Emergency source for nursing home is branch circuit or feeder from adjacent building

[bbaumer]

Hi all.

I was asked my opinion today on the following scenario.

Building #1 - Nursing Home building. Has a backup generator.

Building #2 - New small building. Owner wants it to have its own service. It will have a pre-action fire suppression system with a compressor as well as loads considered to be "emergency" or on legally required standby systems. I am not sure which (not my project, this was an acquaintance asking me this). The Owner does not want to install a transfer switch or switches in the new building but instead just wants to extend branch circuits or feeder(s) from Building #1. Owner says this is legal and "they've done it before" at other buildings.

I told the acquaintance that branch circuits or feeders from another building are not allowable sources for Art. 700 or 701 loads even if the Building #1 source is generator backed.

Correct or no?

Thanks.

 

[charlie b]

I believe that you can feed power from Building #1's emergency distribution to Building #2's emergency loads, and that you can feed power from Building #1's legally required standby distribution to Building #2's legally required standby loads. But you can only have one branch circuit, or one feeder, of each type going from Building #1 to Building #2 (i.e., one emergency feeder and one legally required standby feeder). Reference 225.30(A).

 

[bbaumer]

I believe that you can feed power from Building #1's emergency distribution to Building #2's emergency loads, and that you can feed power from Building #1's legally required standby distribution to Building #2's legally required standby loads. But you can only have one branch circuit, or one feeder, of each type going from Building #1 to Building #2 (i.e., one emergency feeder and one legally required standby feeder). Reference 225.30(A).

Charlie,

You may or may not be correct. In my case Building #2 will have it's own service. It will not be supplied by a single branch circuit or feeder from another building. Does that make 225.30 not applicable in the first place?

I was basing my opinion on the list of allowable sources in 700 and 701 (Generator, Batteries, Fuel Cells, Separate Service etc.). "Branch circuits or feeders from another building" is not on the list of allowable sources.

I am confident they could install a feeder from the generator for Building #1 to the emergency side of a new transfer switch, or switches, in building #2 but I guess the Owner does not want to do that for some reason.

Thanks for the input. You may very well be correct. I'm just not sure.

Brent

 

[iwire]

You have a building with a service. Now you want to supply it with branch circuits from another building. That means all of part II of article 225 applies.

You are limited to one branch circuit or one feeder.

IMO you will need to run a feeder and whoever is designing the job will have to make 100% sure they are not trying to mix Article 700 loads with Article 701 or 702 loads.