code requirement for seawater plumbing and fittings 6" away from 200a fused disconnect

[WJHines3]

I work in an industrial setting there is some piping with a check valve that is replaceable, recently we had a check valve failure and it sprayed into the disconnect causing immediate tripping to the main feed to the ro water plant, the disconnect is 6" away from the plumbing fixture that failed. my superintendent wants me to research the code and show a manager that is a master plumber that the plumbing fixture is too close to the disconnect, he says it is perfectly legal codewise but looking it up it should be 12"-36" away from the plumbing. I can understand if it was a solid piece of pipe but this is a fixture that can and did fail.
please help me back myself up and show him he is wrong. thank you in advance.

 

[augie47]

No such requirement. Where would you set the distance. Leaks on a pressurized system could reach far distances.
If it's critical you could change to a NEMA4 enclosure

 

[petersonra]

No such requirement. Where would you set the distance. Leaks on a pressurized system could reach far distances.
If it's critical you could change to a NEMA4 enclosure

There is generally no nec requirement that forces one to account for potential failures. If it fails it fails and you deal with fixing it.

If the failure creates a really bad problem there are things you can do like Augie suggested.

 

[Eddie702]

If you have 6" of room can you build a removeable wall between the piping and the panel which would prevent it getting sprayed. It could be removed if needed to work on the piping.

 

[jaggedben]

For a code citation I would simply go with 110.3(A)(1). Equipment has to be suitable for the environment and application. If plumbing is going to explode next to a disconnect then the disconnect needs to be suitable to withstand that. Or move them apart.

 

[petersonra]

For a code citation I would simply go with 110.3(A)(1). Equipment has to be suitable for the environment and application. If plumbing is going to explode next to a disconnect then the disconnect needs to be suitable to withstand that. Or move them apart.

There is no way to make that apply in this case. Otherwise you would need to have type 4x enclosures everywhere in case a tornado tore off a roof.

 

[jaggedben]

There is no way to make that apply in this case. Otherwise you would need to have type 4x enclosures everywhere in case a tornado tore off a roof.

Invoking a natural catastrophe is a weird argument; the building would get condemned anyway. People will have other things to worry about then. It's up to an AHJ, or in ths case a plant supervisor, to decide if an enclosure is suitable for normal operations and circumstances.

Unfortunately for him the OP is looking for a code section requiring the plumbing to be moved, rather than the enclosure upgraded. I don't they they will find that.