CQD for 1/14/2014

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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Question:

Charlie,

We have been reading your column for sometime now and several of your questions are great water cooler sessions. I have one for you. We have furniture cubicles that are being installed at an office complex. The connection whip provided to us from the furniture company has 8 wires in it, [4] hots, [2] neutrals, & [2] grounds. According to article 210.4 [B], disconnecting means of each multi-wire branch circuits shall be provided with a means that will simultaneously disconnect all ungrounded conductors from the point of originates. I have not seen a 4-pole breaker to do this. How can I satisfy the code to connect the cubicles to the power source? Thank you and have a safe day.

Kevin Hackman

Answer:

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the question. The installation you describe is fairly common in office buildings that are outfitted with powered office furniture. The disconnecting means requirement in 210.4(B) applies to multi-wire branch circuits. Based on the information provided, it appears that you have two 3-wire, multi-wire branch circuits supplying this office furniture. In this case, the two 3-wire multi-wire branch circuits should either originate from a 2-pole breaker in the panelboard, or the two single-pole breakers for each multi-wire branch circuit should be equipped with an identified handle tie. The answer to this question lies in the definition of the “branch circuit, multi-wire.”

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CHARLIE TROUT: Charles M. Trout, better known as Charlie, was a nationally known NEC® expert and author. He served on several NEC® technical committees and is past chairman of CMP-12. In 2006 Charlie was awarded the prestigious Coggeshall Award for outstanding contributions to the electrical contracting industry, codes and standards development, and technical training. Even though Charlie passed away in October of 2015, his work continues in spirit. NECA continues to maintain this question forum for its many subscribers in memory and recognition of all his significant contributions to making the NEC what it is today.

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