Sprinkler room wet location

[Vmadden]

Can anyone tell me if a sprinkler room is considered a wet location?

I know the wiring methods to a fire pump motor needs to be IMC rigid or seal tight. I am OK with that, but I have an inspector telling me the whole room is a wet location so all wiring needs to be rated for wet location.

We replaced an existing fire pump and controller using existing wiring. There is a generator feed to the controller that is EMT with set screw connectors and he want the connectors changed to compression along with a few other conduits.

 

[mwm1752]

I would assume a sprinkler room as described would only get wet due to manfulction not as a condition that normally exist.

Location, Wet. Installations underground or in concrete slabs or masonry in direct contact with the earth; in locations subject to saturation with water or other liquids, such as vehicle washing areas; and in unprotected locations exposed to weather.

 

[petersonra]

Can anyone tell me if a sprinkler room is considered a wet location?

I know the wiring methods to a fire pump motor needs to be IMC rigid or seal tight. I am OK with that, but I have an inspector telling me the whole room is a wet location so all wiring needs to be rated for wet location.

We replaced an existing fire pump and controller using existing wiring. There is a generator feed to the controller that is EMT with set screw connectors and he want the connectors changed to compression along with a few other conduits.

I don't see it as a wet location. It is no more a wet location than an attic is until a storm tears off the roof.

However, I took a quick look at article 695 and it appears that pump wiring can be EMT.

695.6 (D) Pump Wiring. All wiring from the controllers to the
pump motors shall be in rigid metal conduit, intermediate
metal conduit, electrical metallic tubing, liquidtight flexible
metal conduit, or liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit
Type LFNC-B, listed Type MC cable with an impervious
covering, or Type MI cable.

It appears the control wiring cannot be in EMT.

695.14 (E) Electric Fire Pump Control Wiring Methods. All
electric motor–driven fire pump control wiring shall be in
rigid metal conduit, intermediate metal conduit, liquidtight
flexible metal conduit, liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit
Type B (LFNC-B), listed Type MC cable.

here is an interesting requirement for generator feeds to fire pumps.

Exception No. 2: For an on-site standby generator(s) rated
to produce continuous current in excess of 225 percent of the
full-load amperes of the fire pump motor, the conductors between
the on-site generator(s) and the combination fire pump
transfer switch controller or separately mounted transfer
switch shall be installed in accordance with A(695.6)(2). The
protection provided shall be in accordance with the short circuit
current rating of the combination fire pump transfer
switch controller or separately mounted transfer switch.

I would guess they actually mean 695.6 (A)(2). I would read this section carefully.

I don't know all that much about fire pumps so maybe I am reading it wrong.

 

[Vmadden]

that is an interesting article and that could have presented another problem. I guess it would depend on how many things would need to be corrected with a simple changing of one 100HP motor to another 100HP motor and one controller to the new one. we were not changing any locations. the existing motor had a 24" piece of greenfield connecting to the pecker head which I changed to sealtight.

the whole wet location and compression connectors is what through me for a loop. I would agree its not a bad idea but I have wired many sprinkler room lighting, receptacles, switches, and fire alarm devices using emt, greenfield, MC, and BX that were not wet location rated.

The only thing I can think of is that if the sprinkler room pipes were to leak then wet location would help. but I don't think that is the definition of wet location.

 

[jusme123]

...wet location is defined in the NEC art. 100 Definitions, under ' Location, Wet'

 

[kwired]

...wet location is defined in the NEC art. 100 Definitions, under ' Location, Wet'

and was already quoted in post 2

Though it wouldn't hurt to take a look at damp and dry location definitions also.