Aahz
Member
- Location
- Hanover Park, IL USA
I posed some of these questions in a phone call earlier today to one of the Forum mod and I think I stumped him a bit...so I'm looking to see if anyone has a clearer answer; I did send this to Appleton (Emerson) to get their take using their specific part numbers, so some Questions (like #2) are not applicable to the Forum.
I will start by explaining two situations that the customer has, both situations are in the same facility.
The facility is a diesel bus maintenance garage. The building engineers have classified the hazardous spaces in the garage as follows in accordance with Article 511 of the NEC;
The purpose of both of these types of reels is to bring portable power to the point of use. To the best of my knowledge at this time, none of the portable equipment this customer is using in any of these locations is rated for Class 1 Division 2 use and does not have any Class 1 Division 2 plugs in use.
Common Concern for Locations #1 & #2:
In order to meet the request of the customer, I am looking at utilizing the following equipment:
Question #1: Would either receptacle box be acceptable to be mounted on a permanent cord reel meet Class 1 Div 2 standards if both the reel and the receptacle are listed for Class 1 Div 2? Article 501.145 (A) says "receptacles shall be part of the premises wiring (except as permitted by 501.140(A)
Question #2: If the answer to #1 is "yes", will the reel spring tension support the weight of the design outlined above? (ie. will the reel spring keep the contraption off the floor and hanging in the air as intended?)
Question #3: From my reading of NEC, (and I am NOT an electrician or in any way shape or form an expert), it appears that Article 501.140 would prevent or at least discourage, the use of a power cord reel from being utilized as an extension cord, even if the reel itself is listed as Class 1 Div 1 or 2. Article 501.140 A. (2) may provide the exception,
Question #5: Article 501.140 A.(5) is for "temporary" portable assemblies, but if the cord reel is permanently attached to the wall or ceiling, it cannot be considered "temporary". Would the USE of the cord reel be considered "temporary"? (If it is only used when needed?)
Question #6: Article 501.140 B.(3) refers to the installation of Flexible Cords and states that they must be supported by clamps or other suitable means so that there is no tension on the terminal connections. Is a Strain Relief Cord and Cable Connector (as noted above) capable of insuring there is no tension is placed on the connections when the receptacle and containment boxes are hanging from the cord?
Question #7: Article 501.145 (A) says "receptacles shall be part of the premises wiring (except as permitted by 501.140(A)). If the receptacle is attached to the end of the cord reel and the cord reel is permanently attached to the premises, is the receptacle attached to the premises? This relates back to Question 1 a bit...Is a portable receptacle (ie. extension cord) even allowed?
Individual Location Questions:
Location 1:
Question #1: Does the reel need to be listed as Class 1 Division 2 (it is in un-classified space) or does only the receptacle and cord that has the potential to enter the Class 1 Div 2 Environment need to be Class 1 Div 2?
I'm sorry for the length of this scenario, but as I keep typing and reading, I continue to come up with additional issues I see with this situation!
Please let me know your thoughts!
I will start by explaining two situations that the customer has, both situations are in the same facility.
The facility is a diesel bus maintenance garage. The building engineers have classified the hazardous spaces in the garage as follows in accordance with Article 511 of the NEC;
- Maintenance Pits (below floor level) are Class 1 Division 2
- Floor level plus 18" (AFF) is Class 1 Division 2
- Ceiling level minus 18" is Class 1 Division 2
- Space between 18" AFF and 18" below ceiling level is (or should be) unclassified space
- Location 1:
- Location 2:
The purpose of both of these types of reels is to bring portable power to the point of use. To the best of my knowledge at this time, none of the portable equipment this customer is using in any of these locations is rated for Class 1 Division 2 use and does not have any Class 1 Division 2 plugs in use.
Common Concern for Locations #1 & #2:
In order to meet the request of the customer, I am looking at utilizing the following equipment:
- Model AERL22-163-50 Cord Reel mounted overhead
- Model CG-6250S Wire Mesh Strain Relief
- Model CG-6250 Cable Connector
- Two (2) Model EFS250-2023GFI Receptacle Box (a total of two (2) receptacles and two (2) GFI) OR Two (2) U2023PGFID1G3 (Estimated weight of 18 lbs)
Question #1: Would either receptacle box be acceptable to be mounted on a permanent cord reel meet Class 1 Div 2 standards if both the reel and the receptacle are listed for Class 1 Div 2? Article 501.145 (A) says "receptacles shall be part of the premises wiring (except as permitted by 501.140(A)
Question #2: If the answer to #1 is "yes", will the reel spring tension support the weight of the design outlined above? (ie. will the reel spring keep the contraption off the floor and hanging in the air as intended?)
Question #3: From my reading of NEC, (and I am NOT an electrician or in any way shape or form an expert), it appears that Article 501.140 would prevent or at least discourage, the use of a power cord reel from being utilized as an extension cord, even if the reel itself is listed as Class 1 Div 1 or 2. Article 501.140 A. (2) may provide the exception,
Question #5: Article 501.140 A.(5) is for "temporary" portable assemblies, but if the cord reel is permanently attached to the wall or ceiling, it cannot be considered "temporary". Would the USE of the cord reel be considered "temporary"? (If it is only used when needed?)
Question #6: Article 501.140 B.(3) refers to the installation of Flexible Cords and states that they must be supported by clamps or other suitable means so that there is no tension on the terminal connections. Is a Strain Relief Cord and Cable Connector (as noted above) capable of insuring there is no tension is placed on the connections when the receptacle and containment boxes are hanging from the cord?
Question #7: Article 501.145 (A) says "receptacles shall be part of the premises wiring (except as permitted by 501.140(A)). If the receptacle is attached to the end of the cord reel and the cord reel is permanently attached to the premises, is the receptacle attached to the premises? This relates back to Question 1 a bit...Is a portable receptacle (ie. extension cord) even allowed?
Individual Location Questions:
Location 1:
Question #1: Does the reel need to be listed as Class 1 Division 2 (it is in un-classified space) or does only the receptacle and cord that has the potential to enter the Class 1 Div 2 Environment need to be Class 1 Div 2?
I'm sorry for the length of this scenario, but as I keep typing and reading, I continue to come up with additional issues I see with this situation!
Please let me know your thoughts!