Fire pump feed from Generator - Concrete Encased?

[jjs]

Does the emergency feed to a fire pump from a generator need to be concrete encased if it is going through parts of the building to get from the Generator location(indoors) to the fire pump room?

695.6(a) says SUPPLY conductors. Does SUPPLY conductors include the feed from the generator? The wording for this section sounds like it is talking about services and not generators. There is a note about only the Normal ones needing it when in a campus arragement, but campus is not the case for this project.

 

[bdarnell]

Re: Fire pump feed from Generator - Concrete Encased?

We had a thread a little while back on this exact topic. My reply was "yes" based on a job I did in New Jersey where the AHJ ruled it to be so. I appealed to the state and the AHJ's opinion was upheld. Another forum member said "no" in his opinion citing 695.6(A)Exception.

How's that for an answer ? Either yes or no, depending on where you are.

 

[bwyllie]

Re: Fire pump feed from Generator - Concrete Encased?

In MA, it must be 2-hour rated. either in concrete or MI cable.

 

[ramdiesel3500]

Re: Fire pump feed from Generator - Concrete Encased?

Here in Indiana, we either run underground in a concrete duct bank, or we run MI cable for both normal and generator feeders! Funny, the first job where we used MI cable, the foreman was unfamiliar with it and almost refused the shipment because he thought it was copper tubing for another trade! It also seemed strange that we had to run the conductors out in the open rather than in a raceway. Just looked like three copper tubes running across the ceiling. The cable came with its own special hangers and fittings. Wierd stuff!!!

 

[ramdiesel3500]

Re: Fire pump feed from Generator - Concrete Encased?

Here in Indiana, we either run underground in a concrete duct bank, or we run MI cable for both normal and generator feeders! Funny, the first job where we used MI cable, the foreman was unfamiliar with it and almost refused the shipment because he thought it was copper tubing for another trade! It also seemed strange that we had to run the conductors out in the open rather than in a raceway. Just looked like three copper tubes running across the ceiling. The cable came with its own special hangers and fittings. Wierd stuff!!! (OOPS, Sorry, double post, Please delete! Thank-you)

[ February 15, 2006, 02:21 PM: Message edited by: ramdiesel3500 ]

 

[lile001]

Re: Fire pump feed from Generator - Concrete Encased?

No doubt about it, my practice is to encase it in concrete or run it under the slab. I have usually called for fire pump feeders that run out to the transformer to be in concrete ductbank as well, although this is probably in excess of the minimum requirements.

 

[mike0w]

Re: Fire pump feed from Generator - Concrete Encased?

I have had this serino recently and the options that were decided on through our firm was either concrete encase, m.i. cable, or there are a couple of manufacturers that produce a cable that is actually fire rated it self when installed in conduit, so we checked with the proper juristictions and we specified the cable to be installed in rigid conduit, and it was approved, the other two options were not really feasible concrete encased we were in an old facility without a lot of room as it was and m.i. cable was a more expensive option. one of the companies is Draka the product is called LIFELINE TYPE RHH. Hope this helps.