Free Roaming Chicken Barn

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Ravenvalor

Senior Member
Hello,

I am designing a free roaming chicken barn electrical system here in North Carolina.
According to Article 547 the codes for wiring a chicken barn are rather strict (weatherproof enclosures, no NMC or UF cable).
Is there any way to get around these strict requirements? I'd prefer to wire it in UF cable.

Thanks,
 

jeremysterling

Senior Member
Location
Austin, TX
I am not a rural electrician. After reading the scope of Art. 547, it seems to cover poultry "confinement" areas. Since your poultry are "free roaming" i.e. not confined, your building may not be covered by Art 547
 

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
Hello,

I am designing a free roaming chicken barn electrical system here in North Carolina.
According to Article 547 the codes for wiring a chicken barn are rather strict (weatherproof enclosures, no NMC or UF cable).
Is there any way to get around these strict requirements? I'd prefer to wire it in UF cable.

Thanks,

If you go to the "regular" chicken houses you will find them wired with NM-B (romex).
 

stevebea

Senior Member
Location
Southeastern PA
Hello,

I am designing a free roaming chicken barn electrical system here in North Carolina.
According to Article 547 the codes for wiring a chicken barn are rather strict (weatherproof enclosures, no NMC or UF cable).
Is there any way to get around these strict requirements? I'd prefer to wire it in UF cable.

Thanks,

It has been awhile since I have been in a chicken house but back in the day I used to get in a few chicken houses on a regular basis. I can assure you mice seem to develop a fondness for the taste of NM, particulary where NM enters a top or bottom plate of a sidewall. They will chew through the outer jacket and conductor insulation right down to the conductor. It's a very corrosive environment down in the pit area between the ammounia and the wash down which gives everything a good soaking after the batch of birds go out. I have rewired many fans, stats, augers etc. due to the mouse damage. In my mind PVC is the way to go.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Hello,

I am designing a free roaming chicken barn electrical system here in North Carolina.
According to Article 547 the codes for wiring a chicken barn are rather strict (weatherproof enclosures, no NMC or UF cable).
Is there any way to get around these strict requirements? I'd prefer to wire it in UF cable.

Thanks,

Can you tell us where you found the restriction for using NMC or UF? I don't think it is in the NEC, perhaps you have a local amendment. I have done poultry buildings before and ran mostly UF in some of them, others mostly PVC, design of building helped dictate which method was used in each case.

I am not a rural electrician. After reading the scope of Art. 547, it seems to cover poultry "confinement" areas. Since your poultry are "free roaming" i.e. not confined, your building may not be covered by Art 547

OP said "free roaming chicken barn" I assume this means it is a building but there are no pens of any type within the building. All the poultry barns I have ever done were this way. A building housing laying hens may be a little different, I have not worked in one of those before.

If you read the scope again it says "that part of a building or adjacent areas of similar or like nature" which I interpret as meaning if outdoors and there is livestock there 547 still applies.

If you go to the "regular" chicken houses you will find them wired with NM-B (romex).

On the mom and pop farms that have just a few dozen chickens this is likely. On a serious poultry production facility these buildings are 1000 feet long and house over 20,000 turkeys which I am more familiar with. If they have chickens they likely can get more birds in there.
 

Ravenvalor

Senior Member
Thanks for all of the replies.
I spoke with the AHJ and he said conduit up to about 6' and UF above 6'. All of the enclosures need to be weatherproof. He also said there is a 1/2" romex connector that is waterproof. It looks like a SEU meterbase connector. My supplier is looking for one now.
If I find one I will post it here.
Best To All,
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Thanks for all of the replies.
I spoke with the AHJ and he said conduit up to about 6' and UF above 6'. All of the enclosures need to be weatherproof. He also said there is a 1/2" romex connector that is waterproof. It looks like a SEU meterbase connector. My supplier is looking for one now.
If I find one I will post it here.
Best To All,


They are nothing more than a cord grip with a elliptical instead of a round opening in the rubber grommet. Most manufacturers of cord grips also have these. It is more of a UF grip instead of a NM grip. What is the point of a watertight NM grip when NM is not allowed in wet locations?

Weatherproof is too general of a term. Type 3R enclosures are commonly considered weatherproof but are not acceptable in this environment. 547.5 C requires enclosures to be resistant to entrance of dust, be suitable for wet or damp locations, and be suitable for corrosive environments if any of these conditions will be encountered - in a poultry building they are all conditions that will be there. The corrosive environment will even get to things installed in a separate mechanical room - not as quickly but it will eventually get to things.

My best suggestion is to put breaker panels, ventilation, feed and water controllers, etc either on exterior of building or in a separate mechanical room. Even if they designed for the environment they will still last longer if you keep them out of it.

If you do run any PVC don't forget about expansion joints. Runs in these buildings can be quite long sometimes and can encounter a pretty big temperature change from unoccupied temperature in winter months to occupied temperature in summer months.

The only likely thing below 6 feet of the floor is the supply to feed motors and this will likely be flexible cord because the feed lines are raised and lowered depending on size of birds and raised as high as possible when unoccupied to make cleaning litter easier. The cord is either pre-installed or included to be field installed and has a protector on the first few feet that are in proximity to the birds.
 
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Ravenvalor

Senior Member
They are nothing more than a cord grip with a elliptical instead of a round opening in the rubber grommet. Most manufacturers of cord grips also have these. It is more of a UF grip instead of a NM grip. What is the point of a watertight NM grip when NM is not allowed in wet locations?

