nec elevator pit requirements nec elevator pit requirements

NEC 70620.85 Smoke detectors to recall elevators on Phase I recall are required to be located on each landing, Where the elevator shaft and/or equipment room has a sprinkler fire suppression system installed, the elevator Code requires main line power to the elevator be removed prior to the application of water. Feeder and branch-circuit conductors are required to have specified ampacities: Feeder conductors of less ampacity are permitted for group installations and quite common in elevator work. The same figure applies to nonmetallic wireways. NEC 2011 Article 620.21(2)(b) states that hard-service cords and junior hard-service cords that conform to the requirements of Article 400 (Table 400.4) are permitted as flexible connections between the fixed wiring on the car and devices on the car doors or gates. He also required GFCI protection for the hard-wired sump pump that did not require it. It is of great importance for the design engineer to communicate with their local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) to determine fire alarm requirements for the respective elevator installation. The drain or sump pump discharge shall be into the sanitary or storm drainage system through an indirect waste connection. above the pit floor, shall: Be weatherproof (NEMA 4). Section 620.85, GFCI Protection for Personnel, provides that 125-V, single-phase, 15- and 20-amp receptacles installed in pits, hoistways, machinery spaces, machine rooms, escalators and moving walks, and on elevator car tops are to be GFCIs. The AHJ is saying that this is a violation of 620.23. The basic rule for conductor fill of a metal wireway, as given in Article 376, is that the sum of the cross-sectional areas of all contained conductors at a cross section of a wireway is not to exceed 20% of the interior cross-sectional area of the wireway. Your elevator supplier will take care of all the wiring and related code requirements for the elevator cab and the various controls. In order to comply, the electrical system designer must determine the maximum available fault current at the elevator disconnecting means and assure the elevator disconnecting means overcurrent protective device will clear any overcurrent condition, up to the maximum available fault current, before any upstream overcurrent devices will operate. Therefore, there will be two signals to the elevator control panel related to smoke detectors: one from the designated floor smoke detector and another combined signal from the smoke detectors at the other lobby landings and in the equipment room. If a smoke detector goes into alarm, it signals the elevator to go into Fire Recall Function, at which point the controller directs the elevator cab to travel to its pre-programmed designated landing, open its doors, and remain stopped there until the alarm clears. Otherwise, specify that the elevator supplier provide a battery back-up unit to power the lights in the event of an outage. The panel further clarified that the marked SCCR value must be adequate for the available fault current to ensure a safe installation. ELECTRIC PASSENGER & FREIGHT ELEVATORS ASME A17.1 2004 Electric Elevator Checklist 2004 Multi-car.doc Page 4 of 44 Page Completed for cars : - Last Updated: 8/1/05 Car Enclosure Electric 2.14 - Hydraulic 3.14 A17.1 (A17.2) COMMENTS CARS 1-6 Operating Control Devices ADA Requirements Follow the manufacturers instructions and precautions. Section 620.43, Location of and Protection for Cables, provides that traveling cable supports are to be located so as to reduce the possibility of damage due to the cables coming in contact with the hoistway construction or equipment in the hoistway to a minimum. As an installer and an inspector, one common issue I've seeen is incompatible connections associated with raceways connections and fittings. But, building codes had been in existence for many centuries. Provide continuous, non -slip, horizontal rungs every 12" for the full height of the pit ladder. These conductors may be covered with suitable shielding for telephone, audio, video or higher-frequency communications circuits. , !! Lights and convenience outlets in elevator pits shall be installed to comply with the requirements of CCR, Title 24, Part 3, Article 620. This device must be either a fused disconnect or a circuit breaker because ANSI/ASME A17.1 requires you to install an additional overcurrent protection device (OCPD) in the elevator equipment room. Hoistway pit lighting and receptacles 5. 2.2.6.1 This switch shall be so located as to be acces-sible from the pit access door. See Section 3 of the. While the definitions are straightforward, their deployment in real-life building projects involves enormous legal and moral implications, given the fact that we are carrying large numbers of people hundreds of feet above the earths surface on a daily basis. Traction elevators raise and lower the elevator cab with cables, a pulley system, and counter weights powered by a motor at the main drive wheel. Main feeders that supply elevator power must be kept outside the hoistway unless one of the following applies: Feeders for elevators are permitted within an existing hoistway (provided they are not spliced within the hoistway) by special permission of the AHJ. Mobile, AL 36606 USA The surest means of avoiding an arc-flash hazard is to lockout and tagout the electrical service to a controller. charlie b. NEC Article 620 Part VI, Disconnecting Means and Control, is rather exacting. