Speaker wiring in lighting towers

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PF_Flyer

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Is it permissible to run speaker cable inside lighting towers (without physical separation) such as you find supporting lights at a football field. The lighting conductors are loose inside the tower and may be 208V or 480V. 725.26A/725.27B would seem to indicate that it is permissible if Class 1 wiring is used. 640.9C also seems to support this. If it is permissible with certain conditions, what are they.

The local AHJ says no.

Thanks,
Perry
 
Class 1 amp?

Class 1 amp?

Thanks for the quick help. I'm on the road and didn't bring my NEC book, but if I remember properly XX.55 refers to power limited wiring. There are several other places (like section 800) where power limited wiring and 120VAC are not allowed in the same raceway, but what if the speaker wiring was Class 1? In other word treat the speaker wiring as full Class 1- not-power limited. The lighting pole company and the local EC are telling me it is OK to run the speaker wires without physical separation. It just seems wrong so I want to get as definitive of an answer as possible.
Thanks!
 
I'm with you but we have beaten this up pretty well in that other thread. The only way I can think of is to get the AHJ to agree that the Class 1 speaker wiring is functionally associated with the lighting on the poles. Otherwise you have to put the power conductors for the lighting in a raceway within the pole. (The pole itself can't be a raceway.) Only good thing is then the speaker wiring wouldn't have to be Class 1.

-Hal
 
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If a class 1 wiring system is used, then it requires a chapter 3 wiring method. One acceptable method would be 300 V PLTC or 600 V TC, multiconductor, cable
 
tom baker said:
If a class 1 wiring system is used, then it requires a chapter 3 wiring method. One acceptable method would be 300 V PLTC or 600 V TC, multiconductor, cable
Click to expand...

I don't see how that would work out.

The amp is Class 2, even if you could 'reclassify it' how would you handle the exposed terminals at the amp?
 
The amp is Class 2, even if you could 'reclassify it' how would you handle the exposed terminals at the amp?

There are amps that do require a Class 1 output. They have covers over the output terminals or you have a door on the back of the rack. Speakers would have to have enclosed wiring and terminals also.

As for type TC cable for the reclassified Class 1 speaker wiring inside the pole, I have advised exactly that in the past but after our discussion I don't think it satisfies 725.26(B)(1).

The only way around this is to not use the pole itself as a raceway which it is if individual THHN conductors are dropped down the inside of the pole. If they were run in Sealtite within the pole that would eliminate the pole from being a raceway and you would be free to run even CL2 wiring within the pole for the speakers.

Thoughts?

-Hal
 
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