Weatherproof is too general of a term. Type 3R enclosures are commonly considered weatherproof but are not acceptable in this environment. 547.5 C requires enclosures to be resistant to entrance of dust, be suitable for wet or damp locations, and be suitable for corrosive environments if any of these conditions will be encountered - in a poultry building they are all conditions that will be there. The corrosive environment will even get to things installed in a separate mechanical room - not as quickly but it will eventually get to things.

My best suggestion is to put breaker panels, ventilation, feed and water controllers, etc either on exterior of building or in a separate mechanical room. Even if they designed for the environment they will still last longer if you keep them out of it.

If you do run any PVC don't forget about expansion joints. Runs in these buildings can be quite long sometimes and can encounter a pretty big temperature change from unoccupied temperature in winter months to occupied temperature in summer months.

The only likely thing below 6 feet of the floor is the supply to feed motors and this will likely be flexible cord because the feed lines are raised and lowered depending on size of birds and raised as high as possible when unoccupied to make cleaning litter easier. The cord is either pre-installed or included to be field installed and has a protector on the first few feet that are in proximity to the birds.

kwired,

Your quote is replied in the order in which it was received. Thanks for the help.

Thanks for the explanation of the connector. I will tell my supplier.

The inspector is going to let me use plain weatherproof boxes.

There are no breakers in this building, just a double pole building disconnect switch, 4 - light switches, 6 - receptacles and 12 - lights in this barn.

About the expansion joints, the dimensions of the barn is 24 x 50, the building will be occupied year round when the chickens are either laying or sleeping. I believe pvc expansion joints won't be necessary here but I do appreciate your concern.

The 6 - receptacles are for convenience, 3 - 250-watt brooder lamps and 1 - 250-watt incubator.

Once again, thanks.
 

Ravenvalor

Senior Member
UF Watertight connector

UF Watertight connector

Here is the connector that you were describing. Home Depot sells them for $2.05 each.

Halex 90661 Water Tight Connector

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Halex 90661 Water-Tight Connector Halex 90661 Water-Tight Connector Features: Trade Size: 1/2" Material: Zinc Application: Indoors or Outdoors. Fits UF Cable Only: #14/2, #12/2. Use to secure #14 - #12 UF cable to a waterproof box with threaded hub. Purpose: For SE/SEU Flat Style Cable and UF cable; two insulating conductors, one bare Carton Type: Bag
$ 5.26

 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
There are non metallic versions also. They are preferred in agricultural buildings since majority of enclosures you will connect to will be non metallic. I have never used a metallic one.

If you have metallic enclosures in agricultural buildings stainless steel is the way to go but is expensive. Regular steel enclosures will rust out in no time.

I like ones made by Scepter, I believe a Canadian company. They have ones with MPT threads for general use as well as ones with 3/4 slip connections that you can cement directly into a PVC FS box or other boxes with similar hubs.
 
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ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
On the mom and pop farms that have just a few dozen chickens this is likely. On a serious poultry production facility these buildings are 1000 feet long and house over 20,000 turkeys which I am more familiar with. If they have chickens they likely can get more birds in there.

No I am not talking mom and pop chicken coop. I am talking thousand's of chickens
 
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kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
No I am not talking mom and pop chicken coop. I am talking thousand's of chickens

I was responding to your comment of

If you go to the "regular" chicken houses you will find them wired with NM-B (romex).

547.5(A) does not list NM cable as an acceptable cable for the application it doesn't matter how big the facility is. I merely pointed out one place where NM may be found but was not trying to say that it is an acceptable installation practice.
 

Ravenvalor

Senior Member
There are non metallic versions also. They are preferred in agricultural buildings since majority of enclosures you will connect to will be non metallic. I have never used a metallic one.

I like ones made by Scepter, I believe a Canadian company. They have ones with MPT threads for general use as well as ones with 3/4 slip connections that you can cement directly into a PVC FS box or other boxes with similar hubs.

Thanks, I will look around for it.
 

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
I was responding to your comment of



547.5(A) does not list NM cable as an acceptable cable for the application it doesn't matter how big the facility is. I merely pointed out one place where NM may be found but was not trying to say that it is an acceptable installation practice.

You are correct it doesn't list NM but it says "other cables or raceways suitable for the location". Every chicken house I have ever been in is a dry location. Some one mentioned washing down the houses. I have never seen this done because the last thing they want in the house is water. They want it dry as possible. The inspectors pass the house with NM every day as long as any NM "subject to damage" is sleeved coming down the wall.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
You are correct it doesn't list NM but it says "other cables or raceways suitable for the location". Every chicken house I have ever been in is a dry location. Some one mentioned washing down the houses. I have never seen this done because the last thing they want in the house is water. They want it dry as possible. The inspectors pass the house with NM every day as long as any NM "subject to damage" is sleeved coming down the wall.

They may be dry but they are also corrosive. Lots of ammonia in the air. I would think you would at least need to use NMC cable.

Brooder houses are washed between every brood. Grower houses typically are seldom washed.
 

stevebea

Senior Member
Location
Southeastern PA
You are correct it doesn't list NM but it says "other cables or raceways suitable for the location". Every chicken house I have ever been in is a dry location. Some one mentioned washing down the houses. I have never seen this done because the last thing they want in the house is water. They want it dry as possible. The inspectors pass the house with NM every day as long as any NM "subject to damage" is sleeved coming down the wall.

Ceb58, I was the one that mentioned "washing down". It's probably been 15 years since I have been in a laying house but I had a chicken farmer that I did work for. If memory serves me right the birds layed for about 18 month or until production dropped off. After the birds were gone he always washed down and disinfected before a new batch of birds came. I just assumed this was standard practice for all laying houses.
 
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