210.63 Service Recept's required for heavy industries?

[Dale001289]

Are Service Receptacles required for heavy industrial plants such as refinery, chemical, steel, etc? I always considered this rule to be for residential and/or commercial application only. Typically, 120V 'convenience receptacles' are placed every 100 feet or so along structural columns etc in larger industrial settings.

 

[Fred B]

Review 210.63(B) this requirement is for Other than dwelling.

 

[kwired]

Anyone know what the logic is for requiring receptacle near equipment requiring dedicated equipment spaces?

It mentions equipment specified by 110.26(E) which basically says switchboards, panelboards, MCC's and so forth. If you are servicing such items chances are somewhat high that equipment possibly supplies said required receptacle and if you turn that equipment off to service it your receptacle is kind of useless during that situation

I can understand the requirement for HVAC equipment, as long as the receptacle isn't supplied by the load side of the HVAC equipment disconnect.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

Anyone know what the logic is for requiring receptacle near equipment requiring dedicated equipment spaces?

It mentions equipment specified by 110.26(E) which basically says switchboards, panelboards, MCC's and so forth. If you are servicing such items chances are somewhat high that equipment possibly supplies said required receptacle and if you turn that equipment off to service it your receptacle is kind of useless during that situation

I can understand the requirement for HVAC equipment, as long as the receptacle isn't supplied by the load side of the HVAC equipment disconnect.

Yes, the language in (B)(2) is almost impossible to comply with unless you install a separate transformer with its only service disconnect.
The 2026 will limit the requirement to equipment operating at 150 volts or less and permit the receptacle to be supplied from a circuit on the load side of the equipment.

 

[Fred B]

Yes, the language in (B)(2) is almost impossible to comply with unless you install a separate transformer with its only service disconnect.
The 2026 will limit the requirement to equipment operating at 150 volts or less and permit the receptacle to be supplied from a circuit on the load side of the equipment.

The language of (B)(2) looks to me only applicable restriction is if there is subpanels or other equipment disconnecting means, a main service panel is exempted from the "not connected to the load side of the disconnecting means". So you have to run a separate branch circuit for a required receptacle from the main panel in the case of a sub panel or the distribution panel if it is for something like an AC disconnect. I think intent was that the required convenience receptacle not loose power when you de-energize the equipment.

(2) Indoor Equipment Requiring Dedicated Equipment Spaces.
Where equipment, other than service equipment, requires dedicated equipment space as specified in 110.26(E), the required receptacle outlet shall be located within the same room or area as the electrical equipment and shall not be connected to the load side of the equipment’s disconnecting means.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

The language of (B)(2) looks to me only applicable restriction is if there is subpanels or other equipment disconnecting means, a main service panel is exempted from the "not connected to the load side of the disconnecting means". So you have to run a separate branch circuit for a required receptacle from the main panel in the case of a sub panel or the distribution panel if it is for something like an AC disconnect. I think intent was that the required convenience receptacle not loose power when you de-energize the equipment.

(2) Indoor Equipment Requiring Dedicated Equipment Spaces.
Where equipment, other than service equipment, requires dedicated equipment space as specified in 110.26(E), the required receptacle outlet shall be located within the same room or area as the electrical equipment and shall not be connected to the load side of the equipment’s disconnecting means.

I misspoke using the term service but the same conditions exist in many commercial or industrial equipment rooms.

In those equipment rooms there is often a 480Y/277 panel, that supplies a 208Y/120 volt transformer. The only way to supply the required receptacle would be to run a 120 volt circuit from a transformer not supplied by the 480 volt panel in that room, or to install a line side tap, OCPD and transformer to supply the required receptacle.

In some industrial electrical rooms there might be 5 or 15kV switch gear supplying multiple transformers, and there you would need a line side tap on the medium voltage circuit.

 

[Fred B]

on the medium voltage circuit.

210 only applies to "under 1000VAC"

Are you saying that before the 480/277 distribution panel there is no others? If so that is your service panel, Is there no other 120/240 panels within the facility to feed back the 120 receptacle? Does the room have other 120/240 panels? May need multiple outlets to fulfill this requirement? Does the facility have no 120/240 within the building? Haven't seen one, not to say they don't exist.

Certainly see from your scenario the need to clean up the language, but intent is valid. Might be a swing and a miss, but there are many of those in the code.
Intent is stated in the enhanced content:
The required receptacle is intended to facilitate the use of portable test and diagnostic equipment that requires a 120-volt power source. The receptacle is not permitted to be on the load side of the equipment’s branch-circuit disconnecting means so that the receptacle can be used while the disconnecting means is open.

I think the codes response to "what if" would be that the code is not an installation or how to manual just requirement manual for safe installations. How you meet the requirements is up to you.

 

[kwired]

Yes, the language in (B)(2) is almost impossible to comply with unless you install a separate transformer with its only service disconnect.
The 2026 will limit the requirement to equipment operating at 150 volts or less and permit the receptacle to be supplied from a circuit on the load side of the equipment.

