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| Author Information | Topic: Health Care Facilities |
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posted January 23, 2002 at 08:59 PM
We are wiring a nursing home using type mc cable.Under what classification does a nursing home fall under,Patient care area or General care area? If it is Gen.care do we have to apply art. 517-13 (a) excep. no. 1.I read a very fine line in the definitions. Thank you. IP: 152.163.207.192 |
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posted January 23, 2002 at 11:58 PM
"Patient Care Area. Any portion of a health care facility wherein patients are intended to be examined or treated. Areas of a health care facility in which patient care is administered are classified as general care areas or critical care areas, either of which may be classified as a wet location. The governing body of the facility designates these areas in accordance with the type of patient care anticipated and with the following definitions of the area classification. FPN:Business offices, corridors, lounges, day rooms, dining rooms, or similar areas typically are not classified as patient care areas. General Care Areas. Patient bedrooms, examining rooms, treatment rooms, clinics, and similar areas in which it is intended that the patient will come in contact with ordinary appliances such as a nurse call system, electrical beds, examining lamps, telephone, and entertainment devices. In such areas, it may also be intended that patients be connected to electromedical devices (such as heating pads, electrocardiographs, drainage pumps, monitors, otoscopes, ophthalmoscopes, intravenous lines, etc.). The definition of patient care area applies to hospitals as well as patient care areas in outpatient facilities. A patient bed location in a nursing home can be considered a patient care area if a person is examined or treated in that location. However, it excludes such areas as laundry rooms, boiler rooms, and utility areas, which, although routinely wet, are not patient care areas. The governing body of the health care facility may elect to include such areas as hydrotherapy areas, dialysis laboratories, and certain wet laboratories under this definition. Lavatories or bathrooms within a health care facility are not intended to be classified as wet locations. For infection control purposes, many patient and treatment areas have a sink for hand washing, which is not intended to be a wet location either." 1. The governing body of the facility designates these areas IP: 12.90.99.244 |
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posted January 24, 2002 at 09:33 AM
Please note that if 517-13 applies, you can't use MC cable of the interlocking armor type. The only types of MC cable that can be used are of the smooth or corrugated metallic sheath type. These are the only types where the metallic sheath is listed as an EGC as required by 517-13. Don(resqcapt19) IP: 64.133.97.147 |
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posted January 24, 2002 at 12:20 PM
Section 517-13(a) applies to the branch circuits in the areas used for patient care and is not limited to patient rooms. Exception 1 permits the use of listed cable types in lieu of metal raceway. This cable type is identified in 250-118 as an acceptable grounding path. You still are required to install a grounding conductor as required by 517-3b Patient Care Area has 3 subsections. a. General Care b. Critical Care c. Wet Locations [This message has been edited by bobatmob@aol.com (edited January 24, 2002).] IP: 205.188.198.172 |
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posted January 24, 2002 at 01:01 PM
Robert, quote: Are you saying that it is ok to use MC cable in these areas? Don(resqcapt19) IP: 64.133.97.147 |
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posted January 24, 2002 at 01:19 PM
Don, I was trying to say that Exception 1 permits certian listed cable types to be used in lieu of metal raceway only where the cable type is specifically identified in 250-118 as an acceptable grounding return path. Does this clear this up? Thanks for the question. IP: 205.188.198.172 |
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posted January 24, 2002 at 01:29 PM
Robert, There is no interlocking armor type MC cable on the market that has the sheath by itself listed as an EGC. 517 requires redundant EGCs. The only MC cable that will meet the rules in 517 is the type with a smooth or corrugated continuous sheath provided that the sheath is listed for use as an EGC without an internal grounding conductor. The intelocking armor type of MC cable cannot be used in the areas where redundant grounding is required. Don(resqcapt19) IP: 64.133.97.147 |
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posted January 24, 2002 at 02:19 PM
Don, I'm not advocation any type method. All I'm saying is that exception 1 says that if you do not use metal raceway, then the cable used must be identified as an acceptable ground return path. 250-118 lists these type of methods. IP: 152.163.195.212 |
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posted January 24, 2002 at 03:06 PM
Robert, What I am trying to say that even though MC cable is in the list in 250-118 it is not acceptable for use where Article 517 requires the sheath to be an EGC unless it is of the solid sheath type. Don(resqcapt19) IP: 64.133.97.147 |
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posted January 24, 2002 at 04:15 PM
Don, Section 517-13b states that what ever method is used it must meet 250-118. This article singles out MC cable saying that it shall have an outer metal armor or sheath that is identified as acceptable grounding return path. Are you saying that there is not an MC cable that meets those standards? IP: 152.163.195.212 |
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posted January 24, 2002 at 04:33 PM
Yes, I am saying that most MC cables do not meet the requirements of 517. The only MC cables that have a sheath suitable for use as an EGC are those that are of the smooth or corrugated sheath type, and even some of these cables use a combination of the metallic sheath and an internal conductor as the EGC. The only cables that are permitted for the installation in question are those where the external metallic sheath is in itself a listed EGC. A cable that uses a combination of the metallic sheath and an internal conductor as the EGC is not permitted for this application. I've never even seen any non-interlocking sheathed MC cable other than at a trade show. It is not very common and is very stiff, expensive and hard to work with. If you want to use a metallic sheathed cable for Article 517 installations you need to use type AC cable that has an internal EGC. The interlocking armor of the AC cable has a shorting strip to short out the convolutions of the interlocking armor sheath and this sheath is listed in itself as an EGC. Don(resqcapt19) IP: 64.133.97.147 |
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posted January 24, 2002 at 05:09 PM
Don Thanks for the information IP: 64.12.101.164 |
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posted January 24, 2002 at 06:06 PM
The emergency circuits for this area "must" be installed in pipe, ac cable is ok if it is for the normal power. IP: 24.218.86.141 |
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posted January 24, 2002 at 07:08 PM
The way to tell if an MC cable sheathing is "itself" identified as an equipment grounding path is by looking at the equipment grounding conductor included with the cable. If only one insulated equipment grounding conductor is provided in the cable assembly, it will be identified with a yellow stripe or otherwise marked as an isolated ground. The only MC cables that are identified for this purpose are smooth and corrugated tube types that are extruded in a continuous length. If two equipment grounding conductors are provided, or an unmarked green equipment grounding conductor are provided, the sheathing is not an acceptable grounding path. IP: 152.163.206.183 |
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