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ANSI/NFPA 79 Codes


ANSI/NFPA CODE COMPLIANCE IS IMPORTANT. Meeting these Codes is even more imperative for washing machines than other shop equipment because of the harsh operating environment of a cabinet-style washer.

A washing machine has high voltage electric power and hot alkaline or caustic solution, and the operators and employees work in close proximity to the equipment. Further increasing the potential for hazards are those washing machines that are heated with natural gas or propane.

WHY OTHER WASHER MAKERS DON'T PROVIDE THE SAFEGUARDS. Compliance with ANSI/NFPA is expensive. It adds $800 to $1,800 to the manufacturing cost to produce a washing machine. Equipment manufacturers apply the "Value-Added" principle when deciding which options to offer and how their machines will be built. Value-added means that, if the customer cannot readily appreciate a benefit, the manufacturer won't provide it.

The costly components called for by the Codes end up "buried" deep within the equipment's design and construction as, as such, the benefits are less obvious to most shop owners than the functional devices and accessories that enhance the machine's processes and usefulness. Since most washing machine customers are not familiar with the ANSI/NFPA Codes, washer makers do not build their machines to these standards.

WHY THE ANSI/NFPA CODES WERE WRITTEN. Studies by machine tool builders, manufacturers of control equipment, and Underwriters Laboratories Inc., concluded that "... peculiar conditions existed with machine shop equipment that required additional "{ man safeguards and other devices not "contemplated by the National Electric Code (NEC)." NFPA 79 was written to overcome the shortcomings of the NEC.

The American National Standards Institute and the National Fire Protection Association (ANSI/NFPA) Codes provide specific requirements that render machinery safe and reliable by minimizing or eliminating such machinery hazards as:

Failure or faults in the electrical equipment the cause electrical shock or electrical fire; malfunction of the machine due to failures or faults in the control system of power circuits; malfunction of the machine due to disturbances or disruptions in the external power sources; and the dangers of electrical interferences, stored energy, and audible noise.

MART MEETS TOUGH INDUSTRIAL STANDARDS. MART recognizes the value-added benefits of the ANSI/NFPA 79/94 Code for industrial machinery. This is why MART offers, as an option, Code compliance for its Power Washers.

Included in Code compliance are the following:

  • Power disconnect interlocked with electrical control enclosure door: Interlock safety device must be in "off" position to open Power Washer electrical panel door. This shuts down incoming power so the operator or maintenance person is not exposed to live electrical components or energized circuits.

  • Separate temperature compensated overload device for each motor load: MART provides safeguards for all motors against overloads, which increases life of motors by preventing motors from burning our under overload conditions. Temperature compensated overloads provide near constant trip currents regardless of the ambient temperature of the electrical control enclosure.

  • Electrical schematics: A specific custom electrical schematic is provided with each MART machine.

  • Machine labeling: Nameplate lists MART machine serial number, supply voltage, phase, frequency, full load capacity, and short circuit interrupting capacity. Each external devise outside the electrical control enclosure is labeled with a permanent engraved plate that corresponds to the electrical diagram. All devices inside the electrical control enclosure are plainly labeled and identified.

  • Installation instructions, Sequence of Operation, maintenance, and service instructions: A thorough understanding of how a machine works is essential to the safe operation and maintenance of the equipment. Each MART Operating Manual has over 150 pages and is extremely comprehensive. It covers in great detail every aspect of the operation, servicing, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair of the machine, including a section on chemicals and tips on how to achieve the best cleaning results.

  • Mushroom Red Stop Button: Prominently located on front face of electrical panel to provide quick access for shutdown of machine.

  • Grounding lug mounted in machine electrical control enclosure: MART provides an attachment point for proper safety grounding of the Power Washer. Each motor has a separate ground wire pulled through conduit and attached to the electrical enclosure back panel to ensure a positive earth ground without relying on the machine structure to supply the grounding path.

  • Color coded THHN wiring: 14 gauge (minimum) wiring throughout MART Power Washer electrical control circuit system, flex 41 strand MTW wire for door-mounted turntable drive.

  • Transformer for control power: Provides a single source of power to the equipment so that one disconnect will shut down all power to machine. Primary and secondary terminals in transformer are properly fused.

  • All fusing rated at 200,000 amp interrupt capability: MART protects conductors and components in the event of short circuit to ground.

    NOTE: Other fuses may not provide sufficient interrupt capability. If system's maximum current is greater than the fuse interrupt capacity of the building where the washer is installed, the fuse would blow out but the components downstream from the fuse, such as the motor starter, may still be damaged.

  • Oil tight-type selector switches, indicating lights, and pushbuttons: Provides reliable operation under the harshest environment. All control station enclosures are dust tight, moisture tight, and oil tight, and all external wire runs are gasketed and sealed.

  • Resistance heating element over-current devices not greater than 150%: Loads larger than 48 amps are subdivided.

For more information, contact the MART Technical Services Department.




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