Speaker 1: Welcome to the Master of the NEC podcast, the ultimate
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Speaker 1: Abernavi, a true authority in the industry with over thirty
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Speaker 2: Now get ready. Here is your host, Paul Abernavi. Up.
What up?
Speaker 3: Everybody?
Speaker 4: Welcome to another episode of Master the NEEC. My name
is Paul Abernethy, your host. As always, thank you for
joining me here on the actual podcast where you get
to ask me anything you want. In today's topic, we
are most certainly going to be talking about working space.
And there is a bit of a discussion that's gone
on social media about working clearance and if working clearance is,
for example, required for a transformer, and so we're going
to kind of look at that today and kind of
lay that out there. And again I'm going to say
up front, you may disagree with my position, and that
is perfectly okay. You are perfectly allowed to disagree with
the position that I may have on something. But all
I ask is that when you disagree with something, that
you actually understand the topic and that you take the
time to really dig deep into it, because I'm going
to talk a little bit more common sense approach to
it than anything else. So first things, obviously, we're gonna
be working out of the National Electrical Code. I'm in
the twenty twenty three edition, although I will remind folks
that the twenty twenty six edition is out. It is
available UH for you to get in link now. As
far as print version, that is not available yet, but
the link version is available, so you're more than happy.
Speaker 3: To check that out.
Speaker 4: It is available, so if you want to get that,
you can go check that out over on the UH link.
Get link and you can then enjoy all of that. Okay,
all right, so today's episode, let's talk working clearance one
ten dot twenty six. Now what does one ten dot
twenty six actually say to us? So, if you got
your codebook, let's go to one ten dot twenty six
now and I'll read it to paraphrase it for you
and then we'll discuss it. All right, So one ten
dot twenty six says spaces about electrical equipment. It says
working space and access to and egress from working space
shall be provided and maintained about all electrical equipment to
permit ready and safe operation and maintenance of such equipment. Now,
in that charging statement right there, so far, it's not
giving us any distances. That's where we got to go
to one ten dot twenty six A for the working space.
But with any equipment, you're gonna have manufacturers that give
you space. It's necessary. For transformers, they're gonna have ventilation space.
The instructions that you can get with this transformer is
going to say how much clearance you have to have
around the perimeter of the transformer. And of course we
have Article four fifty as well to give us some
guidance on that type of thing.
Speaker 3: Okay, you have ventilation holes and all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 4: So obviously with us, we have to have space around
electrical equipment so that we can work on it and
things like that, and we don't get into one ten
dot twenty six A the working space until we're ready
to move into that. And that is it's own rules
that you have to be aware of. So let's kind
of continue on and we'll see how we get into
this next. It says open equipment doors shall not impede
access to and egress.
Speaker 3: From the working space.
Speaker 4: It makes sense, so you can't have it so that
you're in a room, for example, and you open the
doors on the equipment and then all of a sudden,
because those doors are open, they swing open. Now you're
trapped and you can't get around those doors to get
out of that room if necessary.
Speaker 3: So that's what it's talking about.
Speaker 4: So those doors can't impede your access or egress from
the specific.
Speaker 3: Area right that space. So there you go.
Speaker 4: Now, it says access or egress. Access or egress is
impeded if one or more simultaneously opened equipment doors restrict
working space access to less than twenty four inches wide and.
Speaker 3: Six and a half feet high.
Speaker 4: Okay, So these cabinets, the doors, if they open out,
if they impede the ability to get around and impede
on your twenty four inches wide to get around it
that type of thing, then.
Speaker 3: That's going to be a problem. Okay.
Speaker 4: So that's just your general statement in one ten dot
twenty six. By the way, if you actually have Link,
which is you know I do.
Speaker 3: It's in my phone. It's actually on all of my devices,
so I use it everywhere. There's also what's.
Speaker 4: Called enhanced content, and it's kind of like commentary. Sometimes
I can be very helpful if you read it. And
so that's why I highly recommend Link. If you don't
have it, it's it's not that much money to invest
in it, but I do encourage you to get it.
Speaker 3: All right, So let's get down into the first one.
Speaker 4: So working space, all right, So this is the working
space around the equipment. It says working space for equipment
operating at at thousand vaults normal or less two ground.
Speaker 3: Okay, and I'll remind you folks.
Speaker 4: That when we talk about a thousand volts nominal or
less to ground, remember that a one twenty two to
forty volt panel.
Speaker 3: One of the legs to ground is one twenty.
