HCF MC and AC HCF: are they two different types of cables?

M

marcosgue

Senior Member
Location
Tampa
Occupation
Electrician
we’re doing rough in wall in Sterilization department renovation and we’re using armored cable hospital grade. The inspector saying have to be conduit and the engineer is saying the armored cable is no allow to use in health care facilities.
I was looking the data of “HCF MC Type MC all purpose Hospital Care Facilities” and at the end of the last page the following sentence call my attention: “Armor ground path is approximately 3.5 times better than Type AC HCF Cable and is equivalent to a green insulated copper grounding conductor”
1. Is the armored cable rated to use in all Health Care Facilities?
2. Is the HCF MC a type of armored cable? Why the manufacturer call MC in lieu of type AC?
3. The cable type HCF MC fall under Article 320. Armored Cable or under Article 330. Metal Clad Cable. Type MC?
4. Is the AC HCF a type of armored cable rated to use in all Health Care Facilities?
5. Which are the main different between HCF MC and AC HCF
 
Haven't been involved with any health care installations in some time. For most part when I was we always used HCF AC cable, not sure there even was a HCF MC cable available at that time.

At some point they came out with MC-AP (southwire I believe, but others maybe had a similar product) but AFAIK it originally was just MC cable with a bare aluminum bond wire inside and no green conductor - which allowed the cable sheath to be the EGC similar to how it is for AC cable.

To comply with the requirements in 517.13 all wiring methods for items in patient care areas needs to be metallic methods that qualify as an EGC by themselves as well as contain an insulated equipment grounding conductor. MC cable never used to comply with the first part I mentioned until the time MC-AP came about. I am assuming regardless the improved conductivity of the sheath this also still has an insulated equipment grounding conductor as well.

The information you read about the improved grounding path of the sheath IMO would be a design issue if you choose it over the AC cable. Both cables should otherwise comply with NEC requirements for health care facilities.
 
marcosgue said:
The cable that you’re mentioning MC-AP fall under Article 320 in the nec?
Click to expand...
No it is a MC cable covered by art 330, but it is very much like AC cable. One difference I am aware of is AC cable still has paper fillers within the cable where MC does not. This MC AP also has a heavier bonding conductor than AC cable typically has. Don't know all the listing details, just my observations when I have encountered these cables. Something tells me the HCF MC likely also has the heavier bonding cable than what is in the AC version of HCF and is probably the reason they claim it has better ground path.
 
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