Mixed conduit types in eleectrical room ? ?

[cadpoint]

Got into the main electrical room today and my first visit I see things of note.
This is a large manufacturing plant! The plant is generally all run with aluminum cable tray. It seems everything is in a cable tray, here the first puzzling question!

Why are all the gear, mcc, other distribution panels in this main Electrical room all stubbed up to above ten feet in galvanized pipe, like a smoke stack! They had either plastic bushing on the pipe end and the cable is TC running up to a tray. Or in the case of a few pieces of equipment it was galvanized and it changed over to EMT. The odd thing is that other house services on block walls below ten foot were only EMT, being either light switches or receptacles or even the pull station.

I don?t understand the fixing of the different styles of running conduits, if it?s an electrical room to some classification than why not everything up to ten feet be required to be galvanized?

Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

 

[infinity]

I've seen some crazy specs for mechanical rooms. Last job I was on they had a spec that all piping below 8' had to be in RMC. So the contractor mounted his panels at 6'6" (top) with an 18" RMC nipple changing over to EMT. After a few panels the EC decided forget it and ran the EMT straight into the panels. His argument was that the RMC was for added physical protection and that it couldn't possibly get damaged above the panel. After some grumbling the GC bought into his argument.

 

[kwired]

Was everything all original installation, or was some of the different stuff later additions?

 

[cadpoint]

Was everything all original installation, or was some of the different stuff later additions?

All new construction, the owner is from France, my frist thought is that it's a hang-over from Europe, IE the use of RMC, the mixed usuage I don't get.

 

[btharmy]

I worked on a commercial airline maintenance hanger where all conduits within 10' of the floor be grc. The contractor running power and lighting on the catwalks was carefull to cantilever all conduit racks off to either side of the catwalk instead of directly above. The only rigid were sections that crossed perpindicular to catwalks. All other conduits were considered to be 75' from the hanger floor below. Talk about skirting the specs.

 

[kwired]

I worked on a commercial airline maintenance hanger where all conduits within 10' of the floor be grc. The contractor running power and lighting on the catwalks was carefull to cantilever all conduit racks off to either side of the catwalk instead of directly above. The only rigid were sections that crossed perpindicular to catwalks. All other conduits were considered to be 75' from the hanger floor below. Talk about skirting the specs.

What kind of abuse was it subject to on the catwalks besides people bumping their heads into it?

If they were able to cause any damage from bumping heads into it I don't plan on messing with these guys:happyno: