SO Cord/Quad Receptacle drops

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bjp_ne_elec

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Southern NH
Was in looking at a potential new client, and it's basically an electronics manufacturer - PC board type. What was scattered aroudn the facility was drops that consisted of SO cord with a quad receptacle configuration at the bottom. There were stress relief (Chinese finger type) at the portion coming through the ceiling and also stress relief at the box end.

What code section would cover this? I find it hard to consider this permanent wiring, but we know that it is. They want more of this, but I'm really leaning towards just running EMT on the walls. When I asked the maintenance guy what the thought was behind the cord drops - he indicated that the previous EC indicated it was "cheaper" for them to just have him run these drops. Maybe he didn't own an EMT bender.
 
i see this in alot of industrial apps. mainly where they move equipment around alot. but normally i see a single cord end, but as long as you use a bell box (threaded ko) and a kellum grip i dont see a problem with it.
 
They tend to be about a foot off the wall. Then the maintenance guy said they wanted him to affix them to some of the solder workstations they're dropped down to. Now we're really talking permanent.

I know you can't have an outlet up in the ceiling and have a cord running to that. I know I went in one office facility, and that's how their "handyman" wired up all the projectors they had hung from the ceiling in their Conference rooms.
 
SO cord drops are common in most of are industrial accounts. As long as they have kellum grips at both ends. If the quads are in a appleton(bell) box with threaded KO's thats the norm in my area. :smile:
 
mattsilkwood said:
i see this in alot of industrial apps. mainly where they move equipment around alot. but normally i see a single cord end, but as long as you use a bell box (threaded ko) and a kellum grip i dont see a problem with it.
Click to expand...

matt, as far as the NEC 314.23(H)(1) the box needs to have threaded 'hubs'

a bell box with threaded ko's would not be considered as 'hubs'.

With that said, some areas may allow 'bell boxes'.
 
benaround said:
matt, as far as the NEC 314.23(H)(1) the box needs to have threaded 'hubs'

a bell box with threaded ko's would not be considered as 'hubs'.

With that said, some areas may allow 'bell boxes'.
Click to expand...

I sometimes use suspended receptacles or drops to machinery, on extra-heavy duty cord w/ strain relief is it's in the middle of a manufacturing area but it's hard to justify the extra costs over EMT, along a wall.
 
It seems to be pretty much standard around here to just use a 1900 box on the end of the SO cord drop, usually with just a Romex connector to secure the cord to the box. I've seen this kind of setup in every factory I've worked in.
 
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