Critical Care & life safety in Health care. Conduit/?

[Fordean]

Where in code book, Is it, THat states conduit useage mandatory for Critical care / Life safety. Is Hospital grade cable ok for one or both situations. I am aware when you do use conduit. You MAY NOT share with normal power wirings.

 

[roger]

You are probably looking for 517.30(C)(3)

(3) Mechanical Protection of the Emergency System. The wiring of the emergency system in hospitals shall be mechanically protected. Where installed as branch circuits in patient care areas, the installation shall comply with the requirements of 517.13(A) and (B). The following wiring methods shall be permitted:


(1) Nonflexible metal raceways, Type MI cable, or Schedule 80 PVC conduit. Nonmetallic raceways shall not be used for branch circuits that supply patient care areas.
(2) Where encased in not less than 50 mm (2 in.) of concrete, Schedule 40 PVC conduit, flexible nonmetallic or jacketed metallic raceways, or jacketed metallic cable assemblies listed for installation in concrete. Nonmetallic raceways shall not be used for branch circuits that supply patient care areas.

(3) Listed flexible metal raceways and listed metal sheathed cable assemblies in any of the following:
a. Where used in listed prefabricated medical headwalls
b. In listed office furnishings
c. Where fished into existing walls or ceilings, not otherwise accessible and not subject to physical damage
d. Where necessary for flexible connection to equipment
(4) Flexible power cords of appliances or other utilization equipment connected to the emergency system.
(5) Secondary circuits of Class 2 or Class 3 communication or signaling systems with or without raceways.

Roger

 

[Gregg Harris]

Where in code book, Is it, THat states conduit useage mandatory for Critical care / Life safety. Is Hospital grade cable ok for one or both situations. I am aware when you do use conduit. You MAY NOT share with normal power wirings.

517.30 (3)
(3) Mechanical Protection of the Emergency System. The wiring of the emergency systems in hospitals shall be mechanically protected. Where installed as branch circuits in patient care areas, the installation shall comply with the requirements of 517.13(A) and (B). The following wiring methods shall be permitted

 

[Fordean]

517.13 A & B

517.13 A & B

I see the methods. But does it apply to 517.19 Critical care?

 

[Shoe]

It applies to all circuits on the emergency system, which is defined the life safety or critical branch systems. (See 517.30(B)(2))

 

[roger]

I see the methods. But does it apply to 517.19 Critical care?

See Shoe's post.

Roger

 

[Fordean]

Hospital grade cable or Conduit

Hospital grade cable or Conduit

I understand in a newer more designed building. Hospital. But the older ones are completely impossible to run conduit due to the lack of space in initial Engineering Design of cavity above ceiling. Newer hospitals have substantial space. And more neatly done.

Article I believe states MC is ok "where not in physical danger of damage to cable" Or wording such as that.

You really cannot run a conduit in cases.

I will look up correct wording again

 

[roger]

Article I believe states MC is ok "where not in physical danger of damage to cable" Or wording such as that.

Did you read post #2? I posted the exceptions and here they are again.

(3) Listed flexible metal raceways and listed metal sheathed cable assemblies in any of the following:

a. Where used in listed prefabricated medical headwalls

b. In listed office furnishings

c. Where fished into existing walls or ceilings, not otherwise accessible and not subject to physical damage

d. Where necessary for flexible connection to equipment

(4) Flexible power cords of appliances or other utilization equipment connected to the emergency system.

(5) Secondary circuits of Class 2 or Class 3 communication or signaling systems with or without raceways.

If none of those exceptions apply you can not use a flexible wiring method.

Now, whether or not you can get approval from the AHJ per 90.4 to use a flexible wiring method is another story, but per the NEC you will have to figure out how to use a non flexible metalic wiring method.

Roger

 

[don_resqcapt19]

...

Now, whether or not you can get approval from the AHJ per 90.4 to use a flexible wiring method is another story, but per the NEC you will have to figure out how to use a non flexible metalic wiring method.

Roger

And even if you get approval from the NEC AHJ, you will have to make sure that the state hospital authorities also agree. In Illinois, IDPH wants some things that are beyond what the NEC requires. They have the final say on hospitals here no matter what the local NEC AHJ has said.

 

[steve66]

[B](3) 	Listed flexible metal raceways and listed metal sheathed cable assemblies in any of the following:  

[/B]...

[B]c. 	Where fished into existing walls or ceilings, not otherwise accessible and not subject to physical damage[/B] 

....

But anything above a dropped ceiling (grid ceiling) would be considered accessible, not matter how packed it is with other conduits, pipes, and other stuff.

I understand in a newer more designed building. Hospital. But the older ones are completely impossible to run conduit due to the lack of space in initial Engineering Design of cavity above ceiling. You really cannot run a conduit in cases.

Nothing in the code says the conduit has to be in the ceiling cavity. I'm sure the hospital would rather have it above the ceiling, but if its impossible to run conduit above the ceiling, exposed below the ceiling is code compliant.

In other words, I don't think you should just ignore the code because the ceiling cavity is crowded.

 

[Fordean]

Crowded

Crowded

Crowded is not the worries. Impossible is.

The duct work and the pipe for all other trades. Make is impossible to Reach up to apply hangers. You may be able to attach to other trade hangers. But that is also a issue NEC. I believe.

I do things neat and by the book. But other trades run their equipment. With no allowance for future in some cases. In some cases they have no option neither. Same as us now.

Love how they have all this space above duct and Sprinklers, Tube system. But you cant get to it. Cause they hung their equip. so low.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

... You may be able to attach to other trade hangers. But that is also a issue NEC. I believe.

...

That is not an NEC issue, but it maybe an issue in the mechanical codes, much like the NEC would prohibit other systems from being supported by conduits.