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Flexible cords and cables in lengths not to exceed 6 ft. of a flame-retardant type and located to be protected from physical damage are permitted in machine rooms without being installed in a raceway. A little more narrowly focused (yet of great consequence) is the ubiquitous NEC, which, in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)s venerable Handbook edition, devotes 18 double-column pages to electrical design and installation requirements for elevators, escalators and related equipment. Nevertheless, the primary NEC focus is on elevators, and the intention is to mitigate the hazards associated with the use of electricity. Corporate Office The proposals resulted in adding new requirements in the 2017 NEC for: This article will also discuss other Code requirements that include selective coordination for elevators that are supplied by emergency, legally required standby or critical operation power systems or multiple elevators supplied from a single feeder, and shunt tripping of elevators where the elevator equipment room and/or shaft has a fire suppression sprinkler system. These are covered for generic, non-elevator specific use in earlier articles, 376 and 378, in Chapter 3, Wiring Methods and Materials. endstream endobj startxref Get directions, reviews and information for Eazylift Albany LLC in Latham, NY. They are to be part of listed equipment, a driving machine or a driving-machine brake. It is noted that the article covers the installation of electrical equipment and wiring for elevators, dumbwaiters, escalators, moving walks, platform lifts and stairway chairlifts. Mobile, AL 36606 USA A clean and dry elevator pit and machine/control room provided (ASME A17.1 Rule 2.1.2) Machine/control room meets manufacturer's requirement of preserving ambient temperature control and humidity (ASME A17.1 Rule 2.7.9) Elevator floor covering installed with appropriate smoke and flame spread (ASME A17.1 Rule 2.14.2) Hammurabi, sixth king of Babylon and creator of the Babylonian Empire, decreed: If a builder builds a house for someone and does not construct it properly, and the house which he built falls in and kills its owner, then that builder shall be put to death. NEC Article 620 contains numerous other disconnect provisions, which must be carefully scrutinized prior to design work so the installation is compliant. Traveling cables are to be approved for hazardous locations and must comply with the appropriate sections for each hazardous-location class that covers use of flexible cords. It need not be exactly centered on the equipment, and working spaces of adjacent pieces of equipment may overlap. (To design and install an elevator for a Class I, Division 1 location would be quite an undertaking.). NEC specifies Hoistway wiring, and doesn't seem to distinguish between hoistway and pit. The disconnecting means is also to be a listed device. Conductors supplying more than one motor, motor controller or power transformer are to have an ampacity not less than the sum of the nameplate current ratings of the equipment plus all other connected loads. Mike Holt. For just $7.99 per month, you can gain access to more than 5,000 articles from all Elevator World Publications, this includes EW Global, EW Europe, EW India, EW Middle East, EW Turkey, and EW UK. This lighting and receptacle circuit is separate from the circuit serving the motor. Always verify all conditions and requirements with the state and the AHJ where the installation is taking place. The vast majority of equipment serving the elevator is located within this room (i.e., elevator controller). (C) Duplex Receptacle. . Thus, the need for door interlock functionality is recognized. ^W i word/document.xml=nr]6Id=,_$j9-"Y.iGU\h_}. If we fast forward more than 36 centuries, we see some important new developments in elevator technology. A separate 120VAC, 15A circuit is required for cab lighting and accessories, and it must have its own local disconnect and OCPD in the equipment room as well. You must locate this key switch at the main lobby or at the building fire command center. Loss of voltage to the control circuit for the disconnecting means shall cause a supervisory signal to be indicated at the control unit and required remote annunciation. Per the 2017 NEC, if the elevator is designated as an emergency system load, the disconnect must be protected by a surge protective device (SPD). Dan Neeser is a Senior Field Application Engineer with Eatons Bussmann Division. The NEC rule specifies that the minimum size for paralleled conductors is 1/0 AWG, which is much too big for an elevator