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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => AC Power and Grounding => Topic started by: Geoff Doane on June 05, 2017, 09:31:26 AM
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I ran into this stuff on a corporate gig on the weekend. I subcontracted the racks and stacks for this out of town gig, and the hotel AV provider did the AC (6 20A circuits at the stage is what was specified). The flat "festooning cable" was an extension with L21-20s on each end to conventional stringers with duplexes.
Are you supposed to be able to run this stuff under carpet runners? The 105ºC rating is impressive, although it might still have to be derated from the usual 20A for 12 ga. wire. Although it isn't SO cable, it does have a 600V rating.
GTD
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I ran into this stuff on a corporate gig on the weekend. I subcontracted the racks and stacks for this out of town gig, and the hotel AV provider did the AC (6 20A circuits at the stage is what was specified). The flat "festooning cable" was an extension with L21-20s on each end to conventional stringers with duplexes.
Are you supposed to be able to run this stuff under carpet runners? The 105ºC rating is impressive, although it might still have to be derated from the usual 20A for 12 ga. wire. Although it isn't SO cable, it does have a 600V rating.
GTD
Festooning cable is used for overhead light strings - festoon lighting. It presumably can handle more tension than regular cable.
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NEC 610.2 Definition Festoon Cable. Single and multiple conductor cable intended for use and installation in accordance with Article 610 where flexibility is required.
Article 610 is "Cranes and Hoist".
This would immply that festoon cable can only be used on Cranes and hoists. Most festton cable I have used did not have green conducto, so following grounding rules becomes somewhat of a hassle-but cranes and hoists are usually permanent install.
It is most certainly not acceptable for use under carpets, etc.-its not listed for that use. 105 deg C is for the cable insulation-doesn't protect anything its in contat with at that temperature.
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Hey Geoff,
We deploy festoon cable with L21-30s when we have to cross footpaths. A double stripe of 3" gaff keeps it nicely flattened and it's no more a trip hazard than a wrinkle in the carpet.
Where were you when you encountered this setup?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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That stuff is such crap. It is so hard to roll and deploy. And in the end, even though it's "flat" it doesn't meet any specific ADA codes or any codes we deal with ever. Just get a cable ramp and be compliant.
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We deploy festoon cable with L21-30s when we have to cross footpaths. A double stripe of 3" gaff keeps it nicely flattened and it's no more a trip hazard than a wrinkle in the carpet.
Where were you when you encountered this setup?
I saw it at an event I did in the Delta Charlottetown Convention Centre in PEI. It wasn't actually taped down or covered over, it just seemed to be what the AV company had for a 3Ø extension cable. It didn't look like it would be particularly nice to coil up afterwards, but since I was practically "white gloving" this gig, it wasn't really any concern of mine. If you decided to tape it down, it would produce about as much of a bump as a large mic cable (although wider, of course), so I can see the attraction there.
The distro was one I had never seen before. It was built in a plastic (ABS?) case with a transparent cover, so all the wiring and breakers (EATON brand) were visible. The distro was fed with mini-cams (about 3x 25 ft. segments), which in turn were adapted down from regular cams, coming from a 3Ø pin and sleeve connector at the other end of the room (100 ft. away). The 6/5 cabtire with mini cams wasn't exactly kosher, but my NCVT indicated no hot chassis on stage, so we went with it.
GTD
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Reading the cable code VW-1, the V indicates high flexibility (the V is from "vacuum" cleaners) which implies that the conductors have a higher count of finer strands. The W indicates a level of moisture resistance. I don't know what the 1 means.
Anyway, that's my layman's interpretation. I could be wrong.
P.S. -- The word "festoon" means to drape in a looping fashion. So the idea of it being used in crane service makes sense, as overhead cranes may use the cord to feed a moveable carriage, suspending the cord from moveable supports on a track in a "festooning" manner.
EDIT: Just like in Jeff Robinson's post just below this one. I would not expect cord used in this manner to be exposed to physical abuse, so a "hard service" rating probably would not be necessary.
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I ran into this stuff on a corporate gig on the weekend. I subcontracted the racks and stacks for this out of town gig, and the hotel AV provider did the AC (6 20A circuits at the stage is what was specified). The flat "festooning cable" was an extension with L21-20s on each end to conventional stringers with duplexes.
Are you supposed to be able to run this stuff under carpet runners? The 105ºC rating is impressive, although it might still have to be derated from the usual 20A for 12 ga. wire. Although it isn't SO cable, it does have a 600V rating.
GTD
http://www.hubbell-gleason.com/engprod/festoon.html
Similar are underneath every jetway you've used to board an airplane.
HTH,
Jeff Robinson
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I've seen festoon cable in use by in house hotel/convention centre type AV companies across Canada. I'm sure it's used because it's easy to tape down, go under doors, etc. I'm not sure that makes it correct to use, but I've yet to hear of someone getting busted for using it.