tonype
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
Sewer pipe over service equipment - any idea when this this become a code violation? Picture below is from a 1960's installation. I still flagging it as a problem. 
Something stinks
- Thread starter tonype
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buddhakii
Senior Member
- Location
- Littleton, CO
Go ahead and flag it. Surely it won't cost that much to install a drip pan over the equipment.
I'll bet it was a violation at the time it was insatalled.
Maybe someone has a code book from the 1960's can look it up...
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
That would not be enough of a corrective measure. :happysad: A pipe can only be directly over a panel if two criteria are met. One is the drip pan. The other is that the pipe has to be at least six feet higher than the top of the panel. Take a closer look at 110.26(F).
buddhakii
Senior Member
- Location
- Littleton, CO
Thanks charlie, I never realized that. Guess I've never actually been in a situation where I had to put my gear under a water line. I think in this instance however the existing gear should not be required to be moved but the new stuff should be relocated according to code. That may not be completely text book, but imho there should be a little bit of leway for the existing stuff.
- Location
- Lockport, IL
- Occupation
- Semi-Retired Electrical Engineer
Keep in mind that the rule applies to a limited number of equipment types (i.e., switchboards, panelboards, distribution boards, and motor control centers). My understanding is that the reason for this rule is to ensure there is space available for the future installation of conduits, should there be a desire to install new circuits in the equipment. That is different from, let us say a transfer switch, because once you install the transfer switch and the conduits on its line and load sides, there will never be a need to add any more conduits to that switch.
Looking at this photo, I see an MCC with two spare buckets. If the owner wanted to put motor starters in those spare positions, in order to supply new motors, there would not be any way to get the conduits installed at the top of the MCC. So I would call this a ?real problem,? not just a ?violation on a technicality.?
Looking at this photo, I see an MCC with two spare buckets. If the owner wanted to put motor starters in those spare positions, in order to supply new motors, there would not be any way to get the conduits installed at the top of the MCC. So I would call this a ?real problem,? not just a ?violation on a technicality.?
Actually, I have a small project right now that we need to do that.
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