Fire Pump Building

[ElectricPersonality]

I have a Water treatment building that contains a fire pump that will be serving two big box retail stores (the fire pump will supply fire water to both buildings). The owner would like to have a single emergency feeder feed the water treatment building from one of the big box retail stores. Would a single feeder meet the requirements of 695? Specifically the requirements listed below?

1) The requirement for Two sources of power.
2). The requirement that no other loads, other than the fire pump, be off of the fire pump feeder (the water treatment building will also have lights, receptacles, water booster pumps, etc).
3). The requirement that no Overcurrent Protective Device be installed on the fire pump feeder (the feed will come from an emergency distribution panel feeder breaker).
4.) The requirement that no ground fault protective device be installed in the fire pump feed (the normal utility panel for the big box retail store has a GFP in it)

The only way I can think to meet 695 would be to bring two feeds from the bix box retail building, one from the emergency distribution panel and one from a tap on the secondary of the big box retail building's utility transformer. At the water treatment building, the normal feed would then be brought to a wireway outside the building with two taps going into the building, one for the fire pump, and the other to the buildings main panel which would feed the rest of the building's loads. Would this meet 695?

 

[pete m.]

The only way I can think to meet 695 would be to bring two feeds from the bix box retail building, one from the emergency distribution panel and one from a tap on the secondary of the big box retail building's utility transformer.

Why not install a service to the water treatment building and make a connection in accordance with 695.3(A)(1) to serve the fire pump? That of course is assuming that the local AHJ views the utility as a "reliable source of power". 695.3(A) recognizes an "Individual Source"

Just a thought...

Pete

 

[ElectricPersonality]

If the utility source is not deemed reliable, I wonder if 695 will even allow two feeders from a separate building. It seems to require at least one of the two sources to be either a direct utility connection or a local power production facility (which we don't have). The only case that it allows you to not have one of the two sources be a utility connection or power production facility is if you have a campus style distribution system (the handbook shows a medium voltage network with medium voltage feeders), which is not quite the arrangement that I have (480 volt feeders from another building's distribution panels).

 

[pete m.]

You mentioned an "emergency feeder" in your original post. Is there an on-site standby generator? If so, will it meet the requirements of 695.3(B) and 695.3(B)(1)?

Even if your installation meets the aforementioned sections it is still subject to "approval" and from the definitions in article 100 approved simply means acceptable to the AHJ.

That being said, my best advice would be to contact the AHJ and discuss the issues so that you don't spend time designing a system that may not recieve the necessary "approval".

Pete

 

[ElectricPersonality]

I will be contacting the AHJ tomorrow, just wanted to see if anyone on the board has ever run into this situation before.

thanks,