517.13 Grounding question

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acrwc10

acrwc10

Master Code Professional
Location
CA
Occupation
Building inspector
517.13 (A) all branch circuits serving patient care areas shall be provided with an effective ground-fault curent path by INSTALLATION IN A METAL RACEWAY SYSTEM , or chable having a metallic amor,,,,,,,

I have a job where we can't use metallic conduit in the ground because of the soil conditions, can we still comply with 517.13(A) and use PVC underground only, then transition to metalic conduit ?
 
Why are you running branch circuits (not feeders or service) underground?
The branch circuit is only the wiring from the panel or sub-panel OCPD to the outlets.
The intention is probably as much to provide a redundant EGC path as it is to protect the wires. What you propose will not accomplish that.

Tapatalk!
 
GoldDigger said:
Why are you running branch circuits (not feeders or service) underground?
The branch circuit is only the wiring from the panel or sub-panel OCPD to the outlets.
The intention is probably as much to provide a redundant EGC path as it is to protect the wires. What you propose will not accomplish that.

Tapatalk!
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They are partition walls needing to be run underground, no overhead connection and they stand with no wall to wall connections.
 
acrwc10 said:
517.13 (A) all branch circuits serving patient care areas shall be provided with an effective ground-fault curent path by INSTALLATION IN A METAL RACEWAY SYSTEM , or chable having a metallic amor,,,,,,,

I have a job where we can't use metallic conduit in the ground because of the soil conditions, can we still comply with 517.13(A) and use PVC underground only, then transition to metalic conduit ?
Click to expand...

If I were to guess, this sounds like a ground floor dentist office with the chair in the middle of the room as this comes up a lot for that situation. But to answer your question, no, you can't do that.
 
From an inspector's viewpoint (since we don't pay the bill :)).. ROBROY !
 
acrwc10 said:
517.13 (A) all branch circuits serving patient care areas shall be provided with an effective ground-fault curent path by INSTALLATION IN A METAL RACEWAY SYSTEM , or chable having a metallic amor,,,,,,,

I have a job where we can't use metallic conduit in the ground because of the soil conditions, can we still comply with 517.13(A) and use PVC underground only, then transition to metalic conduit ?
Click to expand...
Had a similiar situation been awhile but I believe we sleeved 1/2 in emt in 3/4 PVC then took a 1 in bender over pvc and made sweeps into wall and under chair location
 
normbac said:
Had a similiar situation been awhile but I believe we sleeved 1/2 in emt in 3/4 PVC then took a 1 in bender over pvc and made sweeps into wall and under chair location
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I like that idea.. Being that it is a wet location, do the compression coup fit in there nicely or is it a push??
 
Would liquidtight flex metal conduit be allowed (a 6' total length or less of flex)? How about sleeving an MC cable in a PVC raceway? How about GRC and then you encase it in concrete -- is that considered buried?
 
suemarkp said:
Would liquidtight flex metal conduit be allowed (a 6' total length or less of flex)? How about sleeving an MC cable in a PVC raceway? How about GRC and then you encase it in concrete -- is that considered buried?
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Good questions, I see that LFMC would be meet 250.118(6)(d), MC would not meet 517.13A the casing is not listed for Ground faults.. You would have to use MCAP (All Purpose) or Green MC hospital Grade..GRC would meet 517.13A , and not sure about whats considered buried, I think if its buried with at least 2 inches of Concrete on top , it is considered Buried, not sure, I will have to look that up..


Dan
 
It seems like you guys create a lot of extra work trying to protect standard metal raceways. As Gus said, just use Robroy or Ocal PVC coated Rigid. Its more expensive than standard rigid but less expensive that the additional labor and materials trying to recreate the wheel.
 
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