Ground Modules OR room

[Hoyt]

I am working on a two room OR addition on a hospital. My question pretains to Square D Ground or Power/Ground modules. Has anyone used this equipment before?

I am going to put in the ground modules to provide the means by which equipment within critical care and anesthetizing locations can be interconnected to the room reference ground point.

I have receptalces located around the room but I see Square D offers these Power/Ground models with receptacles in them..... Like I mentioned has anyone used these before?

Thanks

 

[roger]

They are pretty much Dinosaurs and are not used much any more, they are carry overs from the days of flammable anesthesia.

The last ones I installed (about 7 to 8 years ago in a prototype OR ) were removed before the end of the project due to the facility not wanting an outdated piece of equipment in this new room.

Roger

 

[jim dungar]

They are pretty much Dinosaurs and are not used much any more...

They are usually used as part of an Isolated Power system in the OR. Years ago it appeared that these systems were on the 'way out' but they are still being installed in new construction. The Square D Digest lists these receptacles and ground modules as standard warehouse inventory.

 

[roger]

They are usually used as part of an Isolated Power system in the OR. Years ago it appeared that these systems were on the 'way out' but they are still being installed in new construction. The Square D Digest lists these receptacles and ground modules as standard warehouse inventory.

Jim, they are still being installed but, they are seldom used (even if installed) in modern OR's however, some third world countries do still use flammable anesthesia and older grounding /bonding methods in their operating theaters.

Roger

 

[jim dungar]

... they are seldom used (even if installed) in modern OR's ...

Boy, will that come as a shock to my neighbor whose full time job is entering and engineering orders for Square D "hospital equipment" systems. He says that it is close to a 50-50 (maybe 40-60) order rate of isolated to non-isolated power systems.

 

[roger]

Jim, let's make sure we are on the same page and are talking about the Ground Modules, not the Isolated systems.

NC is still holding on to Isolated systems in OR's, PACU's, ICU's, CCU's, Cat Scan rooms, Emergency Triage rooms, etc... they are required here even though they are not required in NFPA 99 or 70.

Now, even in these rooms with Isolated systems, the ground modules are pretty much obsolete although some designers are still including them in their designs and given the price tag SQ D attaches to them, they certainly aren't going to quit marketing them.

Roger

 

[jim dungar]

According to him, the GS ground module, with just the ground bar in it, is still popular as the 'reference grounding point'. He does not deal with ones containing receptacles very often because they are a warehouse item, but he does not consider them 'on their way out'. I know that my brother, the anesthesiologist, prefers OR's that have the power modules.