Walk-in coolers
- Thread starter big vic
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mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
Is what necessary? You could use Romex, I suspect, if it was arranged so that it was free from physical damage. Your proposed method seems most typical.big vic said:
- Location
- Massachusetts
No not an NEC requirement.
mdshunk
Senior Member
- Location
- Right here.
The refrigeration equipment keeps the interior of walk-in boxes fairly dehydrated. I have been in walk-in boxes during certain failure modes in which everything is dripping with condensation. Plus, many walk-in's suffer occasional "wash down" during the normal cleaning process. For this reason, waterproof wiring methods seem prudent.big vic said:
romexking
Senior Member
- Location
- Marriottsville, Maryland
A walk in cooler or freezer will be a wet enviroment. You might be able to avoid most conduit in a cooler by making a penetration above the light box by the door (pipe or sealtite into the box to provide power to switch and get to switched leg), and a penetration for each evaporator. The fluorescent lights can be accessed by drilling thru the cooler ceiling and piping directly into the back of the plastic housing.
When you pipe into a cooler or freezer, the inside of the conduit must be sealed with silicone to prevent condensation traveling between the cooler and the warmer area outside of the cooler.
When you pipe into a cooler or freezer, the inside of the conduit must be sealed with silicone to prevent condensation traveling between the cooler and the warmer area outside of the cooler.
johnny watt
Member
The cooler does tend to have low humidity so unless the armored cable gets wet from cleaning methods it should be fine.
The penetrations might cause problems though. The metal jacket would conduct cold as it exits the cooler and be prone to condensation during the humid weather. I prefer to minimize the penetrations to avoid condensation problems at the expense of more visible conduit in the cooler. I prefer to use PVC conduit if I can get away with it. Where the conduit penetrates/exits the cooler, I use the non-expanding foam insulation and then silicone caulk.
The penetrations might cause problems though. The metal jacket would conduct cold as it exits the cooler and be prone to condensation during the humid weather. I prefer to minimize the penetrations to avoid condensation problems at the expense of more visible conduit in the cooler. I prefer to use PVC conduit if I can get away with it. Where the conduit penetrates/exits the cooler, I use the non-expanding foam insulation and then silicone caulk.
- Location
- Massachusetts
romexking said:
As far as the NEC is concerned it is not a wet location unless it is subject to wash down.
That is the most important advice that can be given about this work. If you do not seal the conduits you will have future problems.
Many 'prefab' walking coolers and freezers are factory wired with FMC and dry location boxes.
I only want to penetrate the cooler once. There is not alot of clearance above it. Only circuits needed are three 120 volt for lights and fans and a 240 volt for timeclock and pump down solenoids.
The cooler will be used for soft drinks, beer and wine..........so a washdown is highly unlikely
The cooler will be used for soft drinks, beer and wine..........so a washdown is highly unlikely
bradleyelectric
Senior Member
- Location
- forest hill, md
Health department in this area requires smooth surface type conduits and devices to minimise nitches for bacteria. ie if you use 1 hole bands for conduit in cooler than you will have to silicone top and bottom of conduit on horizontal runs to take away the possibility of bacteria growing where the conduit rests on the wall. Minis are the prefered strapping method. romex is not an approved wiring method for commercial wiring in this area per AHJ. I'd hate to have to silicone the length of MC cable.
Bob NH
Senior Member
- Location
- The "Live Free or Die" State
The water vapor travels from the warm side, where the air can hold more water vapor, to the cold side where it condenses. It is important to preserve the vapor barrier at the warm side of any penetration, and at the warm end of any conduits entering the cooled space.romexking said:
If water vapor gets past your warm-side vapor barrier it is better to let it get all the way inside rather than sealing it between two vapor barriers where it will condense, and in a freezer will freeze into an ice ball, in the insulation space.
romexking
Senior Member
- Location
- Marriottsville, Maryland
Thats why we seal the conduit with silicone on the outside of the cooler, just prior to it's penetration. We use conduit stubbed thru the ceiling into the back of a 1900 box. That way it is easy to inject the silicone into the conduit.
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