advanced search

Fill 'Er Up

Aug 14, 2008 4:10 PM, By Mike Holt, NEC Consultant

A metal wireway is a sheet metal raceway with hinged or removable covers for housing conductors [376.2]. Metal wireways (and nonmetallic wireways) are often called “troughs” or “gutters” in the field.

One common application for these troughs is where installers or maintenance personnel need access for making terminations, splices, or taps to several devices at a single location. The high cost of wireways precludes using them for other than short distances, except in some commercial or industrial occupancies where the wiring is frequently revised.

• The maximum size conductor in a wireway must not be larger than that for which the wireway is designed [376.21].

• The maximum number of conductors in a wireway is limited to 20% of the crosssectional area of the wireway [376.22].

• Splices and taps must not fill more than 75% of the wiring space at any cross section [376.56].

When installing more than 30 currentcarrying conductors in any crosssectional area of the wireway, adjust the conductor ampacity (as listed in Table 310.16) per Table 310.15(B)(2)(a). For this adjustment, don't count the signaling and motor control conductors between a motor and its starter (if used only for starting duty).

Where conductors are bent within a metal wireway, size the wireway to meet the bending radius requirements in Table 312.6(A), based on one wire per terminal [376.23].

Where insulated conductors 4 AWG or larger are pulled through a metal wireway, the distance between raceway and cable entries enclosing the same conductor must not be less than required by 314.28(A)(1), 314.28(A)(2), and 376.23(B) [ Fig. 4 ].

The type of pull determines what those requirements are:

• Straight pulls

  The distance from where the conductors enter to the opposite wall must be at least eight times the trade size of the largest raceway [314.28(A)(1)].

• Angle pulls

  The distance from the raceway entry to the opposite wall must be at least six times the trade diameter of the largest raceway, plus the sum of the trade sizes of the remaining raceways on the same wall [314.28(A)(2)].

• U pulls

  When a conductor enters and leaves from the same wall, the distance from where the raceways enter to the opposite wall must be at least six times the trade size of the largest raceway, plus the sum of the trade sizes of the remaining raceways on the same wall and row [314.28(A)(2)].

Also, the distance between raceways enclosing the same conductor must not be less than six times the trade size of the largest raceway [314.28(A)(2)].

Preventing disaster

Some people refer to EMT and other raceways as “conduit” instead of “raceway.” Is this really a problem?

Glance through the Annex C tables, and you'll see significant variations in raceway fill. A large number of underfilled raceways can mean cost overruns, but a single overfilled raceway can lead to a failed inspection and expensive rework. Even worse, the error won't be caught until a forensic inspection traces the cause of a horrific fire back to your incorrect raceway fill. To prevent disasters and keep costs down, correctly identify the raceway type from the 12 distinctions made in the NEC. Then, determine the raceway fill.

---

Acceptable Use Policy blog comments powered by Disqus

Browse Back Issues Select an Issue EC&M Magazine | April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 1, 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 1, 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 1, 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 1, 2006 May 1, 2006 April 2006 March 1, 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 1, 2004 January 1, 2004 December 1, 2003 November 1, 2003 October 1, 2003 September 1, 2003 August 1, 2003 July 1, 2003 June 1, 2003 May 1, 2003 April 1, 2003 March 1, 2003 February 1, 2003 January 1, 2003 December 1, 2002 November 1, 2002 October 1, 2002 September 1, 2002 August 1, 2002 July 1, 2002 June 1, 2002 May 1, 2002 April 1, 2002 March 1, 2002 February 1, 2002 January 1, 2002 December 1, 2001 November 1, 2001 October 1, 2001 September 1, 2001 August 1, 2001 July 1, 2001 June 1, 2001 May 1, 2001 April 1, 2001 March 1, 2001 February 1, 2001 February 1, 1995 January 1, 2001 December 1, 2000 November 1, 2000 October 1, 2000 September 1, 2000 August 1, 2000 July 1, 2000 June 1, 2000 May 1, 2000 April 1, 2000 March 1, 2000 February 1, 2000 January 1, 2000 December 1, 1999 November 1, 1999 October 1, 1999 September 1, 1999 August 1, 1999 July 1, 1999 June 1, 1999 May 1, 1999 April 1, 1999 March 1, 1999 February 1, 1999 January 1, 1999 December 1, 1998 November 1, 1998 October 1, 1998 September 1, 1998 August 1, 1998 July 1, 1998 June 1, 1998 May 1, 1998 April 1, 1998 March 1, 1998 February 1, 1998 January 1, 1998 December 1, 1997 November 1, 1997 December 1, 1996 November 1, 1996 October 1, 1996 September 1, 1996 August 1, 1996 July 1, 1996 June 1, 1996 May 1, 1996 April 1, 1996 March 1, 1996 February 1, 1996 January 1, 1996 December 1, 1995 November 30, 1995 November 1, 1995 October 1, 1995 September 1, 1995 August 1, 1995 July 1, 1995 June 1, 1995 May 1, 1995 April 1, 1995 March 1, 1995

browse e-newsletters