Inverter Circuits Separation

[Chavo619]

I have a exterior pole mounted with two fixtures, one normal, the other fed from an inverter circuit, both the normal fixture and the inverter are fed from the same normal panel. The inverter circuit/pole is part of the emergency egress exterior lighting, do the inverter circuits to the pole have to be on a separate conduit system?

 

[Smart $]

Emergency circuits must be separated from normal, in general, with some conditional exemptions. On the latter part, you'll have to elaborate on the quoted part of your post below....

...both the normal fixture and the inverter are fed from the same normal panel. ...

And perhaps you or another member can explain the how's and why's of this inverter being fed from the same power source as the normal fixture, and the inverter in turn supplies power to a lighting fixture on the same pole as a normal lighting fixture...???

 

[Smart $]

PS: Welcome to the forum... :thumbsup:

 

[GoldDigger]

If the supply to the inverter (not quite a UPS?) is just charging the battery and providing power status, it may need to be powered from the same circuit as the normal light feed. That way the inverter can turn on automatically when the normal power is lost.
Otherwise the normal light circuit but not other circuits in the building might fail but the inverter would not turn on.
Since this is not unit equipment (battery in the luminaire) and if the lighting is really legally required egress lighting, then I think you must run the inverter output in separate raceways.

 

[Smart $]

...inverter (not quite a UPS?)...

... I think you must run the inverter output in separate raceways.

Now understand the use of inverter.


And I agree on last part.

 

[Electric-Light]

I think he means lighting back-up inverter.
http://www.bodine.com/downloads/install/ELI-S-100.inst.70100219.pdf

 

[Smart $]

I think he means lighting back-up inverter.
http://www.bodine.com/downloads/install/ELI-S-100.inst.70100219.pdf

Code doesn't use the term inverter in the pertinent requirements. Covered under 700.12(F) Unit Equipment.

Additionally, GoldDigger said it was not unit equipment because battery not in luminaire, but unit equipment is permitted to have terminals for remote lamps [700.12(F)(1)(3)].

 

[GoldDigger]

But is unit equipment allowed to have only remote lamps? It seems to me you lose the "unit" concept in that case.

 

[Smart $]

But is unit equipment allowed to have only remote lamps? It seems to me you lose the "unit" concept in that case.

Yes.

Unit equipment is that which provides electrical backup at the branch circuit level. The means of illumination has no bearing on that distinction. It just happens to be in the same "unit" for many products.