Receptacles in Hospitals

[jeff48356]

This question is only out of curiosity; I never work on anything beyond residential dwellings. But I was wondering what the significance is of different colored receptacles in hospital rooms. I was visiting someone in the hospital recently, and noticed most of the outlets were white, but two of them were red. What are the red ones used for?

 

[charlie b]

Red means the outlet is fed from the critical branch, not the normal utility power source. A patient bed location needs to be fed by at least two circuits, one on the normal branch and one on the critical branch. 517.18(A).

 

[jeff48356]

Red means the outlet is fed from the critical branch, not the normal utility power source. A patient bed location needs to be fed by at least two circuits, one on the normal branch and one on the critical branch. 517.18(A).

OK, interesting! I just plugged my laptop and charger into the white one because I wasn't sure if I should use the red one for that purpose.

 

[Coppersmith]

Did you also notice that every receptacle is marked with the panel/breaker number. Makes turning one off/ finding a tripped breaker easy.

 

[jeff48356]

Did you also notice that every receptacle is marked with the panel/breaker number. Makes turning one off/ finding a tripped breaker easy.

Yes, I noticed that too! I wish that was Code in every commercial building -- not just hospitals. I don't do commercial work for many different reasons, but one of them is that it can take forever to find the breaker to turn off (or even the correct panel for that matter). One time I spent over a half-hour just trying to locate the breaker only to spend 2 minutes changing out a receptacle or switch. From now on I will just wear my gloves (the ones I use for service changes) and change out the device hot.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

It is not required to be "red". The code only requires that, "receptacles supplied from the life safety and critical branches shall have a distinctive color or marking so as to be readily identifiable". Some hospitals use the color blue.

 

[DBoone]

Did you also notice that every receptacle is marked with the panel/breaker number. Makes turning one off/ finding a tripped breaker easy.

Our church just built a large fellowship hall/gym and I noticed that every receptacle and switch is labeled as you mention. Very nice for locating breakers

 

[DBoone]

It is not required to be "red". The code only requires that, "receptacles supplied from the life safety and critical branches shall have a distinctive color or marking so as to be readily identifiable". Some hospitals use the color blue.

I believe I’ve seen orange receptacles before too...maybe that was somewhere else..or maybe I dreamed that up.

 

[kwired]

I believe I’ve seen orange receptacles before too...maybe that was somewhere else..or maybe I dreamed that up.

Orange was often an "isolated ground" receptacle. Though that is not how NEC says it must be designated I believe there is a green triangle that designates this and also was on the orange receptacle.

 

[kwired]

OK, interesting! I just plugged my laptop and charger into the white one because I wasn't sure if I should use the red one for that purpose.

Either one should have worked, you just would have had power to your laptop charger should the utility power end up failing, with a small interruption until generator starts and transfer occurs.