Fire pump tap in main service switchboard

[gadfly56]

Agree.

And I'm saying I believe the other option is to omit the disconnect, and run the service conductors "outside the building" to the service rated fire pump ATS. Outside the building means under a min. 2" slab, or encased in 2" of brick or concrete.

OK, that works too, as long as the building configuration makes it easy enough. We have one customer where the electrical service comes in on the 17th floor. The builiding is along the NJ Palisades, and "street level" is the 17th floor while the fire pump is in the basement. On the other hand, if the fire pump room is right next door it might be a preferable option.

 

[kwired]

OK, that works too, as long as the building configuration makes it easy enough. We have one customer where the electrical service comes in on the 17th floor. The builiding is along the NJ Palisades, and "street level" is the 17th floor while the fire pump is in the basement. On the other hand, if the fire pump room is right next door it might be a preferable option.

Seems you have 2 choices, first run it outside the building footprint and somehow excavate vertically for 17 floors, maybe well drilling rig would work for most of the job but you still need to somehow run horizontal to get into the building 17 floors down or second encase it in concrete on the inside of the building footprint. If building is a new building under construction - either way is probably easy if you do it at the right time, but something tells me you are dealing with existing building there.

 

[Transportation Guy]

I didn't see this thread when I started one yesterday. Awesome observations and suggestions. We have same scenario and trying to get a concrete answer and explanation on the exception to 695.6(A). If you have a back up generator in addition to building power, does the service tap for the fire pump have to routed "outside the building".


Referencing 2008 Code Cycle

 

[gadfly56]

Seems you have 2 choices, first run it outside the building footprint and somehow excavate vertically for 17 floors, maybe well drilling rig would work for most of the job but you still need to somehow run horizontal to get into the building 17 floors down or second encase it in concrete on the inside of the building footprint. If building is a new building under construction - either way is probably easy if you do it at the right time, but something tells me you are dealing with existing building there.

Well the solution was to put the disco in the electrical room way back when. At the time the building was constructed (prior to 1975), the UCC didn't exist in NJ. I couldn't even discover what code was locally enforced at the time. The conductors are just run in EMT from the electrical room to the basement. IIRC, at that time the NEC didn't require the 2 hour rated assembly or concrete/brick cover for the conductors.