Electrical Equipment - Sprinklered

[WA_Sparky]

Hello all,

So I have an existing building that has a 800A service. This building has a small electrical room currently under the stairs with the 800A MDP and a 200A panel. This room was never fire rated, is sprinklered, and all gear is NEMA 1. Now that renovations are being done we've been asked to fire rate that space as well as make sure that gear is suitable for a sprinklered environment.

Correct me if I'm wrong. Sprinklered spaces require only a NEMA 2 rating. With existing NEMA 1 gear, could I call out a drip pan to be installed above each piece of equipment rather than demoing and replacing with 3R gear?

Thanks,

 

[d0nut]

NEMA 1 is suitable for a sprinkled space. Having a sprinkler in a space doesn't make that location a wet location. If the sprinklers go off, you will be replacing all the equipment. The drip pan won't do anything to save the equipment, so don't bother with that either.

 

[WA_Sparky]

NEMA 1 is suitable for a sprinkled space. Having a sprinkler in a space doesn't make that location a wet location. If the sprinklers go off, you will be replacing all the equipment. The drip pan won't do anything to save the equipment, so don't bother with that either.

Thanks for info. Another question. This space also contains the FACP and networking equipment. Do you know if FACP's by nature are 3R?

 

[d0nut]

They are NEMA 1 typically. If you are that worried about the sprinkler going off, you will have to use a preaction system or something similar, but I have never seen a system like that used in a simple electrical room. I would expect everything in that space to be NEMA 1 and need to be replaced if the head opened.

 

[petersonra]

If you have a fire in the electrical room and the sprinklers let go, you are going to have to replace much or all of the electrical equipment no matter what, so I would not be worrying about it.