traveling cable. I've never run into this before. All elevator hoistways must be equipped with a sump pit located at the rear of the elevator pit. For elevators with battery lowering systems, an additional contact must be supplied and wired to disable the battery lowering system when the elevator disconnect is manually operated for maintenance. NFPA 72 requires the control circuit between the Fire Alarm System and the shunt trip be monitored for integrity. . It is worth mentioning that when 600 V is talked about as a limit in the NEC, it is generally meant that the familiar 600-V nominal-voltage system is considered to lie within the permitted zone, making it a common usage. The Uniform Building Code requires two-way communications between the central command center and the elevators, each elevator lobby, emergency power rooms, and by entries into enclosed stairways (Section 403.5.3). NEMA 4 : All electrical equipment, located less than 1225 mm (48 in.) It is important for design engineers to communicate this with the architect and owner during the design phase, as it will impact space needs elsewhere in the facility to accommodate electrical equipment. First, it is now clear that elevator controllers must be marked by the manufacturer with their SCCR. The code is not concerned with the efficiency or sophistication of equipment that it covers, except insofar as safety (in terms of human injury and property damage) is concerned. Elevator travel is far safer than an automobile trip, and the chance of experiencing disaster is on the order of being struck by lightning in ones own backyard. It is further stipulated that internal voltages of power-conversion equipment and functionally associated equipment, and the operating voltages of wiring interconnecting the equipment, are permitted to be higher, provided that the equipment and wiring are listed for the higher voltages. tC|[S9G?+uJP>&/TOy o PK ! The demand factors are given in Table 620.14, which allows significant reductions as the number of motors is increased. Bonding of elevator rails to a lightning-protection system grounding conductor is permitted, but the conductor itself is not to be located in the hoistway. employees shall not perform any work on equipment where there is a potential to come in contact with energized mechanical or electrical hazards until all sources of energy have been de-energized, grounded or guarded.. One way to achieve this is by paralleling wires, i.e., connecting the runs at both ends so they are physically like two wires but electrically one. Traction elevators are typically installed in a bank of elevators where fused switches, or circuit breakers in a panelboard are located in the machine room serving the bank of elevators. 3. GFCIs in elevator pits During an inspection of the elevators in a commercial building, the state inspector failed us for using a GFCI-type circuit breaker to protect a receptacle in the elevator pit. Many new buildings are incorporating an elevator design that does not include an equipment room (sometimes called machine room-less elevators). Traditional wiring methods and materials come into play, as always, but it is necessary to rethink their deployment. Marking the available short-circuit (fault) current on the controller by the equipment installer. Motor controllers are permitted outside the spaces specified above. If elevators are supplied by the emergency, legally required standby or critical operation power systems, then selective coordination is required per the 2017 NEC in 700.32, 701.27 or 708.54. 6 feet, and shall meet the requirements of NEC 70 620.21(A)(1)(d). Please check your entries and try again. The next section, 620.36, concerns different systems in one raceway or traveling cable. -inch conduit is needed to the sump pump. Home Articles Elevator World April 2012 Issue NEC Article 620: Elevators, Part I. Here again, the lighting is not to be connected to a GFCI, whereas such protection is required for the receptacle(s). Many of these are for portable lighting.). The circuit(s) for the lighting and receptacles must be dedicated to the elevator area only. Besides the power-supply disconnect discussed, it is provided that elevators have a single means for disconnecting all ungrounded car lights, receptacles and ventilation power-supply conductors for that elevator car. 354 Morgan Ave. The architect has a choice of either traction or hydraulic elevators. We generally think of the 19th century as the great age of building codes. Since 1953, Elevator World, Inc. has been the premier publisher for the global vertical transportation industry. In all cases, the working space must permit at least a 90 opening of equipment doors or hinged panels. However, space is frequently limited within the shaft and as such many ancillary components (shunt trip circuit breakers, fused disconnects) may need to be located outside of the elevator shaft. This may be countered by providing good machine-room ventilation. The disconnecting means is to be located adjacent to or an integral part of the motor controller. Electricity is often one of the