Dental clinic x ray room....

[chevyx92]

I have to run dedicated 120 volt 20 amp circuit for x ray machine that will be mounted to wall and is cord and plug connected. My question is does the receptacle need to be Hospital Grade? I know I have to have redundant grounding but wasnt sure if HG recept vacle is required. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[renosteinke]

I don't think it's "required," but you might want to use one anyway.

Look to the equipment nameplate; I bet that machine pulls lots of amps when it's working. Despite their "listing," economy receptacles don't do very well when they're pushed to their limits. I'd really like to be sure the receptacle was making good contact with the plug - and that's one of the main differences between 'hospital grade' and everything else.

 

[raider1]

It depends on if the X-ray receptacle is installed in an "Other-Than Hazardous (Classified) Anesthetizing Location". This would include rooms that have Nitrous Oxide. So if the receptacle is in a dental exam room that is equipped with Nitrous Oxide whether piped or a portable unit then I would say that 517.61(C)(2) would require a hospital grade receptacle.

Chris

 

[Marvin_Hamon]

Dental offices fall under NEC 517, but usually just the general care area requirements for facilities other than hospitals. If you are not also in a classified area these requirements are pretty much the same as any commercial building. When I did a dental office TI the x-ray machine got a dedicated circuit but not a hospital grade receptacle. Modern dental x-ray machines are low power users too, not like the old tube based machines the NEC is referring to that made you glow in the dark after having a full mouth series done.

 

[roger]

HG receptacles have greatly reduced in price in the past few years and are not that much more than a spec grade device so I would use on if it were me.

A few hospitals we work in (some very large) have gone to stocking only HG receptacles for replacement purposes through out their facilities no matter what the area is used for.

Roger

 

[MarkyMarkNC]

The majority of dental equipment these days have a plug with a tag or stamp that says "must be used with hospital grade receptacle." Many panoramic x-rays, a bunch of the chair brands, and almost every sterilizer and autoclave will say this on the tag. Sometimes the equipment manual will even state that the warranty is voided if not used with a hospital grade plug.

Hardly any dental offices that have med gas fall under 517.61(C)(2) as it opens up a whole other can of worms for the dentists from a legal, paperwork and licensing perspective. Around here, the dentist has to write out an affidavit stating that the med gas is to be used for sedation purposes only, and not for general anesthesia, before plans review will even accept a set of drawings for a dental office.