Rooftop Wiring Methods and

Temperature Correction
Since at least 1940, the National Electrical Code has contained a requirement
for ampacity correction of installations subject to high temperature conditions.
In the 2005 NEC, a new fine print note was added to inform code users that if
conductors in conduit were exposed to direct sunlight in close proximity to
rooftops, they might experience an additional 30°C temperature rise above
ambient (NEC-2005, 310.10 FPN 2). New code language was added in the 2008
Code in 310.15(B)(2)(c), and a new Table 310.15(B)(2)(c) to address rooftop
wiring installations. With these additions to the Code, it now is a requirement to
apply additional corrections to conduits exposed to sunlight on rooftops. In
effect, this has redefined the ambient temperature requirements for these
locations. Ambient temperature has in the past been applied as the temperature
surrounding a wiring method (i.e., room temperature, air temperature, etc.),
and not within the wiring method.
 

Photo 2

Since this is a new requirement, let’s explore how it is applied in the field. As
contractors and inspectors, we need a clear understanding of how this language
is utilized in our daily work. First of all, any installation run on the outside of a
building is subject to the correction factors as noted on the bottom of each
ampacity table in Article 310, such as Table 310.16. These factors are based on
the temperature rating of the conductors used and the ambient temperature.
With the new requirements in NEC-2008 310.10(B)(2)(c), we must now add an
additional temperature rating to the ambient temperature. The adder is
dependent on the proximity of the conduit to the rooftop. If the conduit
installation is within 36” of the rooftop, Table 310.15(B)(2)(c) requires a certain
number of degrees be added to the ambient temperature. To illustrate this, I
will use the conditions with which I am most familiar, the Southwest desert
community of Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, we have at least two months where the
temperature commonly reaches over 100°F on a daily basis. According to
ASHRAE, the 2% design temperature for Las Vegas, NV is 107°F, which
corresponds to the 105–113°F correction factor range under Table 310.16. If a
conduit is run across a roof and is installed directly on the roof, the new code
language requires that we add 60°F to the ambient, which gives us a corrected
ambient temperature of 167°F. If we install this conduit on one of the
commonly used support systems and the conduit is between ½” to 3 ½” above
the surface, then the temperature adder is 40°F, which equates to 147°F.

Using the temperature rating of the chosen conductor insulation, we can now
find the multiplier for ampacity correction purposes. If the conductor falls under
the 75°C column, the correction factor for ½” to 3 ½” above the roof is .33 or
33%. In other words, we would effectively need to triple the size of the
conductor. Most of us are using conductors rated at 90°C, which gives us a
correction factor of .41 for flat on the roof and .58 for ½” to 3 ½” above the
surface, roughly doubling the conductor size. Please refer to the examples
above for actual applications.

Photo 3

When dealing with 14 AWG through 10 AWG branch circuits (taken from the
90°C column), you generally do not have to upsize the conductor based just on
ambient temperature correction. This is because we start the correction from
the 90°C ampacity, adjust the ampacity from there, and then round up the
result since it is less than 800 amps (240.4). This usually results in the same
wire size because of the overcurrent protection limitation on these sizes.
For larger size conductors, the impact can be substantial. Generally, due to the
equipment termination limitation of 75°C, when we apply the ambient
temperature correction factor for the 105°–113°F desert environment, the
conductor size does not change. For example, start at the 90°C column, apply
an 87% adjustment, and usually the same size conductor works because the
ampacity of the conductor is limited to the value in the 75°C column by the
termination limitation. However, when we add in the additional rooftop
correction factor, the change can be significant. If we have a 225-amp sub-
panel being installed, we would normally run 4/0 THHN/THWN-2 copper. Once
you apply the 87% correction factor just for ambient temperature correction,
the 4/0 is still adequate; however, when we add the additional 40°F for an
installation ½” to 3 ½” above the roof, we are now required to run 400 kcmil.
To calculate, start with 380 amps X 58%, which equals 220.4 amps; and the
Code allows us to round up for the 225-amp breaker. Also, the conduit size
would change from 2 ½” to 3” RMC.

Photo 4

When we start to work with equipment over the 800-amp range, we can no
longer round up if the ampacity figures are below the overcurrent protection
device rating. For example, take a 1600-amp feed which would normally be 4
runs of 600-kcmil XHHW-2 copper. When we apply the 58% deration of the
conditions in the desert (105°–113°F ambient temperature plus 40°F rooftop
adder), the new conductor size for 4 runs now goes to 1500 kcmil (705 amps
X .58 = 408.9 amps X 4 = 1635.6 amps). The conduit size goes from 3 ½” to
6″ RMC. If by some chance you must run this using an insulation with 75°C
rating in a wet location, such as THW, THWN or RHW conductors, the correction
factor becomes 33%, which will result in 8 runs of 1500 kcmil copper (625
amps X .33 = 206.25 amps X 8 = 1650 amps). Additional comparison data is
included in Table 1.

