Low Smoke and Fume (LSF) Cable

[mdomran]

Hi there

Per NFPA, power cables are required to be fire rated if these feed life safety equipment. But what about power cables that are in areas that are classified as escape routes?
It makes sense to specify LSF power cable but surprisingly no code requires it. I checked the NEC and even the relevant British Standard and theres no requirement as such.

If I were a contractor or a dollar-in-dollar-out developer, i would never buy LSF but only PVC cable for my power supplies.
Consultants such as myself have no code to back up LSF even in escape routes

Any comment?

Mohammad Omran
Design Engineer
WSP Dubai

 

[cleveland]

Interesting. The LSF cabling I have seen was presented for use on the telecommunications systems. I would think that is where this type of cable will be employed more often. You can have 6 - 200 amp feeders and handle a nice sized facility. But think of the hundreds of communication cables that would be present in the facility. I am not aware of anything mandating the use of this material. Maybe insurance carriers, like FM, will help get this material into the main stream. I think some communication cable folks would really like to replace all that teflon, and PVC cables out there with something like this. The presentation I saw showed pleunum rated cable just smoking away under a real fire condition..............the LSF was doing practically nothing......... unless it was smokeless, odorless, cyanide gas being released.............