4.0 (2 Reviews) (2) CLAIMED . I've never run into this before. Machine room-less elevator installations incorporate the elevator controller and often the primary disconnecting means in a convenient package that is located within the elevator shaft. Similarly, the integrity of the traveling cable is emphasized. Liquid-tight flexible nonmetallic conduit, Flexible cords and cables, or conductors grouped together and taped or corded, are permitted without raceway, where they are part of listed equipment, a driving machine or a driving-machine brake, Flexible metal conduit, liquid-tight flexible metal or nonmetallic conduit, 3/8 in. These may include: The author would like to recognize Jonathan Kennedy for his assistance in creating this article. Reinforcing NEC 110.3(B) and NEC 110.10 to require the elevator controller marked SCCR to be equal to or greater than the calculated and In an elevator machine room, where space may be limited in the first place, the working-space mandate must be factored in very early in the design process lest an unthinkable amount of rework be necessary. Part VII, Overcurrent Protection, divides this topic into four categories for elevators and similar equipment, depending upon the nature of the specific equipment: For operating devices and control and signaling circuits, protection against overcurrent is in accordance with the requirements of Sections 725.43 and 725.45. -inch conduit is needed to the sump pump. Sign up for our free e-newsletter. Freight Elevator Door Control: An Opportunity for Wireless Technology. 2.2.2.6 . You'll be responsible for specifying the items related to the fire alarm and some controls, as well as supplying lighting and power to the equipment room and elevator pit. [emailprotected] (ASME has a separate document, A18.1-2008 Safety Standard for Platform Lifts and Stairway Lifts). With these new NEC requirements, there is now the potential that an elevator controller SCCR may be required thats higher than what elevator manufacturers have historically furnished. PDF C.1 General Requirements for All Elevator Installations A further requirement concerns elevator-car air-conditioning and heating. This is somewhat broader than A17.1-2007/B44-07. Requirements in Article 620 modify the articles in Chapter 3. Proper selective coordination in a multi-elevator installation on the same feeder ensures if one elevator develops a fault, the other units will not be shut down. If this is not done and the available fault current exceeds the elevator controller SCCR, other solutions to reduce fault current must be reviewed or equipment changes and field evaluations may be needed. 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. 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. These requirements, found in Article 620 (part of Chapter 6, Special Equipment), are in addition to NEC Chapters 1-3, which stipulate general wiring protocols applicable in most residential, commercial and industrial venues. The traveling cable, moreover, may be run without raceway from inside the hoistway to elevator-controller enclosures and to the elevator car and machine room and similar locations outside the hoistway for a distance not exceeding 6 ft. NEC Article 620: Elevators, Part I - Elevator World, Inc. In these installations, it is best to design the elevator controller so the elevator controller SCCR is adequate for the available fault current. 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. In elevators provided with Firefighters' Emergency Operation, a drain or sump pump shall be provided. Other terms defined in NEC Article 620 are Control System, Motion Controller, Motor Controller, Operation Controller, Operating Device and Signal Device. 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. It employs specialists in Mobile, Alabama, and has technical and news correspondents around the world. Such cable groups are to be supported at intervals not over 3 ft. and located so as to be protected from physical damage. All elevator hoistways must be equipped with a sump pit located at the rear of the elevator pit. The circuit(s) for the lighting and receptacles must be dedicated to the elevator area only. Thus, the traveling cable must be supported by a steel supporting member. In driving through commercialized suburban areas, you frequently see paralleled conductors for large retail grocers (where there is a heavy refrigeration load). Hydraulic elevator pit | Electrician Talk A traditional elevator installation (which includes a machine room) requires access inside the elevator shaft. 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? (A) tells us that the lighting and receptacle (s) for the pit must be on separate circuits. Guidance in determining whether elevator pits meet the definition of NEC Article 620 contains numerous other disconnect provisions, which must be carefully scrutinized prior to design work so the installation is compliant. Limit switches placed throughout the height of the shaft communicate with the controller and stop the cab at each landing. 974 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<64E135C225F1064D91BC8119D14516A9>]/Index[953 36]/Info 952 0 R/Length 105/Prev 204101/Root 954 0 R/Size 989/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream Be sure to provide a horn/strobe alarm in large equipment rooms because they can be noisy, isolated places. (All intentionally grounded elements must be held at equal potential.) 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. You need to Subscribe to continuing reading. Provide continuous, non -slip, horizontal rungs every 12" for the full height of the pit ladder. A different occurrence involves exposure to the explosive blast when there is a line-to-line or line-to-ground arc blast. tC|[S9G?+uJP>&/TOy o PK ! 