270526 Grounding and Bonding for Communications Systems.pdf

Sioux Falls VAHCS, Sioux Falls, SD VA Project 438-20-910

EHRM Infrastructure Upgrades 04-04-2022

2501 West 22nd St. Bid Documents

Sioux Falls, SD 57105

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SECTION 27 05 26

GROUNDING AND BONDING FOR COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

PART 1 - GENERAL

1.1 DESCRIPTION

A. This section specifies grounding and bonding requirements of communications installations based on the requirements of ANSI/TIA-607-

D, Telecommunications Bonding and Grounding (Earthing) for Customer

Premises. Work covered by this Section shall consist of furnishing supplies, labor, materials, equipment, labeling, and tools. Testing is required unless otherwise specified. An operable grounding and bonding infrastructure is required as described on the Drawings and/or required by these specifications. All materials shall be listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory (NRTL).

1.2 SUMMARY

A. Section Includes:

1. Required Bonding Busbars.

2. Supplemental Bonding Networks.

3. Telecommunications Bonding Conductors.

4. Joining Requirements.

5. Overvoltage Surge Protectors.

1.3 REFERENCES

A. VA Infrastructure Standard for Telecommunications Spaces.

B. ANSI/TIA-607-D, Telecommunications Bonding and Grounding (Earthing) for

Customer Premises.

C. NFPA 70, National Electrical Code (NEC).

D. International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS).

E. BICSI Information Technology Systems Installation Methods Manual

(ITSIMM), Recommended Testing Procedures and Criteria.

F. UL 497 & UL 497A, UL Standards for Primary & Secondary Safety

Protectors for Paired-Conductor Communications Circuits.

1.4 RELATED WORK

A. Facility grounding and bonding requirements: Section 26 05 26, GROUNDING AND BONDING FOR ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS.

B. Information Technology equipment enclosures: Section 27 11 16, COMMUNICATION CABINETS, RACKS, FRAMES, AND ENCLOSURES.

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C. Cable trays: Section 27 05 36, CABLE TRAYS FOR COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS.

1.5 SUBMITTALS

A. Submit in accordance with Section 27 05 00, COMMON WORK RESULTS FOR

COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS.

B. Provide riser diagram indicating location of communications grounding system connections indicating routing of grounding conductors.

C. Closeout Submittals: Provide test reports of ground resistance to each primary or secondary bonding busbar (PBB/SBB) located in each telecommunications space impacted by the work.

PART 2 - PRODUCTS

2.1 BONDING BUSBARS.

A. Bonding busbars are located in each telecommunications space and in each network rack/cabinet. Bonding busbars provide common locations in the telecommunications space for the connection of the telecommunications bonding conductors.

B. Common Requirements.

1. Provided with holes for use with correctly-matched UL Listed two-hole lugs and hardware.

2. Constructed of copper or copper alloy with a minimum of 95% conductivity when annealed.

3. Annealed as specified by the International Annealed Copper Standard

(IACS).

4. Installation resulting in a maximum 4.0Ω to ground resistance measured from any point in the system.

5. Installation is insulated from the mounting surface through the use of appropriate insulators.

6. UL Listed.

C. Primary Bonding Busbar (PBB). The PBB is a dedicated extension of the building grounding electrode system for the telecommunications infrastructure. The PBB also serves as the central attachment point for

Secondary Bonding Busbars (SBB) via Telecommunications Bonding Backbone

(TBB).

1. Pre-drilled copper with holes to accommodate lug mounting holes.

2. Sized for current applications and future growth.

3. Insulated from its supports.

4. Electro-tin plated is acceptable.

5. Maintain a 2” min clearance between busbar and finished wall.

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6. Size must be 0.25” thick by 4” wide by 20” length.

D. Secondary Bonding Busbar (SBB). The SBB is a common point of connection for telecommunications system and equipment bonding to a ground located in each Telecommunications Room.

1. Pre-drilled holes to accommodate dual-lug mounting holes.

2. 0.25” thick x 2” wide with varying length to be sized for current applications and future growth.

3. Maintain a 2” min clearance between the finished wall and busbar.

4. Copper or tin annealed copper.

E. Rack Bonding Busbar (RBB). The RBB is a busbar located in a cabinet, rack, or frame.

1. Mounting. Horizontal mounting to an EIA-310-D 19” equipment rack is specified.

2. Capacity: 10 Double-hole lugs.

3. Size & material 0.75” wide x 19” length x 0.25” thick – Copper or tin annealed copper.

2.2 SUPPLEMENTAL BONDING NETWORKS.

A. Also known as Signal Reference Grids (SRGs), Mesh Bonding Networks

(Mesh-BN), or Isolated Bonding Networks (IBNs), the requirements for supplemental bonding networks are not specified in this document.

Supplemental bonding networks may not be used to replace a standards-compliant bonding infrastructure.

2.3 TELECOMMUNICATIONS BONDING BACKBONE (TBB).

A. The TBB bonds the facility Primary Bonding Busbar (PBB) to telecommunications space Secondary Bonding Busbars (SBBs).

1. Material. Stranded copper wire with a green jacket (or per NEC depending on size), run as a continuous conductor.

2. Size. The TBB shall be sized to meet the requirements of ANSI/TIA-

607-D and will be as straight as practicable avoiding bends.

