×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

NEMA 3R Walk-in Enclosures; Buildings or just Enclosures?
2

NEMA 3R Walk-in Enclosures; Buildings or just Enclosures?

NEMA 3R Walk-in Enclosures; Buildings or just Enclosures?

(OP)
Has anyone run into a situation where a local construction official wants a pre-manufactured NEMA 3R enclosure treated as a building/structure?  We believe it is just an enclosure and not a building and are looking for good ideas to help make the case.

RE: NEMA 3R Walk-in Enclosures; Buildings or just Enclosures?

I would expect the local building code to have a definition of a building.  If the enclosure cannot be occupied by a person, it probably doesn't fit the definition of a building.

Then again, the NEC definitions of buildings and structures could be construed to mean a flagpole is a building.  It is a structure because it was "built or constructed" and it is a building because it is a "structure that stands alone".  How do you appeal to common sense?
 

RE: NEMA 3R Walk-in Enclosures; Buildings or just Enclosures?

We have had this issue in the State of Washington with pre-fab substation control enclosures.  We didn't win.  WA has unique requirements for pre-fab buildings, mobile facilities and similar equipment.  

If the enclosure is UL-labeled as a piece of electrical equipment, that might help.  Obviously, you should inform them that generally no one is ever inside the enclosure except for specific maintenance activities.

Good luck...

"The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it also seems pointless." -- Steven Weinberg

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources