Commercial kitchen Cord drops

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liquidtite

Senior Member
Location
Ny
I have to feed some equipment in a comm kitchen .

the equipment is all in the middle of the kitchen , I was planning on

doing Cord drops with sj cord and putting twist locks on each end with the strain relief on the end that enters the box.

i was planing on attaching 1900 box to a bar braket and cut the box flush with the suspended

ceiling tile.

then using the 1/2 hole in a blank cover plate and have the sj cord group straight down from the cover plate .

i wanted to do this to keep the sj cord out of pre hung ceiling .

is this install being to picky or would most guys just cut corner of ceiling tile and have sj enter into box above the ceiling ?
 

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
I have to feed some equipment in a comm kitchen .

the equipment is all in the middle of the kitchen , I was planning on

doing Cord drops with sj cord and putting twist locks on each end with the strain relief on the end that enters the box.

i was planing on attaching 1900 box to a bar braket and cut the box flush with the suspended

ceiling tile.

then using the 1/2 hole in a blank cover plate and have the sj cord group straight down from the cover plate .

i wanted to do this to keep the sj cord out of pre hung ceiling .

is this install being to picky or would most guys just cut corner of ceiling tile and have sj enter into box above the ceiling ?

Whether or not fabricated power cords could be used extending above a dropped ceiling, I think most here would agree that you could not makr a drop out of flexible cord in the field and have it extend above a dropped ceiling.
 

sbaz1024

Member
Location
US
I could be wrong but ive learned that SJ cannot be hardwired on the source side, only equipment side. Youd need a disconnect in form of a plug and going SJ into a blank cover with a squeeze connector of some sort would be illegal. Waiting to see if anyone with more knowledge would like to comment on what i just said.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk
 

mopowr steve

Senior Member
Location
NW Ohio
Occupation
Electrical contractor
I could be wrong but ive learned that SJ cannot be hardwired on the source side, only equipment side. Youd need a disconnect in form of a plug and going SJ into a blank cover with a squeeze connector of some sort would be illegal. Waiting to see if anyone with more knowledge would like to comment on what i just said.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk


If if you are correct, what does anyone say about using buss drop cord which may be better suited?
 

mgookin

Senior Member
Location
Fort Myers, FL
Have you considered building a pole with a floor flange on it and fixing it to the structure above to run emt down it and mount receptacle boxes on it?
Those drops you're talking about seem like trouble. From knives and heat and grease and meat slicers everything else, they just seem like trouble. Nothing stops a knife like good old iron!
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
At the very least, forget the SJ cord. To thin skinned IMO.

:rant:

I hate when folks use 600 volt cord for 120 volt pendants. To thick and often the 120 volt cord connector grips are not made for such fat cord.

It's not like a pendent gets dragged across a floor.
 
Location
NE (9.06 miles @5.9 Degrees from Winged Horses)
Occupation
EC - retired
:rant:

I hate when folks use 600 volt cord for 120 volt pendants. To thick and often the 120 volt cord connector grips are not made for such fat cord.

It's not like a pendent gets dragged across a floor.

Hate all you want, It would be better laying across the floor, at least there is some support somewhere.

You are correct though, the standard cord ends don't fit well. They make a nice box, with two duplexes, designed for cord drops.
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
Hate all you want, It would be better laying across the floor, at least there is some support somewhere.

I will. :cool:

The thickness of the insulation and jacket has nothing to do with the tensile strength of the cord. Zero, nothing.

The tensile strength of the cord is provided by those paper like or nylon stands between the conductors.
 
Location
NE (9.06 miles @5.9 Degrees from Winged Horses)
Occupation
EC - retired
I have about 150 of SO in the truck another foreman purchased for cord drops, I ordered SJ to do it. :D
So you are saying that the SJ is going to hold up equally as well as the SO given the support strands are of equal strength.

Now your job materials cost is somewhat higher, but that will be offset by the return call to replace the drops with torn or damaged jackets. Job security.:)
 

plumb bob

Member
Code violations and cord tensile strength issues aside, in my area the health inspector would not allow a hole or gap in a ceiling tile for any reason in a food prep area. Just one more concern to think about.
 
Last edited:

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Code violations and cord tensile strength issues aside, in my area the health inspector would not allow a hole or gap in a ceiling tile for any reason in a food prep area. Just one more concern to think about.
That is why you put the box flush in the tile and use a trim plate that covers the gap and put your "pendant" into the cover.

Nothing wrong at all with pendants. If they need to be wash down rated there are pendant cord caps/connectors or boots that are rated for that as well as boots designed for standard caps/connectors to allow them to be used in such an environment.

SJ vs SO cord is a personal preference IMO - either is code compliant
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I could be wrong but ive learned that SJ cannot be hardwired on the source side, only equipment side. Youd need a disconnect in form of a plug and going SJ into a blank cover with a squeeze connector of some sort would be illegal. Waiting to see if anyone with more knowledge would like to comment on what i just said.

Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk
Cord pendants are permitted. What is not permitted is to run the appliance cord into a junction box without a cord cap/connector somewhere in between.
 

plumb bob

Member
That is why you put the box flush in the tile and use a trim plate that covers the gap and put your "pendant" into the cover.

Nothing wrong at all with pendants. If they need to be wash down rated there are pendant cord caps/connectors or boots that are rated for that as well as boots designed for standard caps/connectors to allow them to be used in such an environment.

SJ vs SO cord is a personal preference IMO - either is code compliant

I absolutly agree, but the OP mentioned cutting the corner of a tile to run cord above ceiling. I thought he should be aware that even if he passes electrical inspection somehow, he may get nabbed by the health department.
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
So you are saying that the SJ is going to hold up equally as well as the SO given the support strands are of equal strength.

As a pendent in a kitchen, yes I am sating SJ will do as well.

As a cord on the ground no.


Now your job materials cost is somewhat higher, but that will be offset by the return call to replace the drops with torn or damaged jackets. Job security.:)

LOL, the pendents will be unused long before they have an issue.
 

liquidtite

Senior Member
Location
Ny
I absolutly agree, but the OP mentioned cutting the corner of a tile to run cord above ceiling. I thought he should be aware that even if he passes electrical inspection somehow, he may get nabbed by the health department.


The cord drop I did i had a 1900 box

Attached to a bar bracket so the box is flush with

ceiling tile .

my cord came straight out of blank cover with Chinese fingers on end .

so theirs no sj cord in the ceiling .



i did some wrk In a mcds and I remember they had a designed trough that
was flush with ceiling tile and had cord drops coming out of the cover

i did same thing except with a 1900 box and just one cord.

but The drops at mcds were special cords that came with the units .
 

liquidtite

Senior Member
Location
Ny
I did do some drops with eMt coming down and mounted box on the units that were able to
move.

the reason why I didn't want to do eMt instead of cord for these two units is bc

the equipment was on rollers and I wanted some flex
to them .
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I did do some drops with eMt coming down and mounted box on the units that were able to
move.

the reason why I didn't want to do eMt instead of cord for these two units is bc

the equipment was on rollers and I wanted some flex
to them .
And if I understood correctly you also said you had cord connectors on the end of the pendant so you could unplug the appliance if you wanted correct? If so that would be an acceptable use of flexible cord.
 
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