Red concrete?

[ssandoval]

I know for a fact that there is nothing in the NEC that requires underground conduits to be covered by "red" or any other concrete, provided the installation meets all of the other requirements of 300.5. I know it is sometimes written in to the project specs or is a local ordinance requirement. My question is, does anyone know where/ why this practice began and why it is no longer very common? I had a GC doing some work in my district the other day that was attempting to have the EC uncover the underground because a "county inspector" was telling him that the NEC required it to be covered in red concrete. Of course, I assured him he was wrong and also mentioned that there wasn't a county electrical inspector in this area.

Anyway, any thoughts?

 

[cowboyjwc]

I still see it a lot in telecom specs. They don't want to take a chance on power being cut and interupting service. It's just a little harder to break through red concrete than it is to break through red warning tape.

 

[dicklaxt]

Prior to my full time retirement several years ago it was done almost exclusively but a little differently than in days long ago.It used to be a red mix concrete but the batch plant folks complained that the red concrete made cleaning up mixers and trucks such a problem that cost was starting to become cost prohibitive,,,,,,,,,,the trend then moved to conventional 30 day cure standard concrete and the top of the duct bank only would be sprinkled with a red oxide powder and I believe that is the method most often used today in most large facilities..

dick

 

[ssandoval]

Prior to my full time retirement several years ago it was done almost exclusively but a little differently than in days long ago.It used to be a red mix concrete but the batch plant folks complained that the red concrete made cleaning up mixers and trucks such a problem that cost was starting to become cost prohibitive,,,,,,,,,,the trend then moved to conventional 30 day cure standard concrete and the top of the duct bank only would be sprinkled with a red oxide powder and I believe that is the method most often used today in most large facilities..

dick

That's exactly how we used to do it when I was working construction, for the exact same reasons.

With regards to the red danger burial tape, that is still written into our specs and is only a little better than nothing.