Service Entrance Cable in a Cable Tray

[Jeffrey S. Fairfax]

I went to look at an existing space yesterday that a new tenant will be taking over. My comapny has been awarded the buildout. This building used to be a parking garage and some of it is still being used as a parking garage. The upper floors are apartments. From the ground floor electrical room where the utility metering is located, all of the apartments are fed with service entrance cable that is installed in cable tray. Where the penetrations are made up through the concrete there is a PVC sleeve and the SE cable is just sleeved through. what I don't know, but can only sermise is that these feeders continue on up through other metered spaces to their final destination. What concerned me was that there are over 100 apartments with each having their own feeders. These feeders are all stacked right next to one another and on top of one another. Is this legal?


My other concern is that the new tenant wants to use this space with an open ceiling in some areas and a dropped ceiling in other areas. With that said, these feeders in the cable tray will be in what will be considered a Plenum ceiling. Not only will the SE cable be in this Plenum ceiling, but there is be plenty of PVC conduit that will be in this Plenum rated ceiling. Not to mention all the plumbing drains.


I am going to go ahead and add that this project was being performed by another local contractor and they were not performing to the expectations of the GC. We have been now contracted to finish this space. Unfortunately, all of this cable tray and SE cable was installed by the other contractor. They have done a very neat installation and it's really a shame that they are being asked to leave. they have been there for over a year on the project. I have glanced at the NEC for answers on the SE cable in a cable tray, but didnt' see anything that led me to believe there would be a problem.


If anyone has some insight on this, please let me know.



Thanks,

Jeff

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I don't think there is an issue with se cable in a cable tray however I would be concerned about the bundling of these conductors on top of each other. Also the plenum will not allow pvc or se cable to be installed in it. Sounds like a major mess. Can you sleeve the se cable where it enters the plenums?

 

[Hendrix]

100 Apts.? How many stories is the structure? Maybe there should not be any NM cable in there at all.

 

[don_resqcapt19]

The easiest fix would be to duct the return air so the space above the drop ceiling is not a 300.22(C) space.

You can use cable tray that has solid sides and bottom, with a solid top for SE cable in a 300.22(C) space. PVC conduit is not permitted in that space.

I am not sure what the building codes say about PVC plumbing pipe in that space.