North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 21 - OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS › Chapter 50 - PLUMBING, HEATING AND FIRE SPRINKLER CONTRACTORS › Section .0500 - POLICY STATEMENTS AND INTERPRETATIVE RULES › Section 50 .0505 - GENERAL SUPERVISION AND STANDARD OF COMPETENCE

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
(a) The
				general supervision required by
				G.S.
				87-26 is that degree of supervision which is
				necessary and sufficient to ensure that the contract is performed in a
				workmanlike manner and with the requisite skill and that the installation is
				made properly, safely and in accordance with applicable codes and rules.
				General supervision requires that review of the work done pursuant to the
				license be performed by a licensee of the firm while the work is in progress.
				If a Plumbing, Heating or Fuel Piping Contractor licensed by this Board employs
				a properly licensed Plumbing, Heating or Fuel Piping Technician, whose
				Technician license is listed under the name of that licensed contractor, then
				the licensed technician may review and supervise work in lieu of the licensed
				contractor as a means to assure that the contract is performed in a workmanlike
				manner and with the requisite skill and that the installation is made properly,
				safely and in accordance with applicable codes and rules.
(b) The provisions of the North Carolina
				Building Code, including the provisions of codes and standards incorporated by
				reference, and adopted by the Building Code Council of North Carolina are the
				minimum standard of competence applicable to contractors licensed by the Board.
				Licensees shall design and install systems which meet or exceed the minimum
				standards of the North Carolina State Building Code, manufacturer's
				specifications and installation instructions and standards prevailing in the
				industry.
(c) Work performed under
				Rule .0513, Rule .0514, and Rule .0515 shall be performed by the licensed
				technician pursuant to the license held by that person.
(d) Every newly installed residential heating
				system, air conditioning system or both shall be designed and installed to
				maintain a maximum temperature differential of four degrees Fahrenheit
				room-to-room and floor-to-floor. On multilevel structures, contractors shall
				either provide a separate HVAC system for each floor or to install
				automatically controlled zoning equipment for each level with individual
				thermostats on each level to control the temperature for that level. The
				seasonal adjustment needed to maintain the four degrees Fahrenheit room-to-room
				and floor-to-floor maximum temperature differential shall not be accomplished
				through the use of manual dampers.
(e) All licensed HVAC contractors or licensed
				technicians shall perform a room-by-room load calculation for all newly
				installed residential structures prior to installing heating systems, air
				conditioning systems, or both, which calculations shall be specific to the
				location and orientation where the HVAC system or equipment is to be installed.
				A written record of the system and equipment sizing information shall be
				provided to the homeowner, owner or general contractor upon request and a copy
				shall be maintained in the job file of the licensee for a minimum of six years.
				Load calculations shall be performed by a licensee who holds the appropriate
				license from this Board, or a licensee may utilize a load calculation carried
				out for this particular structure and location by a North Carolina Licensed
				Professional Engineer.
(f) When
				either a furnace, condenser, package unit or air handler in an existing
				residential heating or air conditioning system is replaced, the licensed HVAC
				contractor or licensed technician is required to perform a minimum of a whole
				house block load calculation. When a furnace, condenser, package unit or air
				handler in a residential heating or air conditioning system is replaced, the
				licensee shall ensure that all systems and equipment are properly sized. The
				licensee may utilize industry standards, reference materials, evaluation of the
				structure, and load calculations. A written record of the system and equipment
				sizing information shall be provided to the homeowner, owner or general
				contractor upon request and a copy shall be maintained in the job file of the
				licensee for a minimum of six years. If a load calculation was not performed or
				if a load calculation was performed and it is later determined by the Board
				that the unit installed was undersized or oversized, the installation will be
				considered as evidence of incompetence. Load calculations shall be performed by
				a licensee who holds the appropriate license from this Board, or a licensee may
				utilize load calculations carried out for this particular structure and
				location by a North Carolina Licensed Professional Engineer.
(g) A licensed plumbing contractor involved
				in installation or replacement of a well pump or pumping equipment which
				includes installation or reinstallation of a well seal shall be present on site
				until the well is disinfected and sealed.
(h) At the time of completion of initial
				installation and upon any subsequent alteration, licensees who install
				multipurpose residential fire sprinkler systems shall assure that the two most
				remote fire sprinkler heads, as identified by the design professional who
				designed the system, undergo a water flow test at the water supply delivery
				volume and delivery pressure and assure that the system flows the required
				amount of water through each of the tested fire sprinkler heads. Failure to
				carry out the flow test or failure of a system to provide the required volume
				or water when placed in operation due to fire or otherwise shall be considered
				evidence of misconduct and incompetence on the part of the installing
				licensee.
Authority
				  G.S.
				  87-18;
				  87-23;
				  87-26;
Eff. February
				  1, 1976;
Readopted Eff. September 29, 1977;
Amended
				  Eff. July 3, 2012; January 1, 2010; March 1, 2005; January 1, 2004; July 1,
				  2003; July 1, 1991; October 1, 1989; May 1, 1989;
Pursuant to
				  G.S.
				  150B-21.3A, rule is necessary without
				  substantive public interest Eff. August 22,
				  2015.