2.2.6.1 This switch shall be so located as to be acces-sible from the pit access door. Apr 24, 2013. correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it's damp. It begins by considering metal and nonmetallic wireways. Cables used in Class 2 power-limited circuits are permitted between risers and signal equipment and operating devices, provided they are supported and protected from physical damage and are of the jacketed and flame-retardant type. 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. Lights and convenience outlets in elevator pits shall be installed to comply with the requirements of CCR, Title 24, Part 3, Article 620. Traveling cables are to be supported by one of these means: Looping the cables around supports for unsupported lengths less than 100 ft. While machine room-less designs have been commercially available for many years, their use may still be unknown to some AHJs. Instruments: Use category III multimeters and be familiar with their use and limitations. GFI Receptacles: GFI receptacles shall be required in all elevator machine rooms, machinery spaces and elevator pit areas. Below is a summary of these new 2017 NEC sections: In order to comply with these requirements a chain of events must occur. 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. Get directions, reviews and information for Eazylift Albany LLC in Latham, NY. The code notes that elevator rails or other hoistway equipment are not to be used as the grounding conductor for lightning-protection systems. The two main types of elevators are hydraulic and traction. Compliance with the 2017 NEC for Elevator Controllers 3. (To design and install an elevator for a Class I, Division 1 location would be quite an undertaking.). When the elevator car is at the top landing, it is the length of cable as measured from the point of suspension on the car to the bottom of the loop. The main concern is to ensure that workers may escape to safety in the awful circumstance of an arc-fault event. First, it is now clear that elevator controllers must be marked by the manufacturer with their SCCR. Always verify all conditions and requirements with the state and the AHJ where the installation is taking place. Many NEC articles address voltage limitations, and Article 620 is no exception. Thus, the need for door interlock functionality is recognized. The floor specified as the designated landing, which must be approved by the Fire Marshal, is usually the floor on grade level so passengers can quickly exit to the outside. (A) Separate Branch Circuit. %%EOF Elevator power disconnect (with utility feed marking) located in the machine room or other permitted location David Herres David Herres holds a New Hampshire Master Electrician's license and has worked as an electrician in the northern part of that state for many years. 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. +;-mka|7! Where necessary, it is mandated that suitable guards be provided to protect the cables against damage. +90 (216) 348 4876, India Office It is also worth mentioning that the stated purpose of the NEC is the practical safeguarding of persons and property from hazards arising from the use of electricity. 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. This is because the material may contribute fuel to a fire that has originated elsewhere. This is especially true in an elevator shaft where measures have to be taken to ensure that a hazardous situation is not created. The vast majority of equipment serving the elevator is located within this room (i.e., elevator controller). This lighting and receptacle circuit is separate from the circuit serving the motor. This room is to be secured against unauthorized access (kept locked). Machine room/control space lighting and receptacles 4. !>x=yy Bvv8?~e PK ! From the website: Mohawk Lifts offers car lifts and auto lifts for purchase, including 2 post lifts, 4 post lifts, storage lifts, heavy duty mobile column lifts, parallelogram lifts, and other specialty items. In such cases, it's economically justifiable to specify a traction type elevator. With heavy use on a hot day, the oil can overheat, causing elevator shutdown. U.S. Latham, NY Shopping Miscellaneous Retail Stores, NEC Wheelchair lifts EazyLift Elevators, . So, we see that for elevator work, greater fill is allowed. 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. endstream endobj 954 0 obj <. Moreover, it is necessary to consider future worker safety for an indefinite period. 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. Part IX, Grounding, states that metal raceways, Type MC cable, Type MI cable or Type AC cable attached to elevator cars are to be bonded to metal parts of the car bonded to the equipment grounding conductor. My reasoning comes from 620.24 (A) and (C). CLAIMED . The basic idea is that there must be a separate, dedicated circuit for car lights, receptacles and ventilation on each car. To safeguard the passengers and electrical equipment, ASME A17.12.8.2.3.2 requires the power source to the elevator control panel to shut down prior to the discharge of water from a sprinkler head. 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. Flexible metal, liquid-tight flexible metal or liquid-tight flexible nonmetallic conduit 3/8 in. As mentioned, traditional installations of a traction or hydraulic elevator include a separate machine room. Dan Neeser is a Senior Field Application Engineer with Eatons Bussmann Division. : inspecting; troubleshooting; observing; etc.) Part X, Emergency and Standby Power Systems, is simple and straightforward. Please check your entries and try again. Furthermore, at least one 125-V, single-phase, 15- or 20-amp duplex receptacle is to be provided in each machine room or similar location. of the sprinkler heads. