Have wiring identified for use in wet locations in accordance with the requirements in NFPA 70. First, the traveling cable must be composed of very fine-stranded conductors so it can flex with a minimum of internal stresses, ensuring long service life and reliability. A traction elevator's equipment room is typically located at the top of the building, directly over or adjacent to the shaft. Within cars, these additional wiring methods are permitted: The following additional wiring methods are permitted on the car assembly in lengths not exceeding 6 ft.: Within machine rooms, these additional wiring methods are permitted: The following wiring methods are permitted on the counterweight assembly in lengths not to exceed 6 ft.: Having looked at NEC 2011 mandates for elevator and related equipment installations, we will cover wiring methods, overcurrent protection, grounding and other related NEC provisions in part two of this series , running in the April 2012 issue of ELEVATOR WORLD. PDF NEC Article 0: Elevator art And as the designer, you can become the fulcrum on which all of these requirements and authorities exert their leverage, but an understanding of elevator basics can help you handle the pressure. Similarly, underground wiring in mines is not NEC regulated, although other, non-mine wiring below ground (such as lighting in an underground traffic tunnel) is covered. A second door is required if the equipment is rated over 1200 amps and over 6 ft. wide. [emailprotected] Additionally, ampacities of the individual conductors and flame-retardant properties of the overall cable are important factors. These circuit breaker selective coordination tables can be used to identify the maximum fault current that a pair of circuit breakers can selectively coordinate. 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. These are the principle NEC 2011 Article 620 mandates. It is stated that traveling cables are to be suspended at the car and hoistway ends, or counterweight end where applicable, so as to reduce the strain on the individual copper conductors to a minimum. Get more of Elevator World. [emailprotected] Later in the 19th century, Thomas Edison and his associates built an electrical distribution system in Lower Manhattan. Other terms defined in NEC Article 620 are Control System, Motion Controller, Motor Controller, Operation Controller, Operating Device and Signal Device. The electrical system designer calculates the maximum available fault current at the elevator controller. It is important for the design engineer to coordinate with the architect to determine the elevator manufacturer basis of design to determine if and when additional power and lighting is required. Society of Mechanical Engineers. Mainline disconnect: DO NOT OPEN THE MAINLINE DISCONNECT SWITCH COVER unless employees are authorized, properly trained and appropriate measures are taken commensurate with the higher risk of arc-flash hazards. A few years later, in 1880, Werner von Siemens built the first electric elevator, setting the stage for a new industry that would change the world by making the practical use of tall buildings possible. Follow the manufacturers instructions and precautions. 23.254.250.15 These conductors may be covered with suitable shielding for telephone, audio, video or higher-frequency communications circuits. 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. 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. Limit switches placed throughout the height of the shaft communicate with the controller and stop the cab at each landing. Traditionally, the electrical system design engineer has given little attention to the elevator controller. Feeders may be installed within the hoistway where the elevator has a driving-machine motor in the hoistway or on the car or counterweight. Instruments: Use category III multimeters and be familiar with their use and limitations. See Section 3 of the. For some manufacturers, such as Eaton, testing has been completed to determine the selective coordination ability of current-limiting BussmannTM series fuses with upstream Eaton circuit breakers. (e) Pit Maintenance. ), a duplex 15A 120-volt receptacle in pit with ground- fault circuit protection and a 15A 120-volt Non GFCI receptacle for the sump pump. When you're designing an electrical system for a building, don't let elevator requirements bring you down. Elevator PITS | Mike Holt's Forum This may be countered by providing good machine-room ventilation. Each fused switch or circuit breaker in the panelboard is used as an elevator disconnect. He participates in IEEE (Senior Member) with Industrial and Commercial Power Systems, NEMA (member of the Codes & Standards Committee), NFPA (committee member for NEC CMP-13 and NFPA 79), UL (508/60947 and 508A) and IAEI activities. Flexible cords and cables (same conditions as within hoistways). He also required GFCI protection for the hard-wired sump pump that did not require it. Thus, the traveling cable must be supported by a steel supporting member. Additional requirements concern escape routes. ranged from 0.06 cal/cm2 to 0.95 cal/cm2, which indicates that the arc-flash hazard to employees is primarily to the hands and arms. 1993 NEC 15-20 Amp 120 volt Receptacle Requirements: Wet bar sinks, all bathrooms, roof tops, elevator machines rooms, elevator car tops, elevator pits. In the event of a breakdown, that phone must automatically call a location staffed 24 hours a day. It employs specialists in Mobile, Alabama, and has technical and news correspondents around the world. 