Speaker 4: Phase to phase is two forty, but to either one
of those legs to ground is one twenty. So obviously
it's a thousand volts nominal or less. But also this
is gonna apply to four eighty volt systems, maybe delta systems,
or you go from the delta to the ground that
you're gonna get four eighty Obviously to a weight to ground.
All of this falls under the thousand volts nominal or
less to ground. Okay, Now, this is the working space requirement,
and it goes on to say and likely to require
Now here's the key sticker here. When we start talking
about transformers, and we're talking transformers that electricians would install,
I'm not talking about utility transformers that the linemen install
that's connected to high power line or whatnot.
Speaker 3: I'm not talking about that.
Speaker 4: I'm talking about the transformers, dry type transformers, all the
stuff that we install in buildings as electricians.
Speaker 3: That's what we're talking about.
Speaker 4: Okay, all right, So it says and likely to require examination, adjustments, servicing,
or maintenance while energized shall comply with the dimensions in
one ten dot twenty six, A one, A two, a three,
and a four, or as required or permitted elsewhere.
Speaker 3: In this code. So what are we saying here?
Speaker 4: Okay, what we're saying is if the piece of electrical
equipment that I'm working on is a thousand volts nominal
or less to ground, and it's likely that I'm going
to need to work in this equipment to examine it,
adjustment services, or maintain it, then obviously this working space
is going to be required, and that's going to send
us down to the reference. For most of us, it's
it's one, ten dot twenty six, A one, which is
the depth of the working space. Then you got a
two which is the width of the working space, and
a three is the height of the working space, and
then a four is for limited access. Okay, this might
be a crawl space or above a suspended ceiling or
something like that. Okay, So for us, let's talk transformers
for a second. If you install a transformer properly and
you follow all the requirements in Article four fifty, you've
followed all the manufacturers requirements, you've got proper clearance around
it for ventilation, you've done everything you're supposed to do.
There is nothing in four point fifty that tells me
that on any side of this transformer, much less a
side where the lugs are in there the X one
X two, X three XO and then H one, H two,
H three.
Speaker 3: That type of thing.
Speaker 4: Once you make these terminations, and once you do that,
obviously while you're originally installing it, then you're done. I mean,
I shouldn't have to go in there again. There's no
moving parts in a transformer. Now, at some point you
may need to something's not working. You may need to
check the voltage to make sure that something hasn't happened
with the settings or the tap or something in the transformer. Well,
the electrician's not going to open that thing up and
check it at those lugs. Why do I need to
do that. What I want to do is I want
to check it at the secondary. Now, if it's coming
from this panel, and it's feeding it from this transformer,
and it's feeding a panel, then.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna go to the lugs in the panel.
Speaker 4: Right, they're directly being supplied by the secondary of this transformer,
and I know what I should be getting as far
as my voltage is right. So same for the primary side.
Typically in four P. Fifty, we're gonna have to have
a disconnect for the primary side of this transformer.
Speaker 3: We're gonna have a disconnect.
Speaker 4: It's going to be within sight or if it's remote,
then you're gonna have a label on the transformer letting
you know where this disconnect is located, right, so you
could shut it down when that's necessary. So at the
end of the day, there are people out there that
would say, well.
Speaker 3: I serve as transformers. No, you don't. You really don't.
Speaker 4: You think you do, but you don't because there is
no reason for you to get back in that transformer
while it's energized.
Speaker 3: Okay, So now if.
Speaker 4: You want to get back in it and check torking
or do something like that, why the hell would you
do it while it's energized.
Speaker 3: I don't see the point in that. Now, I'll be fair.
Speaker 4: So let's say that you have some projects or some
big projects that they are require annual torking in YadA, YadA, YadA.
But maybe they determined that the system can't be shut
down for whatever reason. I would say that's probably not recommended.
But let's say it's a health care facility or whatever
it may be, then they may have a protocol, but
when they do that, you have to remember that they're
also going to have a live work permit requirement in
that type of thing. And can they requires certain working clearances, Yes,
if they determine that it is likelihood that it needs
to be examined, adjusted, service, or maintained while energize. The
reality is that is not going to be the case.
And you can argue differently all you want. You're blue
in the face. You can say I'm arguing on the
side of cautiousness.
Speaker 3: I don't care. I have installed plenty of transformers.
