Health care facility question

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Mike Burch

Mike Burch

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Location
Apache Junction, Arizona
We have two panel boards up on the roof of the hospital right next to each other. One is fed with emergency power (600A) from a transfer switch and the other is on the normal power source (1000A) and very lightly loaded. For some reason the patient room air handlers were not put on e power. The loads on the e power panel are elevators and exhaust fans and I think they would be considered critical power. My question is would it be in violation of 517.30 Part C1 to have the normal source circuits occupy space in the same cabinet with the critical circuits? As in pick up the air handlers but feed them from the critical load panel through a wireway between the two cabinets. In the book it mentions the life safety branch and critical branch shall not enter the same raceway, box or cabinet but would this be similar violation? This might be an easy work around but it may turn out to be major surgery. :grin: Thank you in advance. Mike
 
Mike Burch said:
We have two panel boards up on the roof of the hospital right next to each other. One is fed with emergency power (600A) from a transfer switch and the other is on the normal power source (1000A) and very lightly loaded. For some reason the patient room air handlers were not put on e power. The loads on the e power panel are elevators and exhaust fans and I think they would be considered critical power. My question is would it be in violation of 517.30 Part C1 to have the normal source circuits occupy space in the same cabinet with the critical circuits? As in pick up the air handlers but feed them from the critical load panel through a wireway between the two cabinets. In the book it mentions the life safety branch and critical branch shall not enter the same raceway, box or cabinet but would this be similar violation? This might be an easy work around but it may turn out to be major surgery. :grin: Thank you in advance. Mike
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2005 nec art. 517.(C)(1)

"The life safety branch and critical branch of the emergency system shall be kept entirely independent of all other wiring and equipment and shall not enter the same raceways, boxes, or cabinets with each other or other wiring."

I would say your answer is no.
 
It sounds as though you are dealing with the "Equipment System" and "Normal System" these two can occupy the same raceways and enclosures.

(C) Wiring Requirements

(1) Separation from Other Circuits The life safety branch and critical branch of the emergency system shall be kept entirely independent of all other wiring and equipment and shall not enter the same raceways, boxes, or cabinets with each other or other wiring.
Wiring of the life safety branch and the critical branch shall be permitted to occupy the same raceways, boxes, or cabinets of other circuits not part of the branch where such wiring complies with one of the following:

(1) Is in transfer equipment enclosures

(2) Is in exit or emergency luminaires (lighting fixtures) supplied from two sources

(3) Is in a common junction box attached to exit or emergency luminaires (lighting fixtures) supplied from two sources

(4) Is for two or more emergency circuits supplied from the same branch

The wiring of the equipment system shall be permitted to occupy the same raceways, boxes, or cabinets of other circuits that are not part of the emergency system.
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Roger
 
It all depends on if the branch you are talking about is the equipment branch, or the critical branch. The elevator makes it sound like it is probably the equipment branch. But if it is a small facility with a total emergency load of less than 150 KVA, then this could be a combined equipment-critical-life safety branch. In that case, I would say you can't do what you are proposing.

Steve
 
steve66 said:
It all depends on if the branch you are talking about is the equipment branch, or the critical branch. The elevator makes it sound like it is probably the equipment branch. But if it is a small facility with a total emergency load of less than 150 KVA, then this could be a combined equipment-critical-life safety branch. In that case, I would say you can't do what you are proposing.

Steve
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Steve, even using a single transfer switch wouldn't change the rule, the Equipment System could still occupy raceways and enclosures with the Normal System.

Roger
 
steve66 said:
It all depends on if the branch you are talking about is the equipment branch, or the critical branch. The elevator makes it sound like it is probably the equipment branch. But if it is a small facility with a total emergency load of less than 150 KVA, then this could be a combined equipment-critical-life safety branch. In that case, I would say you can't do what you are proposing.

Steve
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I may be mis-using terminology, which would'nt be the first time. The emergency panel board on the roof is the only load coming from that transfer switch. Since there are only equipment loads (elevators and exhaust fans) on it would it be considered an equipment branch or critical branch? That is a critical branch since it has generator back up. Thanks a lot for your inputs.
 
Mike Burch said:
I may be mis-using terminology, which would'nt be the first time. The emergency panel board on the roof is the only load coming from that transfer switch. Since there are only equipment loads (elevators and exhaust fans) on it would it be considered an equipment branch or critical branch? That is a critical branch since it has generator back up. Thanks a lot for your inputs.
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How old is the hospital and this wiring?

You have to understand that the "Essential System" is made up of two components, the "Emergency System" and the "Equipment System". The "Emergency System" is also made up of two components, the "Life Safety Branch" and the "Critical Branch".

The two branches of the "Emergency System" must be kept seperated from each other and other systems, the Equipment System does not have this requirement.

Roger
 
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Mike Burch said:
The hospital opened up last August and has approximately a 176 bed capacity.
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With this being the case there will be an Equipment System. You might be able to find the riser diagram in the Record Drawings in the Maintenance area.

Roger
 
They will be allowed to occupy the same spaces per the last sentence of 517.30(C)(1).

Roger
 
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