Exam room Wiring

[Toros]

Hi
As 517.13 A+B says that wiring in exham rooms shall be with redundant grounding conductors,

what are the other options except using type HCF bx cables to satisfy that......??????

Tanx

 

[rcarroll]

Metallic pipe & an insulated? equipment ground conductor.

 

[roger]

Is this a hospital with an Essential system?

Roger

 

[Toros]

Is this a hospital with an Essential system?

Roger

no
it is doctor office
private doctor

 

[kwired]

Read (A) and (B) carefully. The word "redundant" is not used at all in there.

Part (A) basically tells us the raceway or cable sheath itself must qualify as an equipment grounding conductor.

Part (B) tells us we must also have an insulated equipment grounding conductor within the raceway or cable required by part (A)

Put them together and it is common field talk to call this a redundant ground, but is not an actual term used in NEC.

That said AC or MC cables are about only cables out there that are able to be used, but pretty much any metal raceway method can be used.

 

[cowboyjwc]

They make hospital grade cable (green) that can be used.

 

[kwired]

They make hospital grade cable (green) that can be used.

Which I would assume is what OP was talking about when he mentioned "HCF bx cables", his question was what other methods are an acceptable option.

 

[cowboyjwc]

Which I would assume is what OP was talking about when he mentioned "HCF bx cables", his question was what other methods are an acceptable option.

I would assume that too, except no one has used the term BX in years. So basically it's IMC, Rigid, EMT, and hospital grade MC. Where guys get in trouble is that they will run PVC under ground to dental chairs and what not and this is not allowed. Here we will allow ALFlex as it has a green tag from the City of Los Angeles that allows it to be used for grounding, but not all flex is listed by them. The reason for the Green MC is because, while the other MC may be listed for grounding, it has a bare grounding conductor and not and insulated one.

I had a guy that rewired a medical office 4 times, because he either wouldn't listen to me or was just being ignorant.

 

[steve66]

Where guys get in trouble is that they will run PVC under ground to dental chairs and what not and this is not allowed.

It's really aggravating when a contractor runs PVC to an exam room, and then asks "Can I just run a second ground wire instead of using metal conduit?"


Heck no, the code is very clear the metal conduit is required. A second ground wire isn't the same thing.

 

[cowboyjwc]

It's really aggravating when a contractor runs PVC to an exam room, and then asks "Can I just run a second ground wire instead of using metal conduit?"


Heck no, the code is very clear the metal conduit is required. A second ground wire isn't the same thing.

Yep.

 

[kwired]

I would assume that too, except no one has used the term BX in years. So basically it's IMC, Rigid, EMT, and hospital grade MC. Where guys get in trouble is that they will run PVC under ground to dental chairs and what not and this is not allowed. Here we will allow ALFlex as it has a green tag from the City of Los Angeles that allows it to be used for grounding, but not all flex is listed by them. The reason for the Green MC is because, while the other MC may be listed for grounding, it has a bare grounding conductor and not and insulated one.

I had a guy that rewired a medical office 4 times, because he either wouldn't listen to me or was just being ignorant.

Well BX is slang, or maybe even some trade name (not fully certain what it's origin is) and is not in the NEC - but I'm sure you knew that. I think it is supposed to be AC cable, but some use it to describe any interlocked tape type armor or even flexible metal conduit.

Used to be the "HCF" cable was only available in AC cable until more recently when they started making an MC cable version. Or at least that is all that was readily available in my area. I also recall the cable was not always green finished - and I don't think it is a requirement that it be green (at least from NEC) but it is convenient for faster identification just like the white, yellow and orange colors commonly used for NM cable sheath.

 

[cowboyjwc]

Well BX is slang, or maybe even some trade name (not fully certain what it's origin is) and is not in the NEC - but I'm sure you knew that. I think it is supposed to be AC cable, but some use it to describe any interlocked tape type armor or even flexible metal conduit.

Used to be the "HCF" cable was only available in AC cable until more recently when they started making an MC cable version. Or at least that is all that was readily available in my area. I also recall the cable was not always green finished - and I don't think it is a requirement that it be green (at least from NEC) but it is convenient for faster identification just like the white, yellow and orange colors commonly used for NM cable sheath.

You are correct.