MC in a walk-in cooler

I agree most walk-in's either refrigerators or freezers should be dry. But in resteraunts etc the employees are not good about keeping the doors shut. They gate a lot of traffic. With the dry environment the walk-in sucks in any moisture leaking around bad door seals etc.

How would you seal MC? Couldn't the air migrate through the inside of the MC along with the wires. PVC or sealtight I think would be a better choice.
 
It's not a "cleanable surface" and violates health code. Besides, is a trashy way to build. Use EMT or seal-tight.

We don't allow MC cable to be below 8' from the ground here unless it's inside a wall or protected in some way.
 
electrofelon said:
Strange how so many many think a walk in cooler or freezer is wet or damp. I have never seen it Where does this come from? Maybe cuz stuff is cold it sort of registers as damp in the 🧠? Maybe cuz stuff often sweats after coming out, and no one noticed is was dry before it came out? . Never got a damp hand grabbing something from my fridge or freezer. Used to work at a restaurant in my teens and was the one called upon to run to the walk ins for stuff. All sorts of stuff in cardboard boxes there .
Click to expand...
The only way it gets wet is from cleaning it. MC is not considered a "cleanable surface".
 
IMO if it's not subject the physical damage then it's not prohibited. Not all walk-in coolers are used for food storage. We recently did a large apartment complex where they had large walk-in boxes for fur coat storage during the summer.
 
infinity said:
IMO if it's not subject the physical damage then it's not prohibited. Not all walk-in coolers are used for food storage. We recently did a large apartment complex where they had large walk-in boxes for fur coat storage during the summer.
Click to expand...
I hate working at those low rent apartment buildings :)
I agree MC would not be my choice but I asked the question to see if anyone knew of a violation as it has been done that way on a job where I was assisting the inspector.
 
augie47 said:
I hate working at those low rent apartment buildings :)
I agree MC would not be my choice but I asked the question to see if anyone knew of a violation as it has been done that way on a job where I was assisting the inspector.
Click to expand...
Yeah low end condos up to $27 million. I wouldn't use MC either.
 
Last edited:
The walkin cooler and freezers that I've had connection with were in food prep mfg. Every one of the spaces were wet areas as it required hose down for cleaning. Everyone that I've seen had been wired using either Rigid or EMT. OP might want to check with the building codes dept to determine if this Cooler would be classified as a wet or damp location or subject to hose down, then detimine proper wiring from that.

Short of that guidance I would not presume to use MC in a Walk-in cooler, refrigerator/freezer, and would go with minimally EMT and liquidtight fittings.
 
In years past I remember some evaporators with open ends and exposed factory installed FMC. IMO NEC wise there would be no problem with MC, but as stated, the local Health dept might have issues with it
 
electrofelon said:
I've never come across a cooler that was hosed down or could be hosed down. I'm not saying no one does it of course, just saying it's very far from common.
Click to expand...
Think food product manufacturing type applications, particularly where open raw food items are involved. Could be beef carcasses hanging in there either cooling down or simply waiting for further processing, could be a refrigerated work room even. They likely wash down such spaces pretty frequently.

Otherwise I don't ever see any that get washed on any regular basis either. Keep in mind dry locations per NEC can still temporarily have wet/dampness on occasion. It needs to have some consistency of being wet or damp to be considered a wet or damp location.
 
electrofelon said:
I've never come across a cooler that was hosed down or could be hosed down. I'm not saying no one does it of course, just saying it's very far from common.
Click to expand...
Been involved with several food production plant, meat packing plant and butcher shop all had hose down related to maintaining a clean area. Even the dry goods cooler in the plant had occasional hose down.
 
After a Los Angeles City inspection at one produce warehouse, the electrical inspector wanted us to add combo exit signs in all the coolers. We installed them with emt. He stated that if there was a fire, the smoke would hide the exit location. These are very large coolers where forklifts go in and out.
 
Yea ... The next thing in the new codes, will require them in residential homes ! Sprinkler systems are now required, why not exit signs ?
 
infinity said:
Exits signs? People are too stupid to know how to exit their own homes?
Click to expand...

Maybe the rational that the L.A. city inspector used for the warehouse coolers could be applied to residential homes. When a structure is on fire and the smoke is so thick and the occupants are crawling on their hands and knees, they might get disoriented ?
 
Hello everybody. Just got back from Denny's where I helped them hose down all the sliced onion, tomatoes, sliced meat, and pancake batter in the walk-in cooler. Didn't have time to go to the freezer and hose down all the frozen chicken and steaks so they could be crusted in an inch of ice. Maybe Monday.
 
ActionDave said:
Hello everybody. Just got back from Denny's where I helped them hose down all the sliced onion, tomatoes, sliced meat, and pancake batter in the walk-in cooler. Didn't have time to go to the freezer and hose down all the frozen chicken and steaks so they could be crusted in an inch of ice. Maybe Monday.
Click to expand...
You eat at dennys?! You told them to not wash the food i hope.
Was there m/c everywhere? Did you notice?! Or were you too busy making pancake batter?
No moonlighting dave... company policy!! Haha!
 
mtnelect said:
After a Los Angeles City inspection at one produce warehouse, the electrical inspector wanted us to add combo exit signs in all the coolers. We installed them with emt. He stated that if there was a fire, the smoke would hide the exit location. These are very large coolers where forklifts go in and out.
Click to expand...
Seems this should be a fire marshal call and not an EI call.

Does make more sense to require exit signs in a warehouse whether refrigerated or not vs a walk in of only a couple hundred square feet or less.
 
The only use of "Hosing Down that I have seen is the sorting tables in produce warehouses. The sorting tables have coaster on them, so they can roll then outside to a large parking lot drain and hose them down once a week. This is a requirement of the City of Los Angeles Helth Department. The sorting tables are used to remove and repackage produce before it goes to the stores.

A side note:
Originally, the forklift chargers and sorting tables were wired with 480 power cords. The city electrical inspector required us to upgrade to fused and lockable disconnects. He didn't like the idea of manually disconnecting 480 three phase.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top