EMT or IMC for a horse barn and horse arena?

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jjhoward

jjhoward

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Northern NJ
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Owner TJ Electric
I am putting together a quote for indoor horse riding arena and an attached section with 10 stalls, tack room, wash stall & utility room. If I run EMT (~40 lights in the arena) will it corrode from the moisture etc? Should I use glavanizied (IMC) or should I use PVC? I have never wired a barn or any kind of agricultrual building. Thank you.
 
Is primary function of this facility just for shows? Main arena area I wouldn't consider to be a livestock building. The animals are not present long enough to contribute much to the conditions that are the main reason for the existence of 547.

Might still want to consider some of 547 rules for stall areas, but unless the show is long term type of shows where animals will be housed for days at a time those areas may not be exposed to conditions that are the primary reason 547 exists either. In fact you may not even have any electrical equipment in close proximity in those areas in a facility that is primarily show arena. Wash stalls have little reason to have electric power either.

Lighting in stalls wash areas, but if at least a 15' plus ceiling, not really going to be that corrosive of environment up there.

Big difference of environmental conditions between a horse arena with 20 or even 50 horses there, and temporarily there for the most part, vs similar size facility with 100 or 200 cattle that live there. NEC doesn't really differentiate this in the 547 scope, but unless you get into real agriculture settings, you may not know any difference. Even a barn with 1 to 10 horses that live in it daily is typically much different environmentally than production livestock areas typically are.
 
I'd recommend pvc if moisture is involved. Make sure conductors are rated for wet location.
 
Don't think the arena is for show, I think it is for jumping/training. It is all arena, no space for folks watching. The lights in the arena will be 18' O.F.F. I plan on making the lights hang even with the grid that is holding the walls up. The peak of the roof is 30'.
In the stall area the ceiling is ~10. (preliminary drawings don't have the exact height for the stalls).
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PVC not galvanizied? I like that!
 
I've done a lot of Ag structures locally w/ pvc & ltnm JJ, take it from a 'gent farmer' , manure rots everything

the only other possible issue is the bonding, which can get a little crazy

~RJ~
 
Again NEC and 547 are not really all that specific on what is covered, when you take into consideration the reason for most the requirements in 547.

Sounds like you have maybe only a dozen or so horses in a pretty large facility. A major portion of it is not where they are housed, so it is not like they are in that area most of the time contributing urine, feces, nor are they feeding or drinking in that area - all major factors in why 547 even exists.

Any area where they spend a majority of their time I'd say yes apply 547, the rest of the space is more general use areas, that horses happen to be in sometimes. A wash area is a wet and possibly corrosive area, but you probably don't have any electric items in that area other than lighting ayway and it sounds like it may even be 15' or more off the floor so not really in too much of a corrosion environment either at the light locations.

If this is large open space with no insulation that ceiling area is going to get too hot in summer days, and if you run PVC up there it is going to need so many expansion fittings that you might have more expansion fittings than raceway. Well maybe not quite that much, but will seem that way.

If it is steel construction - someone has already figured it won't be that corrosive or they wouldn't build it out of steel.

Horse barns are pretty clean as a general rule compared to production livestock that will be much more animal population density and resulting in much more corrosive effects.

Does this building even have ventilation system? Might not because conditions don't get bad enough it is necessary. Production livestock confinement areas need ventilation for animal health sake.
 
Whenever we run PVC we install expansion joints as needed (any run that can shrink/expand > 1/4" gets an expansion joint). So, EMT at 18' off the floor will still look OK in 5 years? Or do I bite the bullet and install IMC? I really don't want to do an install that will be an ugly site with my name on it.
 
Generally pvc is better with livestock because with metal, stray currents can kill livestock when in contact with the bonded/grounded pipe. (If in a location livestock can make contact)
 
Sounds like PVC in the stalls and IMC for the lighting in the arena. No horses will be getting near the conduit in the arena. It will be on the wooden grid (18' high) that holds the walls up. The lights (LEDs that can be hosed down) will be either hung by chains from the structural ceiling or fastened to something we install across the 4'x8' grid frame. I just don't know how long before EMT starts to rust that is why I am thinking IMC.
 
jjhoward said:
Sounds like PVC in the stalls and IMC for the lighting in the arena. No horses will be getting near the conduit in the arena. It will be on the wooden grid (18' high) that holds the walls up. The lights (LEDs that can be hosed down) will be either hung by chains from the structural ceiling or fastened to something we install across the 4'x8' grid frame. I just don't know how long before EMT starts to rust that is why I am thinking IMC.
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You will likely have more trouble with condensation if you don't arrange to drain than you will with corrosion in this ceiling area.
 
Hi Kiwired, condensation in the conduit? I haven't ever considered including drainage considerations for my conduit isntalls. How to accomodate condensation in my 3/4" EMT? (No need for IMC, both are zinc coated, EMT is spayed on, IMC is dipped.) Anyway, EMT or IMC where does the condensation come from and what to do about it? I will be using only rain tight fittings.
 
jjhoward said:
Hi Kiwired, condensation in the conduit? I haven't ever considered including drainage considerations for my conduit isntalls. How to accomodate condensation in my 3/4" EMT? (No need for IMC, both are zinc coated, EMT is spayed on, IMC is dipped.) Anyway, EMT or IMC where does the condensation come from and what to do about it? I will be using only rain tight fittings.
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condensation can form on a daily basis if conditions are right. Warm moist air inside, then cool down after sunset will condense that moisture on the cool metal wall of the raceway. Arrange to drain means don't route in a manner that will trap that accumulated moisture, and add "weep holes" to low enclosures to allow any moisture that gets there to drain. Is usually a bigger problem if outdoors, but an indoor place that has wide temp fluctuations can still have issues.
 
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