I am looking at a job that needs to be installed soon in a classified building which I feel has violations. It has 4"-6" pvc or cpvc used as a means to get hose lines and such to a class 1 building from a non classified area , as soon as the cpvc enters the building the hose line and air lines go to there work areas throughout the building. there is no sealing fitting of any kind . Should there be ? Also is this a complient installation. We willbe installing some al conduit inside building and need seals at switch locations. How do mechanicas and plummers get away with this non sealing issue with the cpvc entering building from underground.
undergroung pvc
- Thread starter hawkeye23
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Thats interesting, good question,,,,,,,,,,,,,underground proper/area's are unclasified I believe,however,if you are dealing with heavier than air gases Div 2 then I think the PVC area internals become classified Div 1 as a pit or trench would.The gases could migrate to other areas via the open ended stub up.
Waiting for a answer too....
dick
Waiting for a answer too....
dick
kwired
Electron manager
- Location
- NE Nebraska
- Occupation
- EC
They have a place for migration of the hazardous gas. It may not be a problem for them as they may not have any involvment with ignition producing equipment, but they have complicated things for others. Even if there is no inspector of any type for what they have installed- at very least the owner should have concerns of allowing the hazardous location to pass into a non hazardous location.
If there is ventilation involved that puts positive pressure on the unclassified side and/or negative pressure on the classified side, this may not be too big of a problem.
If there is ventilation involved that puts positive pressure on the unclassified side and/or negative pressure on the classified side, this may not be too big of a problem.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
I don't see any issues. There are always openings or paths from the classified areas to the non-classified areas. The only issue is the possible need for a classified area at the other end of the pipe, just like sometimes where the area outside of windows and doors is classified.
weressl
Esteemed Member
It sounds like that those PVC or CPVC 'lines' are not intended for electrical purposes, nevertheless they do provide a passage way of flammables from a Class I area to a non-classified location. I would alert the Owner to notify the professional whose area of responsibility is to definine the classification - that would be the person whose stamp appears on the Area Classification Drawing - and have that person address the issue.
Footnote: It is not advisable to perform electrical work in a classified area if the Classification is not formally declared and documented as per OSHA and NEC requirements.
weressl
Esteemed Member
That is correct and it should be shown on the Area Classification Drawing.
My suspicion is that the OPs vigilance is discovering a shortcoming that he believes, rightfully so, need to be addressed and secondly, he was only verbally told of the classification, not seen or received a formal Area Classification Drawing that lists all pertinent parameters necessarry to procure the appropriate electrical equipment for his work. That Drawing should also depict the extent of each (different) classified area so he can appropriately install such equipment and locate boundary seals, etc.
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