Walkin Freezer / cooler

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tgreenalaska

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Location
alaska
I am looking at a job that has a large walk in freezer (120 x 30) there are several duplex recepticals located in side the freezer and none of them are shown as WP.
is there any NEC requirement for WP covers? because of the possible build up of frost i would consider this space as "damp". Just seeing if there is any code that supports that. after a quick scan i do not see any thing that specifically addresses this.
 

plumb bob

Member
Are you sure the recepts aren't integral to the freezer? They often come prewired with switches and door heaters.
 

tgreenalaska

Member
Location
alaska
i have done many smaller walk-ins that they are interagal with the freezer. at that point its a listed assembly and no longer my issue. this walk in freezer is 2/3's of a new building.
 

cadpoint

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
We ran a SS wire trough infront from a box that was inside the wall, and while no bubble cover was required all were GFCI'd, Passed State Inspection, NC for a State School.

Are you sure the recepts aren't integral to the freezer? They often come prewired with switches and door heaters.
If I may expand on this thought!
I would think that who ever is supplying the box will specify in their drawing and specs what they want you to do.
What you might have to watch out for is that the controller of the unit is different that the panel supplier. It's not unusal, ours was a pacakge deal.

There is two ways they can order the panels that make up the box, with or without. The boxes and pipe in the wall and the boxs are cut out and the pipe is just below the edge of the wall in vertical section. On the vertical pipe is usually a ridge nipple that you can make up to. We used ridge nipples of 4" and 5" when we had to go through sides or roofs.
... at that point its a listed assembly and no longer my issue.

Exactly, but what the supplier wanted was the following from us.

Inside the box everything I've even done was ridge and in a single heavy cast box. On both inside and outside wall we ran single strap lifters with correct single hole strap.

We silicon'd every entry down and up from receptacle.
 

ActionDave

Chief Moderator
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Location
Durango, CO, 10 h 20 min from the winged horses.
Occupation
Licensed Electrician
This type of question comes up often. My question is, is this even defined in the NEC as a wet or damp location?
Dry location. Every one I have worked in was wired up that way; coolers and deep freezers both.

It's not defined directly in the NEC but I would say they meet the Art. 100 definition of a Location, Dry.

Where's Iwire? He lives in a freezer half the year and the other half he works in them.
 

GoldDigger

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Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
It's not defined directly in the NEC but I would say they meet the Art. 100 definition of a Location, Dry.
But, as pointed out in some other historical threads, the inside of a raceway which runs between the cold and hot side of the freezer wall may well be a wet area in the same way that the interior of an outdoor conduit which is exposed to weather is explicitly stated to be a wet area.

So air/moisture seals in the raceways and/or conductors rated for wet use may be wise even if the devices attached may not need to be.
 

ActionDave

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Staff member
Location
Durango, CO, 10 h 20 min from the winged horses.
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Licensed Electrician
Sure, if you have a direct interface between two environments that have a difference in temperature and humidity you need to do some extra due diligence.

I am only speaking from my own anecdotal experience, but there is just not as much moisture issues inside a walk-in freezer as one might expect or be inclined to worry about.
 
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