Generator under water tank

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Julio Trujillo

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San Juan, Puerto Rico
This was consulted with the Fire Dept. and they didn't have a say; a 50KVA generator will be located under a structure that holds a fresh-water tank. A quick search of the code only talks about circuits that involve tanks.


The generator has an outdoor enclosure capable of resisting hurricanes, but I still feel a ruptured tank could be a different situation; the same way a car is OK under torrential rain, but going through a flood is a different matter. This setup is in a gas station.

So, is there any code indications for this situation?
 
Julio Trujillo said:
This was consulted with the Fire Dept. and they didn't have a say; a 50KVA generator will be located under a structure that holds a fresh-water tank. A quick search of the code only talks about circuits that involve tanks.


The generator has an outdoor enclosure capable of resisting hurricanes, but I still feel a ruptured tank could be a different situation; the same way a car is OK under torrential rain, but going through a flood is a different matter. This setup is in a gas station.

So, is there any code indications for this situation?
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The code does not address this in the sense that it looks at water dripping onto wiring etc. from sources in the same room with the wiring. But it does not address good design practice issues like whether the generator might be needed for emergency (or optional standby) power after the same event that caused the tank to fail. :)
 
I don't see any issues with the proposed installation. Many municiple water towers have electrical equipment installed below them.
 
I wouldn't be concerned about it. If the water tank is in such bad shape that it would totally fail and rupture all at once, the generator would be the least of my worries.
 
acrwc10 said:
I wouldn't be concerned about it. If the water tank is in such bad shape that it would totally fail and rupture all at once, the generator would be the least of my worries.
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This is true. We have several generators under water tanks. We have agreements with the city/county to let us put communication equipment on the tank and a building for the radios. In exchange they connect the electrical for there float alarm systems. This way they are covered by our generator and don't have the upkeep of the generator. The water tank would have to be in bad shape to worry about it and if there were a storm powerful enough to take out the water tank the generator is already gone.
 
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