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. Thus, the need for door interlock functionality is recognized. Fireman telephone jacks and telephone cabling are typically sufficient for each of these locations. Elevator Pit Sump Pump Electrical Requirements By Nat July 30, 2022 Bulls Eye (Simplex) Receptacles: Bulls eye (simplex) receptacle for Sump pumps (now not - GFI) on a delegated circuit will be required in all elevator pits for the elevator pit sump pump. Hydraulic elevator pit | Electrician Talk Since 1953, Elevator World, Inc. has been the premier publisher for the global vertical transportation industry. It is also essential that machine-room lighting be totally reliable and separate from the machinery supply to facilitate troubleshooting in the event of elevator problems. Regardless of the number of elevators, only one smoke detector is required at each floor lobby, but it must be located within 21 ft of every elevator door. The Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG) now require the cab to have a special phone accessible by individuals with disabilities. The pump sends hydraulic fluid from the reservoir to the cylinder, buried deep below the elevator shaft. Your IP: Requirements in Article 620 modify the articles in Chapter 3. . N _rels/.rels ( j0@QN/c[ILj]aGzsFu]U ^[x 1xpf#I)Y*Di")c$qU~31jH[{=E~ 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. On existing or listed equipment, conductors are permitted to be grouped together and taped or corded without being installed in a raceway. Suspending the cables from the supports by a means that automatically tightens around the cable when tension is increased for unsupported lengths up to 200 ft. An NEC Informational Note defines unsupported lengths. 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. Flexible cords and cables that are components of listed equipment and used in circuits operating at 30 V (42 VDC) or less are permitted in lengths not to exceed 6 ft., provided the cords and cables are supported and protected from physical damage and are of a jacketed and flame-retardant type. As such, elevator controller manufacturers should make the effort to rethink their designs to avoid costly system design changes. First, it is now clear that elevator controllers must be marked by the manufacturer with their SCCR. They are to be located so as to be protected from physical damage, are to be of a flame-retardant type, and must be part of listed equipment, a driving machine or a driving-machine brake. Use the below learning-reinforcement questions to study for the Continuing Education Assessment Exam available online at www.elevatorbooks.com or on page 111 of this issue. Name the principal code other than NEC that pertains to elevator design/installation. What is the definition of the machine room? Why are voltage limitations important? In which areas must live parts be enclosed? Why are feeder demand factors permitted for multiple elevators? These are covered for generic, non-elevator specific use in earlier articles, 376 and 378, in Chapter 3, Wiring Methods and Materials. (All intentionally grounded elements must be held at equal potential.) NEC Article 620 Part VI, Disconnecting Means and Control, is rather exacting. When you consider that an elevator is an enclosed room with one or more doors that people voluntarily enter so they may travel hundreds of feet up or down, several observations are in order. It is worth noting that these NEC terms, used throughout Article 620, have been chosen to correlate with A17.1-2007 usage. 988 0 obj <>stream Based on the analysis, the arc-flash boundaries at the elevator/escalator controllers ranged from 3-16 in. As greater numbers of elevators are added, the likelihood of them all operating simultaneously decreases so that it is permissible to reduce the feeder ampacity. You are a subscriber that needs to Sign In. Elevator Pit Sump Pump Electrical Requirements Motor feeder short circuit and ground-fault protection must be as required in Article 430, Part V for all motors. As we have seen, a limited number of these are approved for elevator locations car, hoistway, pit and machine room. Overload protection for motors is to conform with Article 430, Part III, the general code area that covers motor and branch-circuit overload protection for all motors. This clear working space must be 30 in. The two documents are in harmony and should be used in conjunction. 4.0 (2 Reviews) (2) CLAIMED . 