Accessible Condulet at insulated wall

[Dark Sparky]

Question regarding condulet/wiring accessibility.

We have a building with both warm & cold rooms ? with insulated wall panels forming the walls between hot & cold rooms.

Our design includes RGS conduits passing horizontally through the wall, into the warm room, with an LB condulet, then turning vertically up the warm side of the wall. Two additional pieces of information:

• The condulet, before being closed up, is filled with spray foam (after wiring is installed)
• The LB (condulet) and adjoining conduit on both sides of the wall is wrapped in pipe insulation.

We have a concern whether this meets the requirements of NEC 314.29 (NEC 2011) ? that the conduit body remain accessible.

Does the pipe insulation around the LB condulet violate 314.29?
Is the spray foam inside the condulet a code issue? (It?s maintaining the vapor barrier continuity of the wall system.)

If you feel that this approach can be improved, for code conformance, while still retaining the goals of the pipe insulation and spray foam, please describe how.

Thank you,
Jonathan

 

[Nom Deplume]

Just stuff some duct seal in the LB and eliminate the insulation and you will be code compliant.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

If you really need to minimize the thermal transfer between the hot and cold sides, I would look at something that is less thermally conductive than rigid conduit. Maybe PVC conduit through the wall.

As far as the foam, there could be issues with the foam causing damage to the conductor insulation.

 

[kwired]

Even if not damaging to conductors, I'd hate to be the one that has to pull additional conductors, replace conductors, or similar activity someday with the use of some spray foam products.

Accessibility to a conduit body is subject to interpretation. They do not need to be readily accessible, but just accessible is still not always something with a high level of convenience.