Electrical sign cabinet

[barftoad]

NEC Section 600.5(a) disallows any other draw or load attached to either the sign circuit or neutral.
I have a dedicated 20amp circuit that will feed one sign cabinet.
The sign cabinet will be internally illuminated with a 6'x 15mm 6500 neon, powered by a tech 22 electronic transformer.
We also need a total of 9 MR11 20w halogen light fixtures and 2 T12 HO florescent tubes.
Question? Can all of these be run off of the same dedicated 20amp circuit and remain in code and if so will there be any conflict with the different transformers and lighting?

 

[bphgravity]

Re: Electrical sign cabinet

Commercial lighting including the sign lighting is generally consider to be a continuous load, so if you exceed 16-amperes of load for your 20-ampere circuit, then I feel you need an additional circuit.

 

[sandsnow]

Re: Electrical sign cabinet

Your halaogen and flourescents cannnot be on the sign circuit unless they are part of a sign; regardless of the load. The code does not say how many signs can be on the circuit.

 

[barftoad]

Re: Electrical sign cabinet

The halogens, flourescents and neon will be housed in the sign cabinet. The halogens will act as down light spots, the flourescents will illuminate one line of copy and the neon is needed due to lack of space for any other light fixture that will be required illuminate another line of copy. All of these are to be run from one dedicated 20amp circuit per code. The debate that I am having is will there be any issues or conflicts, internally, with the different types of transformers pulling from the same circuit?

 

[sandsnow]

Re: Electrical sign cabinet

What you have sounds like a design issue, not a Code issue.

 

[barftoad]

Re: Electrical sign cabinet

True. But what I also have is two different opinions. One from the designer of the sign, not me, who claims that neon has to be run on its own dedicated circuit and shared with no other component due to frequence conflicts and the other from the sign fabricator who claims this not to be true. I am looking for advise based on facts and not opinions.

 

[jtester]

Re: Electrical sign cabinet

quote by barftoad
NEC Section 600.5(a) disallows any other draw or load attached to either the sign circuit or neutral.....I am looking for advise based on facts and not opinions.
The fact is 600.5(A) does not forbid sharing neutrals. You will likely only find opinions beyond that point.
Jim T

 

[petersonra]

Re: Electrical sign cabinet

Originally posted by barftoad:
One from the designer of the sign, not me, who claims that neon has to be run on its own dedicated circuit and shared with no other component due to frequence conflicts

Sounds like so much jibberish to me. I think he has been given bad info about why things are done the way they are and is passing it on to you.