Surge Protection for Elevators

NFPA Article 620.51 NEC 2020

Elevator with Technician

OVERVIEW

Today's increased reliance on very sensitive electronics makes surge protection an important topic for Elevators, Dumbwaiters, Escalators, Moving Walks, Platforms Lifts and Stairway Chair Lifts. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety study found that $26 billion dollars was lost due to non-lightning power surges. In addition, there are about 25 million lightning strikes in the US each year that cause between $650M to $1B in losses according to the Insurance Information Institute, State Farm©.

NFPA 70, Article 620.51
"620.51 (E) Surge Protection. (Elevators) Where any of the disconnecting means in 620.51 has been designated as supplying an emergency system load, surge protection shall be provided."


Elevator Lift System

This page discusses how to best protect your Elevator System and all the associates components like Electrical Panelboard, Elevator Controls, Motors, Variable Frequency Drive (VFD), Safety Interlocks, Charge Controllers, Fire Curtains and other sensitive electronics.

The SPD Solution

Surge protection is a cost-effective solution to prevent downtime, improve system and data reliability and elimination of equipment damage due to transients and surges for both power and signal lines. It is suitable for any facility or load (1000 volts and below).

Selecting the appropriate SPD for your Elevator

NEC/NFPA 70 require that Surge Protective Devices (SPDs) be UL Listed. This means selecting a surge protector is easier than it has ever been. There are only a few choices available for SPD’s that are UL Listed for any of the most commonly used surge standards including UL1449 4th Edition, UL497B, and UL497E.

Main Service Panel | Elevator Control Panel

Recommended Surge Protectors for the Main Service Panel

Location	Equipment	System	Surge Protector Model#	Link
	Main Panelboard	480Vac	MDS750E-480D

Recommended Surge Protectors for the Elevator Control Panel

Equipment	System	Surge Protector Model#
Control Panel	480Vac Power Input	DS74US-480D
	P/S 120-240Vac Power Input	DS72US-240T/NN
	P/S 24Vdc Power Output	DS220S-24DC
	Ethernet Cat 6A	MJ8-C6A
	Power-over-Ethernet POE++	MJ8-POE-C6A
	Wireless	P8AX09-6G-N/FF
	RS485	DLAS-12D3
	4-20mA	DLAS-24D3

References

#	Title
1	NFPA 70 edition 2017, Article 620.51 Elevators, Dumbwaiters, Escalators, Moving Walks, Platform Lifts and Stairway Chairlifts
2	NFPA 70 edition 2014, “Data Assessment for Electrical Surge Protective Devices”
3	NFPA 70 edition 2014, Article 700.8
	"A listed SPD (surge protection device) shall be installed in or on all emergency systems switchboards and panelboards."
4	IEEE 1100 Emerlad Book Std 1100-2005 8.6.1
5	ANSI C62.41, Low-Voltage AC Power Circuits
	"The selection of SPDs typically depends on the location of device. The SPDs are recommended to be sized per IEEE C62.41 and IEEE C62.45 requirements to achieve proper coordination. SPDs should be listed to UL1449."
6	UL1449 4th Edition, Surge Protective Devices
7	UL1449 5th Edition, Surge Protective Devices
8	UL497B, Surge Protectors for Data Lines and Fire-Alarm Circuits
9	UL497E, Antenna Lead-in Conductors
10	IEC 61643-11, Low-Voltage Surge Protective Devices - Part 11: Surge Protective Devices Connected To Low-Voltage Power Systems - Requirements And Test Methods
11	IEC 61643-21, Low Voltage Surge Protective Devices - Part 21: Surge Protective Devices Connected To Telecommunications And Signalling Networks - Performance Requirements And Testing Methods
12	IEC 61000-45, Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) - Part 4-5: Testing And Measurement Techniques - Surge Immunity Test
13	CSA 22.2
14	NOM-001-SCFI, Standard for Electronic Equipment
15	NOM-003-SCFI, Electrical Products - Safety Requirements
16	NOM-001-SCFI, Standard for Electronic Equipment
17	NOM-003-SCFI, Electrical Products - Safety Requirements