Question on closet lighting clearances???

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jango

jango

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Can I get some input and possibly reference to a diagram which clearly illustrates the required clearances of lighting in a residential clothes closet? Also, how does the code decipher any potential lighting required clearances(i.e. LED strip lighting) down the walls on each inside wall of a clothes closet?
 
410.16 gives you what you need to know as well as clearances for LED's. The measurements are from the edge of the shelf to the ceiling, to the edge of the fixture.
 
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shepelec said:
410.16 gives you what you need to know as well as clearances for LED's. The measurements are from the edge of the shelf to the ceiling, to the edge of the fixture.
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Are there any clearance restrictions for LED strip lighting running vertical down the inside wall of a closet from ceiling to floor?
 
jango said:
Are there any clearance restrictions for LED strip lighting running vertical down the inside wall of a closet from ceiling to floor?
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As mentioned 410.16 tells you the requirements, and is fairly clear about it. It even says
Surface-mounted fluorescent or LED luminaires shall be permitted to be installed within the storage space where identified for this use.
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Figure 410.2 gives you a pretty clear diagram of the defined closet storage space as used by article 410.
 
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jango said:
Are there any clearance restrictions for LED strip lighting running vertical down the inside wall of a closet from ceiling to floor?
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Do they comply with 410.16(C)(5)?

Are they identified for use within the closet storage space?

410.16(C) Location. The minimum clearance between luminaires installed in clothes closets and the nearest point of a storage space shall be as follows:
(1) 300 mm (12 in.) for surface-mounted incandescent or LED luminaires with a completely enclosed light source installed on the wall above the door or on the ceiling
(2) 150 mm (6 in.) for surface-mounted fluorescent luminaires installed on the wall above the door or on the ceiling
(3) 150 mm (6 in.) for recessed incandescent or LED luminaires with a completely enclosed light source installed in the wall or the ceiling
(4) 150 mm (6 in.) for recessed fluorescent luminaires installed in the wall or the ceiling
(5) Surface-mounted fluorescent or LED luminaires shall be permitted to be installed within the storage space where identified for this use.
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jango said:
Can I get some input and possibly reference to a diagram which clearly illustrates the required clearances of lighting in a residential clothes closet? Also, how does the code decipher any potential lighting required clearances(i.e. LED strip lighting) down the walls on each inside wall of a clothes closet?
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The NEC does not specifically mention lighting vertically but I see no reason it cannot be done as long as the clearances are met.

In one of our jurisdictions the walls on both sides of the door count as storage space even if the closet is 24" deep. I believe their interpretation, although not popular, is correct based on 410.2.

Basically a small closet (2' door and sized 4' wide and 2' deep) would not accommodate a light even above the door.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
The NEC does not specifically mention lighting vertically but I see no reason it cannot be done as long as the clearances are met.

In one of our jurisdictions the walls on both sides of the door count as storage space even if the closet is 24" deep. I believe their interpretation, although not popular, is correct based on 410.2.

Basically a small closet (2' door and sized 4' wide and 2' deep) would not accommodate a light even above the door.
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Dennis, IMO,they cannot turn you down for "imaginary" shelving that do not exist. Have you ever challenged them on this? The shelf line measurements have to have been measured "from a shelf",,,,,not an imaginary item
 
The shelf does not have to be there in the definition of closet storage space 410.2 a horizontal distance of 12" or the width of the shelf, whichever is greater. So even without the shelf you take a 12" storage area then apply 410.16(C).
 
Since he's installing LED's (assuming they're closet listed) do any of these dimensions even matter?
 
mcclary's electrical said:
Dennis, IMO,they cannot turn you down for "imaginary" shelving that do not exist. Have you ever challenged them on this? The shelf line measurements have to have been measured "from a shelf",,,,,not an imaginary item
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I disagree. Read 410.2 It states 12" or the width of the shelf-- whichever is greater. Where do you get the shelf must be installed.

410.2 Definitions.
Closet Storage Space. The volume bounded by the sides and back closet walls and planes extending from the closet floor vertically to a height of 1.8 m (6 ft) or to the highest clothes-hanging rod and parallel to the walls at a horizontal distance of 600 mm (24 in.) from the sides and back of the closet walls, respectively, and continuing vertically to the closet ceiling parallel to the walls at a horizontal distance of 300 mm (12 in.) or the width of the shelf, whichever is greater; for a closet that permits access to both sides of a hanging rod, this space includes the volume below the highest rod extending 300 mm (12 in.) on either side of the rod on a plane horizontal to the floor extending the entire length of the rod. See Figure 410.2.
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