Speaker 4: In my day and I have not had a need
to get back in those transformers. When I need to
check voltage or check everything, I can do it at
the secondary conductor side that terminate or on the primary
side to make sure the voltage coming in is right,
and then check the voltage that is coming out on
the secondary. I don't need to do anything other than that. Okay,
And you can say differently, but it's really not the
case now. So for a transformer, there is no real
need for me to examine it. There's no need for
me to adjust anything right, There's no need for me
to service it. There's no need for any matance, and
it's on it. It's done, And if I do need
to do it making it's on it, I don't need
to do it while it's energized. Now again, we can
sit here and argue semantics play. Devil's advocates say, well, Paul,
I'd like to always err on the side. Well, you
know what, you don't always have the luxury to have
this type of working space on something like a transformer.
Speaker 3: Depending on where they're located, you don't always get that luxury.
Speaker 4: If you want to do that and you want to
make sure it always has working clearance from the access
where you would get to the lugs, then you do
you boo, you do whatever you want. I am of
the opinion and I have done enough transformers that I
have never needed to get back in that transformer. And
if I did, I shut the power down, lock it out,
and then I work in the transformer, check the lugs,
do all that.
Speaker 3: Kind of stuff. That's it. No other need. Now people say, well,
what about thermal imaging. You can do that. You do
not need to remove the cover to do that.
Speaker 4: So again, but at the end of the day, I
tell people you do, you boo. Whatever you feel is
necessary for you to do what you got.
Speaker 3: To do, you do it.
Speaker 4: My personal opinion is that I would not need to
have working clearance for a transformer. That's just me right,
you can, you can, I get it. Some of you
are going to disagree, and again my haters are going
to be hating on me.
Speaker 3: I get it.
Speaker 4: Is what it is now what we've had some people
in the comments on some of the social media platforms
will say, well, well that should go the same for
the disconnect for an HVAC unit out.
Speaker 3: Air conditioning unit. Not so fast.
Speaker 4: So under the twenty twenty three National Megrical Code, under
article four forty uh, they were very clear to add this,
although I think it was always there because that is
a location under one ten dot twenty six. That is
the location to where typically the service technician before they
go pulling anything loose inside of that air conditioning unit,
the first thing they're gonna do is they're gonna go
and they're gonna check to make sure they have the
right voltage there, that they haven't lost a leg. Right,
so it was two forty but they've lost one of
the legs. It's only one twenty. So they're gonna go
because the disconnect is easy to check.
Speaker 3: You just pop it right off. Boom.
Speaker 4: Okay, no sense in opening up the air conditioning unit
outdoors when you can check voltage and all that basic
stuff right there. So in order to take voltage readings
and things like that, then obviously you're gonna do that
while it's energized. Makes sense, right, So in that scenario.
Speaker 3: It was very applicable. Okay.
Speaker 4: Now, one of the things to hammer this home is
that in four forty dot fourteen in the twenty twenty
three edition of the National Electrical Code, they added one
last sentence to full forty dot fourteen for location, that is,
of the disconnecting means. They added one sentence to the end,
and that said disconnecting means shall meet the working space
requirements of one ten twenty six.
Speaker 3: So right there, you've lost that entire argument.
Speaker 4: When it comes to air conditioning disconnects, they have to
have the working clearance. But again I believe they always
had to have it because that is the logical place
that you would take a reading for voltage.
Speaker 3: Now that's exactly the same thing for the transformer.
Speaker 4: I'm going to go to the primary disconnect, or if
there's a panel in the site, I'm want to use
the breaker that's in the panel as my disconnect.
Speaker 3: I'm going to go right to the panel. Of course,
that panel.
Speaker 4: We take reading and all the time, so we add breakers,
we add circuits, we do all this kind of stuff, right,
so we have to have the working clearance right there.
So that isn't that's a given. But in the transformer
it's unnecessary. But for everybody out there that says, well,
the same thing applies to the AC unit disconnect, it
does not. And in prior to the twenty twenty three
it still was the most logical location for testing vaultage
and making sure both legs are going to the equipment.
All that type of that is where you're gonna do
it before you start opening up equipment. At least that's
what technicians are trained to do. Whether you do that
or not and you go straight to opening up equipment,
that's on you, but is not what I recommend. First
thing I want to do is get there and make
sure that Okay, I'm getting two hundred and forty volts
to the disconnect. Okay, everything's good, I'm getting to forty
and then I'm gonna go to the secondary and a transformer.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna take a reading at the secondary.
Speaker 4: I'm gonna make sure i'm getting out of that transformer
what I'm supposed to get, and then i'm gonna say, Okay,
transformer's fine. If I'm gonna do any maintenance on this transformer,
retightening lugs or whatever you may have, then I'm going
to shut it off. There's no reason for you to
work on it while it's energized. There isn't no need
at all. Okay, all right, Well, hopefully that was enough
information to help you in this episode Master the NEC podcast.
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