occupancy sensors

[NE Greg]

I am new on this site and would like to thank anyone for their help in advance. My question is this, I am wiring a local fire hall in a small town. Four bays for fire trucks and 4 rows of lights that are controlled by occ sensors. The local inspector says I need a switch for each row to over ride the sensors to turn them on. I don't have a problem with this, but his reply when I asked was "its the code". Maybe I'm a little slow, but I can't find it in the 2011 code book. Where am i missing it?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

The only place I know that won't allow occupancy sensor only is in 110.26(D) for electrical equipment

 

[texie]

I am new on this site and would like to thank anyone for their help in advance. My question is this, I am wiring a local fire hall in a small town. Four bays for fire trucks and 4 rows of lights that are controlled by occ sensors. The local inspector says I need a switch for each row to over ride the sensors to turn them on. I don't have a problem with this, but his reply when I asked was "its the code". Maybe I'm a little slow, but I can't find it in the 2011 code book. Where am i missing it?

I'm not sure you are missing it. The only place off the top of my head that this would be required would be 210.70 where a switch controlled light would be required, but this is for residential. While I think it might be good design practice to provide a local override switch, I don't think it is a requirement as the lights themselves are not code mandated in the first place.

 

[darekelec]

Maybe the inspector treats the fire hall as residential cause it has sleeping, cooking and sanitary areas because firefighters live there on 40 hour shifts.
I would get a motion sensor with built in override switch to satisfy everybody.
But what if the sensors are on ceiling?:roll:

 

[pjholguin]

And maybe there is a ladder truck..too! LOL

PJHolguin

Maybe the inspector treats the fire hall as residential cause it has sleeping, cooking and sanitary areas because firefighters live there on 40 hour shifts.
I would get a motion sensor with built in override switch to satisfy everybody.
But what if the sensors are on ceiling?:roll:

 

[NE Greg]

Maybe the inspector treats the fire hall as residential cause it has sleeping, cooking and sanitary areas because firefighters live there on 40 hour shifts.
I would get a motion sensor with built in override switch to satisfy everybody.
But what if the sensors are on ceiling?:roll:

Well, its a volunteer department so no sleeping quarters and the sensors will be on the ceiling. I agree that it is a good idea to have them and will probably end up with an on/off/auto switch in the event that they need to overridden in any capacity.

 

[m sleem]

Well, its a volunteer department so no sleeping quarters and the sensors will be on the ceiling. I agree that it is a good idea to have them and will probably end up with an on/off/auto switch in the event that they need to overridden in any capacity.

The providing of the manual override switches with sensors is to increase the controllability between the occupants and the building which increases the comfort accordingly, normally we provide at these places (office, meeting room, conference, class room, utility rooms, patient room, nurse station, examination room) where we may have an occupant with no movement.

 

[mjmike]

I am new on this site and would like to thank anyone for their help in advance. My question is this, I am wiring a local fire hall in a small town. Four bays for fire trucks and 4 rows of lights that are controlled by occ sensors. The local inspector says I need a switch for each row to over ride the sensors to turn them on. I don't have a problem with this, but his reply when I asked was "its the code". Maybe I'm a little slow, but I can't find it in the 2011 code book. Where am i missing it?

The inspector may be referring to the IECC (commercial energy code - 2009 edition). Take a look at section 505. 505.2.1 requires the manual control. If you are under 5000 sf then you would only need to dual switch to meet 505.2.2.1 requirement. If you put in ox sensors with manual control, you meet the 505.2.2.1 exception #2 and don't need light reduction control. However, if you are over 5000 sf, you need both a wall switch to meet 505.2.1 and ox sensors to meet 505.2.2.2. Also, don't forget that if you have windows, you also need daylight sensors to dim lights in the daylight zones per 505.2.2.3.

 

[cowboyjwc]

Does your state have an energy code? Maybe that's where it is.

 

[apfl86]

We ran into this not too long ago and went back and forth with the inspector for days. I've always used and considered the OS as the shut off and it was on the ceiling in warehouses. The inspector was new and the building was over 5000 sqft and we installed per plan. One inspector retired and the new one SEEMED like he didn't know what he was doing. We ended up changing everything per the owner and put everything on a time clock with and over ride switch in every bay. (Waste of money but The owner had a lot of work coming up and didn't want to make the inspector mad).