Isaiah
Senior Member
- Location
- Baton Rouge
- Occupation
- Electrical Inspector
Does anyone out there know if NEC govern US airport construction?
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Airports NEC
- Thread starter Isaiah
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
Yes in my area. The FAA will have special requirements. Military typically exempt from licensing and permitting but not NEC
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
It depends on where the work is being done. Most areas fall under the NEC. I was involved in a couple of projects on the control tower years ago and that was regulated by the FAA and they had their own inspectors and rules.
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer
Runway lighting is a special case that I don't think is covered in the NEC.
electrofelon
Senior Member
- Location
- Cherry Valley NY, Seattle, WA
A few cycles ago the NEC lowered the voltage and tightened up the requirements for non shielded MV conductors. They do have an exception which still recognizes 5 KV series connected airport lighting cable. But that doesn't mean these systems are entirely NEC compliant, I certainly don't know.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
I don't see anything in the NEC that excludes runway lighting
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- engineer
Most of the time, government excludes itself from the local building regulations. They usually adopt the NEC as an internal rule, and sometimes even use local inspectors. But for the most part they are not subject to the same rules the rest of us are, so they can pick and choose what they want to do.
Isaiah
Senior Member
- Location
- Baton Rouge
- Occupation
- Electrical Inspector
Form the looks of the above string, I’ll need to closely review the Clients specification to see exactly what is/isn’t covered by NEC. I would think the vast majority still applies, however.
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macmikeman
Senior Member
- Location
- Planet macmikeman
NEC 90.2 defines what is and what is not covered by the NEC. Good time to read it if you are unsure.
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
- Occupation
- engineer
There are two ways the NEC covers something. One is by law. The state or a local government passes a law saying so. They usually exempt government entities from this requirement.
The other way is by rule, written into a contract. This is usually how the NEC comes to apply to government work.
If it is not done one of those two ways the NEC as whole does not apply at all. You only get to article 90 after the NEC applies.
Isaiah
Senior Member
- Location
- Baton Rouge
- Occupation
- Electrical Inspector
Basically this brings us back to reviewing the client specifications (and contract) to see if/where the NEC is applicable or if other entities such as FAA or Advisory Circulars (NEC 311.36) supersede the NEC.
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ATSman
ATSman
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer/ Electrical Testing & Controls
And what I recall the runway light fixtures are wired in series just like the old Xmas tree lights!
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
Runway lighting is typically series and rules for series lighting was added some code cycles ago. I was instructing at a naval air station and the person who did the runway lights didn't think they were in the NEC, so I remember when they were added, but now I don't know what section they are in. But its special wiring, few electricians have ever seen it
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
In WA, government agencies are under the NEC, with permits and inspections, but the federal government is not subject to state rules. A government can exempt itself from the NEC but its rules have to equal or better, so some cities have there own rules that adopt the NEC and make changes. Example, Aberdeen WA near the coast, does not allow aluminum wiring due to corrosion
drcampbell
Senior Member
- Location
- The Motor City, Michigan USA
- Occupation
- Registered Professional Engineer
Yes, but if I recall correctly, each fixture has a saturating-core transformer so that all the other lights remain lit when one burns out.
electrofelon
Senior Member
- Location
- Cherry Valley NY, Seattle, WA
I
I agree the wiring is unconventional in that the lights are in series, however I'm not sure the NEC does or really needs to give any guidance on it. As far as I know, the only NEC reference is in 310 which has an exception to the conductor shielding requirements.
Recently designed an airport project. We had to comply with:
1. The local Building Dept. that enforces the NEC.
2. The FAA and all their standards and circulars. These were by far the most strict - way above and beyond the NEC.
3. The State Agencies.
4. If there isn't a local Building Dept, then the Office of the State Fire Marshall Requirements kick in which include the life safety code, which will reference and require compliance with the NEC.
If that wasn't enough, we got a nice little letter from the Insurance Company just to make sure we didn't miss any codes or standards that they require to insure the building.
1. The local Building Dept. that enforces the NEC.
2. The FAA and all their standards and circulars. These were by far the most strict - way above and beyond the NEC.
3. The State Agencies.
4. If there isn't a local Building Dept, then the Office of the State Fire Marshall Requirements kick in which include the life safety code, which will reference and require compliance with the NEC.
If that wasn't enough, we got a nice little letter from the Insurance Company just to make sure we didn't miss any codes or standards that they require to insure the building.
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
Some have a special socket and the lamp shorts internally when it fails
- Status