NEC 517 Dr. Office Question

[Bigcountry]

I have an Eye Doctor's Office that will perform eye surgery and I understand some of these rooms apply to NEC 517 and before I RFI this I want to be sure I have the correct questions and answers. My questions are:

1. Does an exam room apply to an eye doctor, not technically a Patient Care Area ? I take it Patient Care Area is defined with Exam rooms in is definition for General Care Areas but the engineer has designed the project with the exam rooms only being tamper resistant receptacles nec 406.11 which refers to 210.52 and my hand book refers this back to 517 pediatrics?

2. Does a Screening room apply for NEC 517? There is not a electric chair for a patient to sit in like in an exam room or a procedure room.

3. Does the lighting Branch Circuits have to be type Health Care Facility AC cable. The engineer has asked for Hospital Grade Red switches in the recovery room? I am not aware a manufacturer made a HG Switch?
517.13(b) exception #2: states Luminaires more than 7.5'ft above the floor and switches outside the patient care vicinity shall be permitted to be connected to an equipment grounding return path complying with 517.13(a) What about the light switch, it is below 7.5'ft?

Thank you for your time and help may God bless you and our Nation.

I cannot attach the drawing in question b/c it is larger than the allowed file size on this forum. If there is another way to post it let me know. Thanks

 

[roger]

I have an Eye Doctor's Office that will perform eye surgery and I understand some of these rooms apply to NEC 517 and before I RFI this I want to be sure I have the correct questions and answers. My questions are:

1. Does an exam room apply to an eye doctor, not technically a Patient Care Area ? I take it Patient Care Area is defined with Exam rooms in is definition for General Care Areas but the engineer has designed the project with the exam rooms only being tamper resistant receptacles nec 406.11 which refers to 210.52 and my hand book refers this back to 517 pediatrics?

Tamper Resistant receptacles would be all that is needed in these rooms

2. Does a Screening room apply for NEC 517? There is not a electric chair for a patient to sit in like in an exam room or a procedure room.

IMO it shouldn't be considered a Patient Care type room but, if the architect has designed around it being Patient Care I would comply with the design.

3. Does the lighting Branch Circuits have to be type Health Care Facility AC cable.

You are correct below with your reference to Exception No 2 to 517.13(B) If the light fixtures are above 7.5' above the floor then you can use a standard type AC cable (not MC), the insulated EGC is not required here.

The engineer has asked for Hospital Grade Red switches in the recovery room? I am not aware a manufacturer made a HG Switch?

You are correct

517.13(b) exception #2: states Luminaires more than 7.5'ft above the floor and switches outside the patient care vicinity shall be permitted to be connected to an equipment grounding return path complying with 517.13(a) What about the light switch, it is below 7.5'ft?

If the light switch is located outside of the "Patient Vicinity" (see definition) it would not need to be bonded with an insulated conductor.
Thank you for your time and help may God bless you and our Nation.

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Roger

 

[Bigcountry]

Roger,

Thank you for the reply.

What about the Light switch being in the patient care area? That is to be a HCF type AC cable from the switch back up to the light but not the entire circuit correct?

The rest of that circuit can be type AC cable? and MC cable if the AHJ approves of MC? I could not find the reference where MC is not allowed but I remember it being that it is not considered a ground fault path according to 517.13(A) but it states for an emergency circuit in patient vicinity areas not general lighting and receptacles in my Hand book note.

So non-emergency circuits can have mc cable and emergency circuits requires AC or HCF-AC?

Sorry for all the questions but thanks again for the help.

 

[augie47]

The only exception I find for fixtures is that listed in 517.13(B) where
the fixtures are only required to be connected by an EGC that complies with 517.13(A) which requires the sheath of the raceway qualify as an EGC. Some types of MC qualify (such as smooth tube), other, more common types, don't.

 

[roger]

Roger,

Thank you for the reply.

What about the Light switch being in the patient care area? That is to be a HCF type AC cable from the switch back up to the light but not the entire circuit correct?

You're welcome. If the light switch is located more than 6' from the bed it is not in the "Patient Vicinity" and could use exception 2 to 517.13(B) so it would not need an HCF cable

The rest of that circuit can be type AC cable?

No, the rest of the circuit would need to be an HCF cable.

and MC cable if the AHJ approves of MC?

The AHJ would be wrong to aprove MC cable in a Patient Care Area.

I could not find the reference where MC is not allowed but I remember it being that it is not considered a ground fault path according to 517.13(A)

See 250.118, plain jane MC is not recognized as an EGC and therefor does not meet the requirement of 517.13(A)

but it states for an emergency circuit in patient vicinity areas not general lighting and receptacles in my Hand book note.

Flexible wiring methods are pretty much prohibited for Emergency System wiring, see 517.30(C)(3)

So non-emergency circuits can have mc cable and emergency circuits requires AC or HCF-AC?

Neither the Normal System nor the Emergency System can use MC in Patient Care Areas and the Emergency System pretty much needs to be a "Non Flexible" wiring method, in other words it will need to be pipe unless it meets the a condition under 517.30(C)(3)

Roger