0 The drain or sump pump discharge shall be into the sanitary or storm drainage system through an indirect waste connection. This is not the elevator companys responsibility. The panel further clarified that the marked SCCR value must be adequate for the available fault current to ensure a safe installation. You may go up to 600 V for power circuits supplying door-operator controllers and door motors, branch circuits and feeders to motor controllers, driving-machine motors, machine brakes and motor-generator sets. Elevator motors are inherently intermittent duty. The disconnecting means is also to be a listed device. Generally, it is decreed that the supply voltage is not to exceed 300 V between conductors (allowing for the familiar 240-V concept), although there are exceptions. It is further stated that the disconnecting means are not to disconnect the branch circuits required in sections 620.22, 620.23 and 620.24. To avoid this situation, designers can specify elevator controls with a safety feature commonly called a rescuvator. %PDF-1.5 % Because of this, there is often a communications gap between the electrical system designer, whose design typically stops at the required elevator disconnecting means, and the architect who designs the elevator system. But, building codes had been in existence for many centuries. Hoistway pit lighting and receptacles 5. GFI Receptacles: GFI receptacles shall be required in all elevator machine rooms, machinery spaces and elevator pit areas. NEC specifies Hoistway wiring, and doesn't seem to distinguish between hoistway and pit. Elisha Otis safety elevator, introduced in 1853, prevented the fall of the car if the cable broke. After such an event, it is important that the affected worker is able to escape the area and get to help. In Part One of this series (ELEVATOR WORLD, April 2012), we began an examination of National Electrical Code (NEC) 2011 mandates for elevators and related equipment installations. Part VIII, Machine Rooms, Control Rooms, Machinery Spaces, and Control Spaces, states elevator and similar-installation driving machines, motor-generator sets, motor controllers and disconnecting means are to be installed in a room or space set aside for that purpose. First, the ATS signals the elevators that it's about to switch over to emergency power preferably 30 sec or more prior to switching, which allows the elevator controller to bring each elevator cab to the nearest landing and stop, thus protecting the motors and electrical system. Otherwise, specify that the elevator supplier provide a battery back-up unit to power the lights in the event of an outage. Through numerous editions, the NEC has, to a great extent, mitigated the hazards accompanying widespread use of electricity, particularly with respect to elevator technology. Where a feeder powers more than one elevator, you need selective coordination; the OCPDs must be series-designed so a fault at one of the elevators will be cleared by only the OCPD serving it. He has focused on writing since 2006, having written for such magazines as ELEVATOR WORLD, Electrical Construction and Maintenance, Cabling Business, Electrical Business, Nuts and Volts, PV Magazine, Electrical Connection, Solar Connection, Solar Industry Magazine, Fine Homebuilding Magazine and Engineering News. Escalator Pit Light and Receptacle 620.23 | Mike Holt's Forum This room is to be secured against unauthorized access (kept locked). Any other utilization equipment associated with the elevator Elevator Sump Requirements - Risi Stone Inc. PDF C.1 General Requirements for All Elevator Installations Many people use portable generators until power is restored. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. (A) tells us that the lighting and receptacle (s) for the pit must be on separate circuits. Accordingly, for this application, the minimum size is reduced to 20 AWG for lighting circuits. The Code provides guidance through regulations to establish requirements. NEMA 4 : All electrical equipment, located less than 1225 mm (48 in.) 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. 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. 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. For example, wiring that is under exclusive utility control and has to do with the generation and distribution of electrical power is not NEC regulated. Every building is different. In a time when increasing value is placed on even small amounts of real estate, elevator design must strive to configure, efficiently control and drive elements to whatever degree possible, and that is the thinking behind some alternate locations for these structures. 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. Your Quick and Easy Elevator Code Checklist | Kings III Always verify all conditions and requirements with the state and the AHJ where the installation is taking place. The traveling cable, of necessity, is exempted. Inspecting Elevator Power Wiring - IAEI Magazine z, /|f\Z?6!Y_o]A PK ! NEC 2011 also addresses branch circuits for machine room or control room/machinery space or control-space lighting and receptacles. Elevator power disconnect (with utility feed marking) located in the machine room or other permitted location. Installing electrical equipment where its SCCR is less than the available short-circuit current creates serious safety hazards. It is mandatory, as in the car, that these items have a separate, dedicated branch circuit, and the required lighting is not to be supplied through a GFCI. If you provide your elevators with emergency power, you must run communications wires between the automatic transfer switch (ATS) and the elevator control panel. 