GFEP for heat tapes

[hillbilly1]

I have an unusual situation with a 7 watt 230 volt heat tape, it is installed in a conveyor exit. It does not heat a pipe line or vessel, so Article 427 does not apply, And it is not outdoor electric deicing and snow-melting equipment, so Article 426 does not apply. The engineer does not want ground fault protection on this circuit due to failure of the circuit could allow the conveyor to freeze to the skids and damage it on restart. Do heat tapes have a high failure rate due to manufacturing flaws, since it is required on other applications?

 

[hillbilly1]

On another note, I think that arc fault breakers would be better protection for those requiring GFEP in articles 426 and 427. I do not believe that all failures are physical damage or improper installation. The manufactures are probally covering their butts by having this requirement. This could be something to bring up in front of the next CMP.

 

[charlie]

The engineer does not want ground fault protection on this circuit due to failure of the circuit could allow the conveyor to freeze to the skids and damage it on restart.

210.8(B)(4) lists outdoor locations as needing GFCI protection for receptacles with the following exception. Exception No. 1 to (3) and (4): Receptacles that are not readily accessible and are supplied from a dedicated branch circuit for electric snow-melting or deicing equipment shall be permitted to be installed without GFCI protection.

If you are concerned with the conveyor freezing to the skids and damaging it on restart, wouldn't that require deicing equipment? :-?

 

[quogueelectric]

On another note, I think that arc fault breakers would be better protection for those requiring GFEP in articles 426 and 427. I do not believe that all failures are physical damage or improper installation. The manufactures are probally covering their butts by having this requirement. This could be something to bring up in front of the next CMP.

Arc fault has nothing to do with this application.

 

[iwire]

My suggestion would be provide the GFP protection and use the same circuit that powers to power a small normally open relay that breaks the conveyor stop circuit.

GFP trips, the relay opens and the conveyor will not start.

Safety ahead of production.

 

[ultramegabob]

My suggestion would be provide the GFP protection and use the same circuit that powers to power a small normally open relay that breaks the conveyor stop circuit.

GFP trips, the relay opens and the conveyor will not start.

Safety ahead of production.

Excellent suggestion!

 

[hillbilly1]

This is not an outdoor location, so 210.8(B)(4) does not apply. The icing comes from the conveyor running thru a freeze blast tunnel that dries ice. As for ARC fault having nothing to do with this, ARC fault breakers have ground fault protection built in with something like a 30-40 ma trip, also if the fault is phase to phase as with this 230 volt heat tape, ground fault will not detect it as where arc fault may. So far I have seen no evidence that code requires this type of installation be ground fault protected. I'm not saying that it would not be a good idea, but the customer is supplying the equiptment and I cannot force them to buy something that is not required by code.