Electrical Room Door panic hardware

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shortcircuit1

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Bear with me on this. I was studying IBC Sec 1008.1.10(2012) about the Panic and Fire exit hardware. It mentions that

"Electrical rooms with equipment rated 1,200 amperes ormore and over 6 feet (1829 mm) wide that contain overcurrent
devices, switching devices or control devices with exit or
exit access doors shall be equipped with panic hardware or
fire exit hardware. The doors shall swing in the direction of
egress travel."

But if you go to NEC 2012 110.26 C(3) it mentions that

"Where equipment rated 1200 A or
more that contains overcurrent devices, switching devices,
or control devices is installed and there is a personnel
door(s) intended for entrance to and egress from the working
space less than 7.6 m (25 ft) from the nearest edge of the
working space, the door(s) shall open in the direction of
egress and be equipped with panic bars, pressure plates, or
other devices that are normally latched but open under simple
pressure."

My question is two parts:

1. In IBC it says if you have any equipment rated over 1200A and over 6ft wide then you need a exit door with panic hardware. But my question is not necessariliy every equipment that is over 6ft is rated over 1200A.For example you have meter banks which go over 6' with 5 stacks. In that case do you need to have egress door with panic hardware even though its not rated 1200A or more?
2. NEC and IBC conflict in terms of when you need panic hardware. NEC says its only when you have equipment rated over 1200A but IBC is both 1200A and 6ft wide. Which one should i take into consideration?
 
shortcircuit1 said:
Bear with me on this. I was studying IBC Sec 1008.1.10(2012) about the Panic and Fire exit hardware. It mentions that

"Electrical rooms with equipment rated 1,200 amperes ormore and over 6 feet (1829 mm) wide that contain overcurrent
devices, switching devices or control devices with exit or
exit access doors shall be equipped with panic hardware or
fire exit hardware. The doors shall swing in the direction of
egress travel."

But if you go to NEC 2012 110.26 C(3) it mentions that

"Where equipment rated 1200 A or
more that contains overcurrent devices, switching devices,
or control devices is installed and there is a personnel
door(s) intended for entrance to and egress from the working
space less than 7.6 m (25 ft) from the nearest edge of the
working space, the door(s) shall open in the direction of
egress and be equipped with panic bars, pressure plates, or
other devices that are normally latched but open under simple
pressure."

My question is two parts:

1. In IBC it says if you have any equipment rated over 1200A and over 6ft wide then you need a exit door with panic hardware. But my question is not necessariliy every equipment that is over 6ft is rated over 1200A.For example you have meter banks which go over 6' with 5 stacks. In that case do you need to have egress door with panic hardware even though its not rated 1200A or more?
2. NEC and IBC conflict in terms of when you need panic hardware. NEC says its only when you have equipment rated over 1200A but IBC is both 1200A and 6ft wide. Which one should i take into consideration?
Click to expand...

Comply with the more restrictive for the circumstance. In the NEC case, the panic hardware requirement, based on what you quote, kicks in if the door is less than 25 feet from the edge of the working area. So as an example, if the equipment is 1200 amps or over, less than 6 feet wide, and the door is more than 25 feet from the edge of the working space, panic hardware is not required, because the circumstance does not meet the requirements of either the IBC or NEC.
 
Thanks but like i mentioned if equipment is not mre than 1200a but over 6ft wide would you still need a panic hardware for the door?
 
shortcircuit1 said:
Thanks but like i mentioned if equipment is not mre than 1200a but over 6ft wide would you still need a panic hardware for the door?
Click to expand...

No, because the conjunction "and" requires both conditions be met for the requirement to kick in. If the word "or" had been used, then panic hardware would be required.
 
The "6 foot" portion of this rule changed back and forth over several code cycles. The 2017 has the "and." But please note that there are two separate requirements in play. 110.26(C)(1) addresses the requirement for two exits from the working space. 110.26(C)(3) talks about what to do if one of the exits happens to include a door that is within 25 feet of the working space.
 
Let me add, because this is sometimes misinterpreted, that if you have two or more pieces of equipment that collectively are wider than 6 feet and that have a total current rating over 1200 amps, that will not invoke the requirements of this article.
 
charlie b said:
Let me add, because this is sometimes misinterpreted, that if you have two or more pieces of equipment that collectively are wider than 6 feet and that have a total current rating over 1200 amps, that will not invoke the requirements of this article.
Click to expand...

Are you saying if, for example, I have two 800A panels that are both 3 feet wide, separated by 1 in on the wall... the panic hardware kicks in?
 
charlie b said:
The "6 foot" portion of this rule changed back and forth over several code cycles. The 2017 has the "and." But please note that there are two separate requirements in play. 110.26(C)(1) addresses the requirement for two exits from the working space. 110.26(C)(3) talks about what to do if one of the exits happens to include a door that is within 25 feet of the working space.
Click to expand...

Now i am confused. You need two exit doors if you have any equipment rated over 1200A or 6ft wide(NEC 2011) unless you have double the clearance or unobstructed egress.But 110.26C(3) tells you what to do if you have a 1200A or more piece of equipment with in 25' of the closest edge of the working space to the door.

But if i understand your second sentence it implies that ampacity of the equipment doesnt matter as long as any egress door with in 25' of working space should have panic hardware?
 
shortcircuit1 said:
But if i understand your second sentence it implies that ampacity of the equipment doesnt matter as long as any egress door with in 25' of working space should have panic hardware?
Click to expand...
The (C)(3) paragraph does not mention width of the equipment, but it does mention ampere rating. The 2014 edition changed the rating requirement from "something higher" (I think it was 1200 amps, but I don't have the 2011 edition with me) to 800 amps. It also added the requirement that the panic hardware be "listed."

 
charlie b said:
The (C)(3) paragraph does not mention width of the equipment, but it does mention ampere rating. The 2014 edition changed the rating requirement from "something higher" (I think it was 1200 amps, but I don't have the 2011 edition with me) to 800 amps. It also added the requirement that the panic hardware be "listed."
Click to expand...

2011 was indeed 1200A.
 
charlie b said:
The (C)(3) paragraph does not mention width of the equipment, but it does mention ampere rating. The 2014 edition changed the rating requirement from "something higher" (I think it was 1200 amps, but I don't have the 2011 edition with me) to 800 amps. It also added the requirement that the panic hardware be "listed."
Click to expand...


In 2011 it only mentiones about equipment rating of 1200A or more. So any equipment no matter how wide it is has to be over 1200A to trigger the panic hardware requirement.
 
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