1. Some elevator controller manufacturers believe this is an issue for the electrical system designer and installer to address and remedy by adding impedance to the system for lowering the available fault current. Three wiring categories within hoistways are allowed in addition, each with exceptions. A different occurrence involves exposure to the explosive blast when there is a line-to-line or line-to-ground arc blast. As recommended in NFPA 70E, the National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII) commissioned an arc-flash hazard analysis (in compliance with IEEE Standard 1584-2002 for procedures for calculating the incident energy of the arc flash) by an independent consultant to determine at what level an arc-flash hazard exists to employees who work on energized elevator equipment. ASME A17.1, Section 2.2.5, National Electrical Code, Rule 620-85 4. Below is a summary of these new 2017 NEC sections: In order to comply with these requirements a chain of events must occur. Use the below learning-reinforcement questions to study for the Continuing Education Assessment Exam available online at www.elevatorbooks.com or on page 81 of this issue. Which equipment requires a separate branch circuit in the elevator car? Is lighting required to be GFCI protected in the machine room? Where is the lighting switch to be located in the machine room? What is the maximum raceway conductor fill in an elevator hoistway? How many disconnecting means are required for an elevator power supply? If power is not being supplied to the elevator controller (e.g., open mainline fuses, etc. Your elevator supplier will take care of all the wiring and related code requirements for the elevator cab and the various controls. 2023 Endeavor Business Media, LLC. Many undertake trips in these devices two or more times daily in full confidence that they will survive an uneventful experience with a minute chance of disaster or even inconvenience. If the entire feeder/branch circuit assembly were to be protected in the conventional manner, the motor would cut out long before reaching operating speed. Examples of PPE that may be appropriate are non-conductive eye protection, clean leather or fire-resistant gloves, and natural-fiber or fire-resistant-rated long-sleeved shirts and pants, or fire-resistant-rated long-sleeved coveralls. The disconnecting means is to be located adjacent to or an integral part of the motor controller. They are differentiated from other similar structures by the fact that they are not attached to the outside perimeter or surface of the walls, ceiling or floor of the hoistway. from the exposed components, and the incident energy calculated at 18 in. The circuit(s) for the lighting and receptacles must be dedicated to the elevator area only. Conductors supplying a single motor are to have an ampacity not less than the percentage of motor nameplate current determined from Section 430.22(A) and (E). The design engineer must identify the available fault current at the elevator controller to the installer so an elevator controller with adequate SCCR can be provided. The lighting switch shall be located so as to be readily accessible from the pit access door. These selective coordination tables for current-limiting fuses show the minimum amp ratio required between a pair of fuses of a given type(s) to achieve selective coordination. Guarding: Where possible, install temporary guarding to protect from inadvertent contact. Louisiana State Uniform Construction Code Council adopts the 2014 NEC, Basic three-phase power measurements explained, Safety After the Storm Operating Portable Generators. The branch circuit is to be protected by an overcurrent device located in the machine room, control room/machinery space or control space. Part of the reason that elevator usage is extraordinarily safe is that construction and maintenance are regulated by the wonderfully robust ASME A17.1 2007/CSA B44-07 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, which contains overall construction and maintenance requirements everything from seismic mandates to machine-room lighting. The idea is quite simple. %%EOF Hydraulic elevators comprise a hydraulic reservoir, pump, cylinder, and controller. Receptacle for pumps located in the pit shall be a single non-GFCI and shall be located 6 inches above the lowest landing. But the lights don't have to be in the pit itself. The article stands apart from the rest of the code in the sense it exempts these categories of circuits from the general requirements for wiring in most occupancies, found in Chapter 3. (g) Stop Switch in Pits. GET YOUR CEUS TODAY, 1998-2021. Traction elevators are typically faster and more energy efficient than hydraulic elevators, and are often used for high-rise buildings. Be sure to provide a horn/strobe alarm in large equipment rooms because they can be noisy, isolated places. +;-mka|7! All rights reserved. It begins by considering metal and nonmetallic wireways. Personal protective equipment (PPE): Use appropriate PPE to protect body parts within the range of 3-16 in. The basic wiring methods are rigid-metal, rigid nonmetallic or intermediate-metal conduit; electrical metallic or rigid nonmetallic tubing; wireways; or Type MC, MI or AC cable, unless otherwise permitted. But by understanding how these items fit together and what purpose they serve, you can have a successful project. 