Hosting Electrical Fixtures to Unistrut?

[msilva94]

Hello all,

I have a job where all of their equipment need their power run overhead, cannot be trenched nor can it be in any walking paths, nor can they mount or drill into existing columns/beams.
This would mean twistlocks, quads, receptacles, disconnect switches, etc to be run all over head and then down to their respective locations and onto some alternative/third party form of mounting.
Is it feasible to call out that these devices and fixtures to be mounted to unistrut? Or I-Beams/columns erected be "attached" to nearby columns?

This is my first time ever coming across a situation where we can't utilize any the existing structure.

 

[gadfly56]

Hello all,

I have a job where all of their equipment need their power run overhead, cannot be trenched nor can it be in any walking paths, nor can they mount or drill into existing columns/beams.
This would mean twistlocks, quads, receptacles, disconnect switches, etc to be run all over head and then down to their respective locations and onto some alternative/third party form of mounting.
Is it feasible to call out that these devices and fixtures to be mounted to unistrut? Or I-Beams/columns erected be "attached" to nearby columns?

This is my first time ever coming across a situation where we can't utilize any the existing structure.

Unistrut is a good choice. Make sure that the premises allows securing to the overhead deck; some may not.

 

[winnie]

Hello all,

I have a job where all of their equipment need their power run overhead, cannot be trenched nor can it be in any walking paths, nor can they mount or drill into existing columns/beams.

How are you going to keep things overhead without attaching to the existing columns or beams? Can you really not attach to the existing overhead structure, or are you prohibited from making permanent changes to the overhead structure (eg. okay to clamp but not okay to drill)?

This would mean twistlocks, quads, receptacles, disconnect switches, etc to be run all over head and then down to their respective locations and onto some alternative/third party form of mounting.
Is it feasible to call out that these devices and fixtures to be mounted to unistrut? Or I-Beams/columns erected be "attached" to nearby columns?

What is the sneer quote "attached" mean, and how is it different from 'mounting or drilling into existing columns/beams'?

Strut is a great tool for mounting just about everything. You can even get solid strut and fittings and use the strut as a raceway feeding your devices. But I think you need to figure out the mechanical constraints you are dealing with first.

-Jonathan

 

[msilva94]

Unistrut is a good choice. Make sure that the premises allows securing to the overhead deck; some may not.

The ceiling is 50' (warehouse space) and I read that Disconnect switches of a certain size cannot be placed on freestanding unistrut (even though I swear I've done it in the past for RTU's and other equipment). Unistrut was my initial intent, especially to mount it (C-clamp, etc) to existing columns whenever possible, but some areas will be completely freestanding.

 

[jaggedben]

I read that Disconnect switches of a certain size cannot be placed on freestanding unistrut ...

I don't think that's a rule. How big a switch are we talking about?

 

[msilva94]

How are you going to keep things overhead without attaching to the existing columns or beams? Can you really not attach to the existing overhead structure, or are you prohibited from making permanent changes to the overhead structure (eg. okay to clamp but not okay to drill)?

What is the sneer quote "attached" mean, and how is it different from 'mounting or drilling into existing columns/beams'?

Strut is a great tool for mounting just about everything. You can even get solid strut and fittings and use the strut as a raceway feeding your devices. But I think you need to figure out the mechanical constraints you are dealing with first.

-Jonathan

Apologies if I didn't make that clear, it's okay to clamp - not okay to drill.
My current intent is to have all power connections drop from above to their respective devices mounted on unistrut, I may have over (under?) thought the usage of unistrut and it's capabilities.

 

[msilva94]

I don't think that's a rule. How big a switch are we talking about?

(8) 100A Disconnects in a row is the largest, most devices are typical 120V/20A devices that can practically mount anywhere.

 

[winnie]

IMHO it is a good plan to clamp to existing columns to support overhead equipment.

You can build structures from strut. I remember being at a mall where the roof was a space frame constructed from strut with some pretty interesting octagonal fittings.

I generally think of strut as a fantastic interface material between a structure and a device, but you can use it as your structural framing material if engineered properly. You can buy mounting bases to build strut columns. You can use non-punched strut (with appropriate fittings) as your raceway.

I suspect (given current strut prices) that it won't be the cheapest for providing your vertical support (when you don't have existing columns to clamp to), and also might be expensive if you have to span long distances and need more of a truss than a single layer of strut. But the fittings are available to build strut trusses.

-Jonathan

 

[msilva94]

IMHO it is a good plan to clamp to existing columns to support overhead equipment.

You can build structures from strut. I remember being at a mall where the roof was a space frame constructed from strut with some pretty interesting octagonal fittings.

I generally think of strut as a fantastic interface material between a structure and a device, but you can use it as your structural framing material if engineered properly. You can buy mounting bases to build strut columns. You can use non-punched strut (with appropriate fittings) as your raceway.

I suspect (given current strut prices) that it won't be the cheapest for providing your vertical support (when you don't have existing columns to clamp to), and also might be expensive if you have to span long distances and need more of a truss than a single layer of strut. But the fittings are available to build strut trusses.

-Jonathan

Thank you, and everyone else that answered!