Raceway or Not?

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Raceway or Not?

  • You bet!

    Votes: 3 14.3%

  • Not on your life!

    Votes: 15 71.4%

  • You had to go and ask, didn't you?

    Votes: 3 14.3%
  • Total voters
    21
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gadfly56

gadfly56

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
NFPA 2001 requires that the conductors for the initiating and releasing devices be installed in a "raceway". Nothing additional is provided. Looking at the definition of "raceway" in NFPA 70-2005 I see in the definitions section, in part,

"Raceway. An enclosed channel of metal or nonmetallic materials designed expressly for holding wires, cables, or busbars..."

Is AC or MC considered raceway?
 
gadfly56 said:
NFPA 2001 requires that the conductors for the initiating and releasing devices be installed in a "raceway". Nothing additional is provided. Looking at the definition of "raceway" in NFPA 70-2005 I see in the definitions section, in part,

"Raceway. An enclosed channel of metal or nonmetallic materials designed expressly for holding wires, cables, or busbars..."

Is AC or MC considered raceway?
Click to expand...

I would say no per the definition, a raceway would be flex, EMT, IMC, etc. AC and MC are a cable assembly.
 
infinity said:
I agree with John, they're both cable assemblies.
Click to expand...

me too.

although one would think that a cable assembly made up of essentially flex and wire would be an acceptable solution.

oddly, you could make your own assembly up that is all but identical to mc and it would be a raceway.
 
Hmmm, I'll wait for a few more people to chime in, but I can see where this is headed...
 
gadfly56 said:
NFPA 2001 requires that the conductors for the initiating and releasing devices be installed in a "raceway". Nothing additional is provided. Looking at the definition of "raceway" in NFPA 70-2005 I see in the definitions section, in part,

"Raceway. An enclosed channel of metal or nonmetallic materials designed expressly for holding wires, cables, or busbars..."

Is AC or MC considered raceway?
Click to expand...

Technically, maybe the sheath..... but certainly not the cable assembly.
 
chris kennedy said:
Any way to post the NFPA 2001 requirement?
Click to expand...

4.3.1.3
Initiating and releasing circuits shall be installed in
raceways. Other than as permitted in 4.3.1.3.1, alternating
current (ac) and direct current (dc) wiring shall not be combined
in a common conduit or raceway.
4.3.1.3.1
Ac and dc wiring shall be permitted to be combined in
a common conduit or raceway where shielded and grounded.
 
gadfly56 said:
No, but that doesn't appear to be one of the requirement by the definition.
Click to expand...

Raceway. An enclosed channel of metal or nonmetallic materials designed expressly for holding wires, cables, or busbars

MC/AC isn't designed to hold wires. There's no room left in there. :cool:
 
cowboyjwc said:
I would say no per the definition, a raceway would be flex, EMT, IMC, etc. AC and MC are a cable assembly.
Click to expand...

And when you take the wire out what do you have?
3/8" flexible metallic conduit (or whatever).
Isn't that a raceway?
Not sure if it's still available, but I remember 15 years ago you could buy empty 3/8" FMC.
 
Strife said:
And when you take the wire out what do you have?
3/8" flexible metallic conduit (or whatever).
Isn't that a raceway?
Not sure if it's still available, but I remember 15 years ago you could buy empty 3/8" FMC.
Click to expand...

The sheath from AC and MC cable is not the same as FMC even though they may look the same. They do still make 3/8" FMC.
 
And when you take the wire out what do you have?
3/8" flexible metallic conduit (or whatever).
Isn't that a raceway?
Click to expand...

Yeah but, that's not what he asked. He asked if AC/MC was a raceway. It can't be AC/MC without wires.
 
I believe AC & MC has been listed as a cable. I can call it anything that i want raceway or conduit but i can use it as what it has been listed for/as.
 
edward said:
I believe AC & MC has been listed as a cable. I can call it anything that i want raceway or conduit but i can use it as what it has been listed for/as.
Click to expand...

AC and MC are cable assemblies, but the question is are they also, by definition, raceways? Just with the wire already "pulled".

Well, there's enough head scratching going on that we'll avoid the question and throw up some LFNC-B, pull the FPLP through it, and call it a day.
 
So are we saying that you can take a piece of MC cable and pull out the conductors and use it as a raceway by pulling in different condcutors?
 
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