Workspace clearances for terminations at mechanical equipment

[cvirgil467]

Would 110.26 workspace clearances apply to terminations at mechanical euipment such as fan cooling units, exhasut fans, etc that are typcially supported from from the ceiling and located above the ceiling?

Thanks.
c

 

[kwired]

Would 110.26 workspace clearances apply to terminations at mechanical euipment such as fan cooling units, exhasut fans, etc that are typcially supported from from the ceiling and located above the ceiling?

Thanks.
c

Don't you just love how easy it is to interpret 110.26?

If you want to take it to the extreme, we must have the mentioned working clearances around just about anything you can imagine.

Next step is to take the words "and likely to require examination, adjustment, servicing, or maintenance while energized" and only require working clearance for those items.

But what does that limit you to? Wouldn't crawling thru a crawlspace with tight clearances to go take a voltage or current measurement at a junction box fit this description - and therefore any point where you could potentially take voltage, current or other readings would need to meet the working space requirements.

Many jurisdictions have their own interpretation as to what needs to comply with 110.26 working spaces as the NEC does not define it very well at all, or is such a broad definition that it excludes virtually nothing.

 

[JDBrown]

Would 110.26 workspace clearances apply to terminations at mechanical euipment such as fan cooling units, exhasut fans, etc that are typcially supported from from the ceiling and located above the ceiling?

Thanks.
c

My experience has been that mechanical HVAC equipment typically does not need 110.26 clearances (although there are sometimes clearances required by the Mechanical Code that come into play). Take that for what it's worth, though, since you and I are literally a continent apart.

Your best bet is to check with your local inspector since, as kwired mentioned, the NEC is extremely vague in this instance. You'll find that some members here feel that the 110.26 working space applies only to large gear (panelboards, switchboards, service disconnects, etc.), while others believe that its vague wording causes it to apply to everything electrical, including every light switch and receptacle. I've read this argument a few times before, and both sides kinda have a point.

Which brings me back to the old standby of "Check with the AJH."

 

[petersonra]

i think there is a good chance that just about anything electrical might eventually need to have some kind of voltage measurements made on it eventually.

I am not sure that makes it likely. how many pieces of electrical gear in an average install never get a voltage reading taken? 90% of them?

the problem IMO is the use of the word "likely". it is never defined and so it can mean anything. the thing is that in some places in the code the word "likely" seems to include things that are really unlikely. What does "likely to become energized" mean?

 

[cvirgil467]

Thanks guys.