FLOATING BUILDINGS

A. General 553-1. Scope. This article covers wiring, services, feeders, and grounding for floating buildings. 553-2. Definition. Floating Building. A building unit as defined in Article 100 that floats on water, is moored in a permanent location, and has a premises wiring system served through connection by permanent wiring to an electricity supply system not located on the premises. 70-628 NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE 553-3. Application of Other Articles. Wiring for floating buildings shall comply with the applicable provisions of other articles of this Code, except as modified by this article. B. Services and Feeders 553-4. Location of Service Equipment. The service equipment for a floating building shall be located adjacent to, but not in or on, the building. 553-5. Service Conductors. One set of service conductors shall be permitted to serve more than one set of service equipment. 553-6. Feeder Conductors. Each floating building shall be supplied by a single set of feeder conductors from its service equipment. Exception: Where the floating building has multiple occupancy, each occupant shall be permitted to be supplied by a single set of feeder conductors extended from the occupant's service equipment to the occupant's panelboard. 553-7. Installation of Services and Feeders. (a) Flexibility. Flexibility of the wiring system shall be maintained between floating buildings and the supply conductors. All wiring shall be so installed that motion of the water surface and changes in the water level will not result in unsafe conditions. (b) Wiring Methods. Liquidtight flexible metal conduit or liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit with approved fittings shall be permitted for feeders and where flexible connections are required for services. Extrahard usage portable power cable listed for both wet locations and sunlight resistance shall be permitted for a feeder to a floating building where flexibility is required. (FPN): See Sections 555-1 and 555-6. C. Grounding 553-8. General Requirements. Grounding of both electrical and nonelectrical parts in a floating building shall be through connection to a grounding bus in the building panelboard. The grounding bus shall be grounded through a green-colored insulated equipment grounding conductor run with the feeder conductors and connected to a grounding terminal in the service equipment. The grounding terminal in the service equipment shall be grounded by connection through a green insulated grounding electrode conductor to a grounding electrode on shore. 553-9. Insulated Neutral. The grounded circuit conductor (neutral) shall be a white insulated conductor. The neutral conductor shall be connected to the equipment grounding terminal in the service equipment, and, except for that connection, it shall be insulated from the equipment grounding conductors, equipment enclosures, and all other grounded parts. The neutral circuit terminals in the panelboard and in ranges, clothes dryers, counter-mounted cooking units, and the like shall be insulated from the enclosures.