Table 1
Please note that each of the conduit calculations included the properly sized
grounding conductor, and when we upsize the ungrounded conductors we must
proportionally upsize the grounding conductor. Also, we didn’t apply any other
correction factors that may be required due to more than three current-carrying
conductors in a raceway, or any voltage-drop calculations.
 Photo 5

In the Southwest U. S., it is quite common to have wiring installations across

roofs. They may be feeding decorative lighting, signage, security lighting
systems, or an additional sub-panel added for new equipment at an existing
location. We have several medical facilities that seem to be in a constant state
of renovation, adding wings and towers which require major feeders being
routed across rooftops. Engineering firms will generally apply the ambient
temperature corrections when they are aware that the design requires the
systems to be run on the exterior; however, the engineers frequently don’t
know the installation path of the conduit, so they simply put it on the drawings
and size it using normal ampacity tables. It is at this point that it becomes a
field issue for the inspector and the contractor.
 Photo 7

Now that we have a better understanding of how this code affects us in the
field, let’s look more closely at the research that generated this new code
requirement. One of the industry trade organizations started a research project
in the Las Vegas area. They constructed rooftop simulation models of various
materials and surfaces. They made several different installation examples and
proceeded to test them. This testing has gone on for several years and a lot of
data has been compiled and analyzed. This material has been presented to
Code-Making Panel 6 to support proposals for the 2005, 2008 and again in the
2011 Code update process. In the 2005 edition, the information was used to
formulate a fine print note. The organization was asked by the code-making
panel members to produce more data to better substantiate their claims. In the
2008 cycle, they came back and presented more data, which the code panel
reviewed. The outcome was the language we now have in 2008. There are some
things to note regarding the language as written. The panel has been careful
not to apply the information to any type of wiring method that wasn’t
specifically analyzed. One of the results of the panel’s careful approach is that
the rooftop temperature requirements apply only to conduits. EMT is tubing
rather than conduit; therefore, the rooftop requirements do not apply by the
literal interpretation. Various other wiring methods which may be installed on
rooftops also do not have this requirement.
 Photo 8

To truly understand the issues here we need to understand that we are actually
testing the ability of the insulation to stand up to the heat it is exposed to
during operation. In order to do this, we have to understand that we have a
choice of selecting either 75°C wire or 90°C wire. Please note that the insulation
is listed in degrees C. These temperatures equate to 167°F and 194°F. This is
the temperature that the conductor may operate at continuously without being
damaged. Most conductors installed on rooftops in new installations are rated at
90ºC (194ºF), which is well above the temperatures that have been
experienced on rooftops.
There are several anecdotal stories circulating that have stated that the
conductors installed on rooftops have “melted” in the conduits. According to the
Insulated Cable Engineers Association, thermoplastic insulation has a maximum
short-circuit temperature of 150°C (302°F) and thermoset wire has a maximum
short-circuit temperature of 250°C (482°F). These are the temperatures the
conductors can reach under short-circuit conditions with little or no damage to
the insulation. It is extremely unlikely that a conductor could reach a
temperature that would cause the insulation to melt, unless it experienced some
type of physical damage that would result in a fault-current situation. It is also
possible that the stories are related to the fact that someone couldn’t remove
conductors from a raceway due to the solidification of the pulling compounds
used, which basically would have glued the conductors in place. To date, I
haven’t seen a failure of a conductor installed on a rooftop that was caused
solely due to elevated ambient temperature. I have checked among my
colleagues in the desert southwest, and have found no one who has witnessed
rooftop conductor failure due to ambient temperatures.

To sum this up, we now have additional calculations for conduit installations
exposed to sunlight on rooftops. These new requirements will certainly have an
impact on the size of the conductors and conduits used. The new requirements
are likely to add expense to projects. Contractors will now have to consider
alternate routing for certain systems and how to properly terminate the
additional conductors or the larger conductors, which may not fit the lug sizes of
the equipment they are installing. Inspectors will have to enforce this code
requirement and catch inconsistencies between the installed conductor sizes
and those required by the new rules. Hopefully, these inconsistencies will be
caught long before the installation is completed, although this rarely seems to
be the case. I would challenge inspection personnel to be more proactive and
inform the engineering professionals and the contractors about these new
requirements when installing conductors in conduit on rooftops.