`Boston hot-work fire-watch regulation and building cost impact`

Specifically Belmont, MA, where Eagar lives. Used as an externality argument for why swage fittings displaced solder fittings even where the joint quality might be inferior.

One of the implications — we talked about externalities and costs — at least where Professor Eagar lives, in Belmont, if you want to solder, you have to get what's called a hot work permit by the city. With the hot work permit, if you're doing welding or things like that, there are sparks, so you have to get a special permit to do the work. The other thing you need to have is what's called a fire watch. So there are cost implications as well. You need to have somebody from the fire department, and you have to pay them, when you're soldering these joints — versus saying, I can go buy this at Home Depot or one of these major retailers, and all it is is a snap connection, and leave it in place. Cost really is the driver for a lot of the construction and joining activities.

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