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Plinths for MSBs
Not the most exciting blog from me, but any assistance would be appreciated. Has anyone dealt with plinths for mechanical switch boards (MSB)? They are all being installed in ground level plant rooms of a sports stadium – some of which house AHUs and significant ‘wet’ pipework. Having dug into the specifications, there appears to be no requirement…?
That said, I presume it would good engineering practice to install a concrete plinth to aid installation, routine maintenance and prevent damage.
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Dolly, the main purposes for which I have used plinths have been as part of a vibration insulation strategy or to provide a means for allowing cables to be fed into the bottom of an item of equipment without having to provide a trench or overly deep ducts in the floor upon which it sat. The purpose of the plinth was to reduce the turning radius of the cables without having to increase the depth of the whole floor slab or require the aforesaid trench.
Thanks Jim, I will take this into account when meeting with the electrical contractor this week.
Was the plant room originally designed as a plant room or has it been misappropriated? How heavy is your plant and what is the loading configuration? I only ask because the original floor loading might not have accounted for the loads you’re going to impose, which is the only other reason I have seen plinths
Hello Richard. Yes, all switch boards will be sited in designated plant rooms and I’ve had Arup look at the loads vs floor capacity. All good in that respect, thanks.
Dolly,
The standard at Gatwick is to have a plinth for all new LV floor mounted switchboards. Minimum is 150mm, but should be designed to suit ‘room conditions’.
A while ago, flooding caused power outage across much of the South Terminal. Plinths may have gnoe some way to providing some flood protection?
Similar here Stu.
Costs to incorporate plinths are relatively cheap and the construction team are happy (content) to pour at short notice. 150mm plinths it is.
Hope the family are well.