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. This equipment is restricted to that used in connection with the specific elevator, dumbwaiter, escalator, moving walk, platform lift or stairway chairlift. PDF Elevator Acceptance Inspections - Tennessee The basic requirement is for minimum clear distances of various depths for equipment operating at 600 V or less, nominal, depending upon voltage to ground and lateral distance to insulated or grounded surfaces or exposed live parts (not an issue in elevator machine rooms). The 12 definitions provided in NEC 2011, Section 620.2 are the place to start for guidance in this area, and the sections that follow lay out implementation guidelines that are very relevant in todays environment. Sumps and sump pumps in pits, where provided, shall be covered. On existing or listed equipment, conductors are permitted to be grouped together and taped or corded without being installed in a raceway. The traveling cable or raceway is also permitted to include shielded conductors and/or one or more coaxial cables. The electrical conductors and equipment for non-mine elevators that extend below grade are under NEC jurisdiction. (B) Lighting Switch. 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. Described below are several work practices that may be used to reduce arc-flash hazards when working on energized equipment: David Herres holds a New Hampshire Master Electricians license and has worked as an electrician in the northern part of that state for many years. C.1.4 ELEVATOR PIT REQUIREMENTS 1. Both electric and nonelectric elevators are to comply with Article 250, the code article that covers grounding and bonding in general. To avoid this situation, designers can specify elevator controls with a safety feature commonly called a rescuvator. This, however, can result in a dramatic increase in cost, space availability (lack thereof), and reduced efficiency. These must also be insulated for the maximum voltage applied to any conductor within the cable or raceway system. Hydraulic elevators are typically more cost effective and used for buildings up to 5-6 stories. 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. The simplest option is to use a shunt trip circuit breaker in either the feeder supplying the elevator or the elevator disconnect. This is the area within the hoistway beneath the car, and there are occasions when elevator technicians have to work in this area for maintenance and troubleshooting. Hint: Duct Tape to the Rescue, NEC: Air Conditioning and Refrigerating Equipment Part 5. NEC Article 620 Part VI, Disconnecting Means and Control, is rather exacting. 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. These are part of Article 725, Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 Remote-Control, Signaling, and Power-Limited Circuits. q!^mDtsnEX3_ shvqu+X9@w3gSj`g The electrical system designer calculates the maximum available fault current at the elevator controller. The sum of the cross-sectional area of the individual conductors in raceways is not to exceed 40% of the interior cross-sectional area of the raceway, except as permitted for wireways. The traveling cable, of necessity, is exempted. 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. Because they need to move and flex, traveling cables are not required to be in a raceway. Metal grating shall be installed over the hole that sits flush with the pit floor. Traction elevators are typically faster and more energy efficient than hydraulic elevators, and are often used for high-rise buildings. 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. 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. Finally, typical installations and compliance with all these requirements will be discussed. 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. It states an elevator is permitted to be run by an emergency or standby power system. Section 620.37 re-emphasizes that only wiring used in connection with the elevator is permitted within the hoistway, machine room, control room/machinery space or control space. 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. Accordingly, for this application, the minimum size is reduced to 20 AWG for lighting circuits. 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. This will normally require you to vent the room with a fire/smoke damper and include smoke detector signals in the control logic. EazyLift Elevators, Stairlifts, Wheelchair Lifts & Ramps. The surest means of avoiding an arc-flash hazard is to lockout and tagout the electrical service to a controller. For instance, one method to reduce the available fault current is to add an isolation transformer ahead of the elevator controller. Similarly, motor branch-circuit short circuit and ground-fault protection must be as required in Article 430, Part IV, for all motors. It is worth noting that these NEC terms, used throughout Article 620, have been chosen to correlate with A17.1-2007 usage. Have wiring identified for use in wet locations in accordance with the requirements in NFPA 70. 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). Other codes and standards interact with the NEC, and it is necessary to see how they all work together in order to create safe and compliant elevator designs/installations. Elevators with driving machines located on the car or counterweight, or in the hoistway are permitted outside the specified spaces. 3. Weight (passengers, freight, car and attendant machinery) may be fairly substantial, and speed is significant. For example, it is stated that the cross-sectional area of the individual conductors in a wireway are not to exceed 50% of the interior cross-sectional area of the wireway. One. The architect has a choice of either traction or hydraulic elevators. He also required GFCI protection for the hard-wired sump pump that did not require it. Firefighters can then use portable telephone handsets in combination with the jacks and cabling. NEMA 4 : All electrical equipment, located less than 1225 mm (48 in.) This clear working space must be 30 in.