What is the location classification for a bio-medical laboratory?

[gibbselectrical]

Initial Question: Is surface mount raceways acceptable in a laboratory?

Manufacturer: Wiremold ALA4800 Series Aluminum Raceway meets the demands of commercial spaces, providing a handsome and effective method of consolidating power and communications cabling. In laboratories, healthcare facilities and upscale office locations, the two-channel, dual cover aluminum raceway directs power and communication cabling services where required and provides access to one channel at a time.

Site: Bio-medical research lab.

Reason for question: Researching location definitions I came across the definition of a 'wet laboratory.'

Wet laboratories are laboratories where chemicals, drugs, or other material or biological matter are handled in liquid solutions or volatile phases, requiring direct ventilation, and specialized piped utilities (typically water and various gasses).

These conditions exist. Each lab room has a sink area, direct ventilation and special piped utilities.

NEC 386.10 and 386.12 would seem to forbid this use.

Opinions?

 

[rbalex]

A common problem we have with addressing hazardous location issues is not knowing the entire installation. That said, a laboratory designed to NFPA 45 will have very limited classified locations. I saved one client over $750k on a lab by showing that proper "lab hoods" eliminated the need for most Classified location equipment.

 

[gibbselectrical]

After posting, and much more research, I think my question may be asked wrong. I am not asking for a hazardous class/division classification, but rather is a wet lab to be classified as an indoor wet/damp location or a dry location? I do not know the NEC interpretation of the area around a sink. I would assume that is a damp location, but can not find a direct reference. If so, is wiremold prohibited from being installed within 6ft of a sink?

The underlying code I am questioning is 386.10(1) "In dry locations." Is a wet lab a dry location?

 

[rbalex]

Since we don't know where your definition of "Wet laboratories" came from we don't know if it was defined consistently with the NEC definition (Article 100):

Location, Wet.
Installations underground or in concrete slabs or masonry in direct contact with the earth; in locations subject to saturation with water or other liquids, such as vehicle washing areas; and in unprotected locations exposed to weather.

If you are only concerned with wet, damp or dry and not the hazardous location classification - review the definitions in Article 100. I doubt it's wet from your description

 

[gibbselectrical]

Since the NEC doesn't define a laboratory, I researched different types of laboratories and their definitions as defined by Merriam-Webster, and applied that to my situation to come up with my question.

Also 210.8(6) identifies 'indoor wet locations,' but again, I can not find a direct reference to a definition of indoor wet locations. If indoor wet locations and indoor dry locations exist, per NEC, wouldn't indoor damp locations exist as well?

I think the answer lies within this question:

Is inside the four walls of a wet lab considered a dry location?

A dry location, as defined by NEC 100, is a location not normally subject to dampness or wetness.

Dry, Damp and Wet locations deal with the presence/possibility of moisture, I understand.

So how is the imaginary 6ft boundary from a sink edge defined, dry or damp? Is a surface mounted metallic raceway system, NEC 386, permitted to be installed in this area?

 

[pjholguin]

Why are you referencing 6' bondary? What does this have to do with the installation's classification? How is this sink and counter different than a kitchen...I have seen wiremold installed in kitchens and lab sink areas, but the 6' rule was related to GFCI protection. Is this area a wash down area? Then I see the need for a wet location wiring method.

JIMHO....PJHolguin

Since the NEC doesn't define a laboratory, I researched different types of laboratories and their definitions as defined by Merriam-Webster, and applied that to my situation to come up with my question.

Also 210.8(6) identifies 'indoor wet locations,' but again, I can not find a direct reference to a definition of indoor wet locations. If indoor wet locations and indoor dry locations exist, per NEC, wouldn't indoor damp locations exist as well?

I think the answer lies within this question:

Is inside the four walls of a wet lab considered a dry location?

A dry location, as defined by NEC 100, is a location not normally subject to dampness or wetness.

Dry, Damp and Wet locations deal with the presence/possibility of moisture, I understand.

So how is the imaginary 6ft boundary from a sink edge defined, dry or damp? Is a surface mounted metallic raceway system, NEC 386, permitted to be installed in this area?

 

[mgookin]

I think you're confusing two things:

A wet laboratory just means liquids are handled in the room.

A wet location means subject to saturation, immersion, etc.

Just because there's a bottle of fermaldahyde in the room with a frog in it does not mean the wiring in the room is going to be subjected to immersion in or saturated by a liquid. Make sense?

 

[rbalex]

Since the NEC doesn't define a laboratory, I researched different types of laboratories and their definitions as defined by Merriam-Webster, and applied that to my situation to come up with my question.

Also 210.8(6) identifies 'indoor wet locations,' but again, I can not find a direct reference to a definition of indoor wet locations. If indoor wet locations and indoor dry locations exist, per NEC, wouldn't indoor damp locations exist as well?

I think the answer lies within this question:

Is inside the four walls of a wet lab considered a dry location?

A dry location, as defined by NEC 100, is a location not normally subject to dampness or wetness.

Dry, Damp and Wet locations deal with the presence/possibility of moisture, I understand.

So how is the imaginary 6ft boundary from a sink edge defined, dry or damp? Is a surface mounted metallic raceway system, NEC 386, permitted to be installed in this area?

Under common rules of interpretation, since location, dry is defined in terms of not being "wet" nor "damp", the "wet lab" as you have described it is probably dry for the most part. The definitions of location, damp and location, wet give examples of potential indoor locations.

As pointed out by others, within 6' of a sink, is simply an arbitrary distance to apply GFCI protection.