IDF rooms in hospitals

[mshields]

At least one major hospital that we do work in, requires that their IDF rooms utilize the Equipment Branch for the receptacles that are on the generator; including the one that feeds the UPS via an NEMA L14-30. On another hospital I am working on, and this happens to be an IDF associated with an ICU, I followed suite with this and am being challenged that these should be on the Critical Branch. The ammo they are using is the indeed Communications Rooms are listed (paragragh (7) in 517.34, the section listing what should go on the Critical Branch. But a) this is under a paragragh that limits the items that follow it to select receptacles related to patient care. So, now I don't know. What do you think?

 

[steve66]

IMO, if the receptacles and IT equipment are used for patient care (charting, logging, recording, dispensing meds, etc), power to an IDF could go on either - critical or equipment. It's basically up to the facility or designer to decide what should go on the critical branch. The code leaves a lot of flexibility about what is put on the critical branch.

 

[ptonsparky]

Curious, what is IDF?

 

[GoldDigger]

Curious, what is IDF?

Intermediate Distribution Frame
The data equivalent of a subpanel. It is the connection point between feeder cables and individual room or device circuits.
In the ethernet world this is done with routers and switches rather than simple mechanical interconnects.

It is different from the MDF (Main Distribution Frame) which essentially connects the external data links to the feeders to one or more IDFs.