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 disconnecting means is to be an externally enclosed, operable, fused motor circuit switch or circuit breaker capable of being locked in the open position. Supports for cables or raceways in a hoistway or in an escalator or moving-walk wellway or platform lift and stairway chairlift runway must be securely fastened to the guide rail, escalator or moving-walk truss, or to the hoistway, wellway or runway construction. This is something that can be easily accomplished if the elevator controller manufacturer uses components in combination with overcurrent protective devices that are tested and listed with high combination SCCRs. The code notes that elevator rails or other hoistway equipment are not to be used as the grounding conductor for lightning-protection systems. These must also be insulated for the maximum voltage applied to any conductor within the cable or raceway system. Where necessary, it is mandated that suitable guards be provided to protect the cables against damage. Utility-owned electrical structures not directly concerned with electrical generation, transmission and distribution are NEC regulated. Sign up for our free e-newsletter. Modern electronic elevator controls can be sensitive to temperature shifts. These are: remote machine room and control room (for elevator and dumbwaiter), and remote machinery space and control space (for elevator and dumbwaiter). Part III, Wiring, looks at the types of wiring that may be installed in hoistways, cars, machine rooms and related spaces. Section 620.62, Selective Coordination, is central to multi-elevator installations and must be closely observed. (C) Duplex Receptacle. Guidance in determining whether elevator pits meet the definition of Sumps and sump pumps in pits, where provided, shall be covered. Here again, the lighting is not to be connected to a GFCI, whereas such protection is required for the receptacle(s). Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. hb``` ea``j~p2nfH 'xXg00,/(_ Iq8PDdg-~ s$!XI;Fn0vu `h`R 1y 0B.":9.@, e`xI;=7O3fvbb8:SC;%O*20] NEC has a further note that the term wheelchair lift has been changed to platform lift.. Specifically, Section 725.43 provides that overcurrent protection for conductors 14 AWG and larger is to be provided in accordance with the conductor ampacity without applying ampacity adjustment and correction factors. The cover shall be secured and level with the pit floor. As always, the best advice in all instancesdo your homework, communicate often, and document decisions made. Other building loads, such as power and lighting, may function as the energy absorbing means, provided these loads are automatically connected to the emergency or standby power system operating the elevators and large enough to absorb the regenerative power. Use Underwriters Laboratories or Canadian Standards Association-labeled scopes tested for 1,000 V. Lockout/tagout: When troubleshooting is complete and further work can be accomplished without the equipment being energized, follow the lockout/tagout procedures in Section 7 of the. If you specify a rescuvator, you must also specify a disconnect switch with an auxiliary contact that opens when the disconnect arm moves to the open position, but stays closed when the OCPD trips. Jul 15, 2021. The main impetus for the creation of the NEC in the closing years of the 19th century was the collective anguish experienced by insurance underwriters who were losing vast amounts of money due to liability and physical damage claims resulting from Edisons electrification of, first, Lower Manhattan and then the world. Power for the elevator controller must first enter a lockable safety disconnect device, located adjacent to the door of the equipment room. +1-251-479-4514 | [emailprotected], Trkiye Office Metallic articles: Remove metallic articles such as watches, chains, bracelets, earrings, belt buckles and keychains before troubleshooting. Fuses: Verify that the correct size, type and capacity are installed. A section on branch circuits for car lighting, receptacles, ventilation, heating and air-conditioning contains a number of important provisions. 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.. 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. If you can illuminate the pit using lights that are "above the top of the pit" (whatever that .