgh home

This is exactly why I tell people the industry is closer to the Wild West than they would expect. A permit and an inspection do not guarantee the system in the house is correct. Home inspectors and building inspectors are not catching the things you would actually care about.

So here is my honest advice, especially for out-of-towners or anyone moving to Pittsburgh: before you buy a home, pay the fee to have a licensed HVAC contractor evaluate the system. It is cheap insurance against inheriting an oversized, mischarged or unsafe setup that passed an inspection on a tape check. We are happy to do an in-home consultation and walk you through what permits and licensing your own project would actually require. You can always get in touch, and if you want to know who you are dealing with first, here is our story.