Temporary Lighting Circuit GFCI or Not????

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cripple

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Santa Fe, New Mexico
In 590.6(A) Requires all 125-volt, single-phase, 15-, 20-, and 30-ampere receptacle outlets that are not a part of the permanent wiring of the building or structure and that are in use by personnel shall have ground-fault circuit interrupter protection for personnel, and does not permitting receptacles on lighting circuits. In NEC handbook?s commentary for 215.9 it states the following:
GFCI protection in the feeder can also be used to protect construction-site receptacles, as covered in 590.6(A), provided the feeder supplies no lighting branch circuits.
Section 525.23(C) does not permit egress lighting to be protected by a GFCI.
Section 620.24(A) Requires that hoistway pit lighting shall not be connected to the load side of a ground-fault circuit interrupter.
So how my question is temporary lighting circuit required to be or permitted to be protected a GFCI?
 
A lighting circuit is not a "receptacle" so GFCI is not required. If the AHJ considers this to be "egress lighting" it may be prohibited from being GFCI protected. I guess the danger of plunging a worksite into total darkness needs to be balanced against the danger of a ground fault in a lighting circuit.
Everything is subject to interpretation. That is a good question that I had not really thought about before.
 
Depending on the type of job site GFCI protection can be a nightmare. The last open deck job that we were involved with, water would nuisance trip all of the GFCI CB's whenever it rained. Usually it was due to extension cords lying in puddles of water. It would take in excess of an hour to walk the job and unplug all of the cords just to reset the CB's. GC's love it when they have no power for hours at a time. Although GFCI protection is required on receptacle circuits I would avoid using them on temporary lighting.
 
I never heard that egress or any other permanent lighting had to be functional while the building was still under construction.

I would also take the position that rules that will govern the permanent lighting at final inspection should not apply during rough.

I feel that the rules during construction are different. Is the egress lighting system required to be functional during construction?
 
If these lights plug into a receptacle, I think the receptacle needs to be GFCI.

Sections 525 and 620 just don't apply. This isn't permenant lighting or egress lighting.

I just read a article about an electrocution that happened from a temp. light string (the lampholder types with the plastic mesh globes). (It was probably in EC&M magazine). One of the globes was missing, and a lamp got busted and pushed aginst some metal inside a boiler. Having that string plugged into a GFCI outlet probably would have saved a life.

Steve
 
Some of the temp lights i have seen scare the H out of me.Here we often have steel studs and romex involved.Should any of the wires bite into the framing we have a hazard.There are more dangers on constuction sites than will likely ever be after the building is C O.I am all for an nec change to deal with this.Perhaps some type of EM needs added to select lights.Often we see other trades just snip free strings that are in there way.
 
LarryFine said:
Is the egress lighting system required to be functional during construction?
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The egress lighting is temp. egress - not the permanent system....think about a skyscraper, the stairwells ALL need egress lighting ~ but floors 40 to 80 might not even have steel up...the guys going between floors 8 & 10 need to see. (This explanation is on it's most basic level w/no regard for fire fighting, life saving personel, etc)

The simple answer is:
YES The egress lighting MUST be functional during construction.
 
celtic said:
The simple answer is:
YES The egress lighting MUST be functional during construction.
Click to expand...

I don't think there is a simple answer.

The answer depends on job conditions.

If I am remodeling one floor of a multi floor building you can bet that all the egress lighting for the other tenants must remain.

The floor we are working on will not need any 'emergency' lighting.
 
iwire said:
I don't think there is a simple answer.

The answer depends on job conditions.

If I am remodeling one floor of a multi floor building you can bet that all the egress lighting for the other tenants must remain.

The floor we are working on will not need any 'emergency' lighting.
Click to expand...
How about the stairs between floors ?
 
I have been asked to leave entire floors on.They do not want other trades in the electric room (locked).We might leave friday at 3:30 and not return for a few days.Others need lights.Not my bill and really dought it makes a dent in a 20 story building.What could 50 fixtures cost ?
 
iwire said:
Egress lighting in finished buildings does not even have to run 24/7.
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True, but emergency personel won't be expecting open holes to below/open shafts, piles of debris/materials, etc either.
 
NYC Temp light

NYC Temp light

celtic said:
I "think" NYC still does the temp w/pipe and wire.
Anyone "know"?
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NYC all temp wiring is done with 12/3 Rx. There is no pipe at all.

No outlet drops are GFCI protected but all trades do (or should) use GFCI between the drop and the extention cord.
 
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