Precast as a raceway

[joeyww12000]

We are working on a correctional facility at the moment. This job contains poured concrete walls and precast concrete ceilings. The precast is hollow in certain places every 4 inches or so, with the hollow sections running horizontal the entire length of the precast. My question is, Is there a section in the code allowing any wiring at all to pass through these sections of hollow concrete unprotected, using them as a raceway?

 

[iwire]

There sure is, see 372

 

[jrannis]

There sure is, see 372

Aaahhh, remember coreduct?

 

[joeyww12000]

OK, but does this article allow a lighting circuits? The only reason the precast is used for a raceway is to get to another room instead of drilling a hole in the wall because of laziness. Ex) Lighting JBox surface mounted over hole knocked in precast going into next room with another surface mounted jbox over a knocked out hole with wire ran from box to box. What if I were to run conduit on the surface of the precast where the wire was internal and I did not know it and I used drivepins to fasten my conduit and drilled into wire? Just doesnt seem code compliant to me?

 

[iwire]

OK, but does this article allow a lighting circuits?

Yes.

As far as hitting them, well it is possible but they will likely push aside.

The cement coring and cutting guys hit conduits in slabs pretty often, makes a lot of work for us to fix.

 

[ptonsparky]

OK, but does this article allow a lighting circuits? The only reason the precast is used for a raceway is to get to another room instead of drilling a hole in the wall because of laziness. Ex) Lighting JBox surface mounted over hole knocked in precast going into next room with another surface mounted jbox over a knocked out hole with wire ran from box to box. What if I were to run conduit on the surface of the precast where the wire was internal and I did not know it and I used drivepins to fasten my conduit and drilled into wire? Just doesnt seem code compliant to me?

What if you just put a bigger screwdriver onto the screw you think has just hit a knot and it turns out you put a #12 panhead sheetmetal screw thru a 1/2 EMT full of wires? Or run a corebit thru a conduit? You fix it & go on with your life hoping you never do it again and maybe invest in a circuit tracer to help with that hope.

 

[brian john]

Brick and block garden apartments utilized precast with 4" cores all the time for lighting, was the only way short of wiremold to do lighting.