3. Bonding the TBB to the PBB and each SBB will require a UL Listed irreversible compression (crimp) dual-lug connector.

2.4 BONDING CONDUCTORS.

A. Telecommunications Equipment Bonding Conductor (TEBC). The TEBC connects the cabinets and racks in the telecommunications space to the space’s bonding busbar (PBB or SBB).

1. Material. Stranded copper wire with a green jacket (or per NEC depending on size), run as a continuous conductor.

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2. Size. The TBB shall be sized to meet the requirements of ANSI/TIA-

607-D. The minimum size for the TEBC shall be AWG 6.

3. Bonding. Bonded to the telecommunications space bonding busbar (PBB or SBB) via a UL Listed two-hole compression lug. Rack Bonding

Conductors (RBCs) are connected to the TEBC using UL Listed irreversible compression (crimp) connectors.

B. Rack Bonding Conductor (RBC). The RBC is a bonding conductor from the cabinet or Rack Bonding Busbar (RBB) to the Telecommunications

Equipment Bonding Conductor (TEBC).

1. Material. Stranded copper wire with a green jacket run as a continuous conductor.

2. Size. The minimum size for the RBC shall be AWG 6.

3. Bonding. Bonded to the Telecommunications Equipment Bonding

Conductor (TEBC) using UL Listed irreversible compression (crimp) connectors.

a. Where connected to a server cabinet, the RBC extends to the bottom of the server cabinet allowing Equipment Bonding

Conductors to be attached at any point in the cabinet.

b. Where connected to a network rack/cabinet, the Rack Bonding

Conductor (RBC) is bonded to the Rack Bonding Busbar (RBB) via a

UL Listed two-hole compression lug.

C. Equipment/Unit Bonding Conductor (EBC/UBC). The Equipment/Unit Bonding

Conductor connects individual equipment in a cabinet or rack to the

Rack Bonding Conductor (RBC) or Rack Bonding Busbar (RBB). Equipment

Bonding conductors are also used as cable tray bonding conductors to bond cable tray sections to the Telecommunications Equipment Bonding

Conductor (TEBC).

1. Material. Stranded copper wire with a green jacket run as a continuous conductor.

2. Size. The minimum size for the RBC shall be AWG 6.

3. Bonding.

a. Where used in a server cabinet, bonded to the Rack Bonding

Connector (RBC) using UL Listed irreversible compression (crimp) connectors and to IT equipment via a UL Listed two-hole compression lug. (Some IT equipment may require one-hole lugs.)

b. Where used in a network cabinet/rack, bonded to the Rack Bonding

Busbar (RBB) via a UL Listed two-hole compression lug and to IT

27 05 26 - 5 equipment via a UL Listed two-hole compression lug. (Some IT equipment may require one-hole lugs.)

c. Where used as a cable tray bonding conductor connecting cable tray sections, bonded to each adjoining section of the cable tray using UL Listed two-hole compression lugs.

d. Where used as a cable tray bonding conductor connecting cable tray sections to the Telecommunications Equipment Bonding

Conductor (TEBC), bonded to the TEBC using UL Listed irreversible compression (crimp) connectors and to the cable tray via a UL

Listed two-hole compression lug.

4. Contractor shall furnish a minimum of ten (10) EBCs for each RBB.

Five (5) EBCs shall be outfitted as described here and shall be six

(6) feet in length. Five (5) EBCs shall be outfitted as decried here and shall be nine (9) feet in length. Contractor shall use field measurements to determine EBC cable length when directed by VA project managers.

2.5 OVERVOLTAGE SURGE PROTECTORS.

A. Protectors are voltage-limiting devices intended to protect equipment, wiring, and personnel against the effects of excessive potentials and currents in communications lines caused by lightning, contacts with power conductors, power induction, and rises in ground potential.

1. Compliance. Protectors shall be compliant with UL 497 and/or UL

497A, as applicable.

2. Performance. Protectors shall be rated to support copper UTP performance Category 5e at 100MHz.

3. Protection. Voltage suppression shall be via low capacitance solid state protectors only, rated at 18V for copper backbone applications or 65V for VOIP or PoE applications.

4. Construction. Provide protection for each pair.

5. Termination shall be insulation-displacement contact.

6. Mounting. Protectors shall be wall-mounted.

PART 3 - EXECUTION

3.1 IMPLEMENTATION

A. Components of the telecommunications bonding system will be installed and connected using materials and techniques required by ANSI/TIA-607-

D. The use of antioxidant joint compound is required for all connections excluding protector 110 block connections.

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B. Testing.

1. Perform tests per BICSI Information Technology Systems Installation

Methods Manual (ITSIMM), Recommended Testing Procedures and

Criteria.

2. Perform two-point bond test using trained installers qualified to use test equipment.

3. Conduct continuity tests to verify that metallic pathways in telecommunications spaces are bonded to PBB or SBB.

4. Conduct electrical continuity test to verify that PBB is effectively bonded to the facility grounding electrode conductor.

5. Perform resistance tests to ensure rack and cabinet bonding connection resistance measures less than 4Ω to PBB or SBB.

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