The question is why do they think this receptacle is needed? Thy obviously seem to want one there for some reason. In past they mostly only required one for HVAC equipment, which made some sense with the need for use of a vacuum pump when usual maintenance situations came up. Not saying I never needed a receptacle while working in a room containing the equipment mentioned, but if you have the equipment shut down and need a receptacle you still were running a cord from elsewhere, even if it meant using a portable generator. The need for this receptacle is lessened to some amount in recent years with the number of cordless tools we have now.

This really is to an extent NEC violating it's own statement in 90.2(A) about it not being intended to be a design specification.

 

[mtnelect]

Thats why I have an adapter cord with alligator clips ... chances of finding an outlet are 50/50.

 

[kwired]

Thats why I have an adapter cord with alligator clips ... chances of finding an outlet are 50/50.

You often using the EGC for neutral since a majority of HVAC compressor units don't utilize a neutral conductor? Or are you moslty talking about tying into service equipment, subpanels, etc?

 

[mtnelect]

You often using the EGC for neutral since a majority of HVAC compressor units don't utilize a neutral conductor? Or are you moslty talking about tying into service equipment, subpanels, etc?

I confess ... It's an unsafe practice !

 

[kwired]

I confess ... It's an unsafe practice !

I have adapter cord with alligator clips as well. Both female and male cord cap versions. They come in handy for more than just a temp power application, and I do tend to use them for troubleshooting a lot as well. If anything plug onto both ends of an extension cord just to make a long jumper to some further away reference for measurement purposes, or to route a tracer return signal away from what you are trying to trace.

Used to use the female cord end one for temp power when changing services and connect to the service drop to get temp lights inside while service is disrupted. Today there is fairly decent battery powered portable lights though and don't need to rely on portable 120 volt lamps like I used to do for such things. Also tied into that alligator clip cord to run drills and saws as needed, now those are usually going to be battery powered tools.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

210 only applies to "under 1000VAC"

Are you saying that before the 480/277 distribution panel there is no others? If so that is your service panel, Is there no other 120/240 panels within the facility to feed back the 120 receptacle? Does the room have other 120/240 panels? May need multiple outlets to fulfill this requirement? Does the facility have no 120/240 within the building? Haven't seen one, not to say they don't exist.

Certainly see from your scenario the need to clean up the language, but intent is valid. Might be a swing and a miss, but there are many of those in the code.
Intent is stated in the enhanced content:
The required receptacle is intended to facilitate the use of portable test and diagnostic equipment that requires a 120-volt power source. The receptacle is not permitted to be on the load side of the equipment’s branch-circuit disconnecting means so that the receptacle can be used while the disconnecting means is open.

I think the codes response to "what if" would be that the code is not an installation or how to manual just requirement manual for safe installations. How you meet the requirements is up to you.

It only applied to branch circuits under 1000 volts. That does not limit the application of 210.63.

I am not saying that there are no 120 volt circuits, but that all of them are supplied from the load side of the distribution equipment and do not meet the requirements. It would not be the service equipment, but in industrial applications, it would be the building switchgear. For example, a customer owned 2000 kVA transformer with a 480Y/277 secondary feeding the switch gear in the main electrical room for that building. There is no source of 120 volt power within that building that is not on the load side of the 480 volt switchgear.

The following is the 2026 second draft language and likely to be the code language for the 2026.
[210.63 (B) Other Electrical Equipment.
Within other than dwelling units, a receptacle outlet shall be required for wiring systems that include a solidly grounded system operating at less than 150 volts to ground. The receptacle outlet shall be located within the same room or area as indoor switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, motor control centers, and service equipment.[/quote]

 

[kwired]

It only applied to branch circuits under 1000 volts. That does not limit the application of 210.63.

I am not saying that there are no 120 volt circuits, but that all of them are supplied from the load side of the distribution equipment and do not meet the requirements. It would not be the service equipment, but in industrial applications, it would be the building switchgear. For example, a customer owned 2000 kVA transformer with a 480Y/277 secondary feeding the switch gear in the main electrical room for that building. There is no source of 120 volt power within that building that is not on the load side of the 480 volt switchgear.

The following is the 2026 second draft language and likely to be the code language for the 2026.
[210.63 (B) Other Electrical Equipment.
Within other than dwelling units, a receptacle outlet shall be required for wiring systems that include a solidly grounded system operating at less than 150 volts to ground. The receptacle outlet shall be located within the same room or area as indoor switchboards, switchgear, panelboards, motor control centers, and service equipment.

[/QUOTE]
Seems pretty clear they want a 120 volt receptacle in those areas if 120 volts is present in the equipment and maybe finally figured out how to word it? Why they want the receptacle is still kind of questionable. Is probably a good idea design wise, but what is the issue when it comes to the "practical safeguard of persons and property from hazards arising from the use of electricity" as is mentioned in 90.2?

Though we can ask that same question about many other places in the NEC as well.