initial services to fail during a storm. The traveling cable or raceway is also permitted to include shielded conductors and/or one or more coaxial cables. Guarding: Where possible, install temporary guarding to protect from inadvertent contact. Where necessary, it is mandated that suitable guards be provided to protect the cables against damage. Additional branch circuits are to supply other utilization equipment not covered above. The reason the NEC CMP 12 added these requirements, as shown in the panel statements, directly relates to the concern that elevator controllers can be installed in locations where the available fault current can be high and the inspector may not be able to clearly determine the SCCR of the elevator controller unless it is marked on the equipment. Another location that requires a separate branch circuit for lighting and receptacle(s) is the hoistway pit. Installing electrical equipment where its SCCR is less than the available short-circuit current creates serious safety hazards. The fan should be on a dedicated circuit. And so the needs can be very different. The elevator rails, like the ground system of the entire building electrical structure, are to be bonded to the lightning-system ground electrode so these all remain at the same potential even during a lightning event, ensuring side flash does not occur. The electrical conductors and equipment for non-mine elevators that extend below grade are under NEC jurisdiction. He had been with Eaton (Cutler-Hammer and Bussmann) since 1993 and specializes in training on the design and application of overcurrent protective devices and equipment in electrical distribution systems in accordance with the National Electrical Code and equipment in accordance with the various product standards. Receptacle for pumps located in the pit shall be a single non-GFCI and shall be located 6 inches above the lowest landing. NEC Article 620 Part IV, Installation of Conductors, contains key mandates for elevator wiring. endstream endobj 954 0 obj <. The idea is quite simple. If a hydraulic elevator loses power because a heat detector goes off or for any other reason it could trap occupants for an unpleasant amount of time. For just $7.99 per month, you can gain access to more than 5,000 articles from all Elevator World Publications, this includes EW Global, EW Europe, EW India, EW Middle East, EW Turkey, and EW UK. This is typically accomplished via a shunt trip device. If the disconnecting means is an integral part of the motor controller, it is to be operable without requiring opening of the enclosure. Article 620s Definitions section includes two terms that describe spaces not attached to the outside of a hoistway. Conductors supplying a single motor controller are to have an ampacity not less than the motor controller nameplate current rating plus all other connected loads. Something went wrong. ) > word/_rels/document.xml.rels ( N0HC;qRN/W$#{1EM]ZY|vj5h),-g!`./V/KKFY4D#la&V#=$Q7|l/d#hS 7+IDZ!J 6KucD^s`+>=(3E The disconnecting means is to be an externally enclosed, operable, fused motor circuit switch or circuit breaker capable of being locked in the open position. Accordingly, for this application, the minimum size is reduced to 20 AWG for lighting circuits. Corporate Office Even non-composite fiber-optic cable, which does not carry electrical energy, is subject to the code. Section 620.62, Selective Coordination, is central to multi-elevator installations and must be closely observed. The sump pump/drain shall have the capacity to remove a minimum of 11.4 m. 3 /h (3,000 gal/h) per elevator. The main concern is to ensure that workers may escape to safety in the awful circumstance of an arc-fault event. However, this can vary depending on building conditions and exterior grade. It is important to note, that these selective coordination tables can indicate a lack of selective coordination at a given fault current for circuit breakers that do not show overlap on the time-current curves of the circuit breakers. As such, elevator controller manufacturers should make the effort to rethink their designs to avoid costly system design changes. Where voltages exceed 600, a sign reading DANGER HIGH VOLTAGE is required. 953 0 obj <> endobj The demand factor ranges from 1.00 for one elevator on a single feeder to 0.72 for 10 or more elevators on a single feeder. Article 511 provides the requirements for commercial garages areas used for the storage or repair of self-propelled vehicles that use combustibles (liquid or gas) for power. 354 Morgan Ave. (Cross-sectional areas of conductors are given in Chapter 9, Tables 5 through 8. Dec. 21, 2010. It is conditionally provided that fiber-optic cables and conductors for operating devices, operation and motion control, power, signaling, fire alarm, lighting, heating and air-conditioning circuits of 600 V or less are permitted to be run in the same traveling cable or raceway system. Home Articles Elevator World June 2012 Issue NEC Article 620: Elevators, Part 2. Related Code Sections 802.1.8 Indirect/Special Waste, Elevator Pit Drain or Sump Pump