by Brianna Crandall — November 4, 2019 — Pioneering digital technology provider ABB announced a floor box for power and data earlier this year that was among the Showstopper winners announced at the recent National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) Show held in Las Vegas. Useful for meeting the 2017 NEC 210.71 requirement, the floor box is suitable for both new construction and existing buildings.
The Showstopper winners were chosen from a showcase of 157 new products that exhibitors submitted for consideration for use by electrical contractors on the job. Each winner was selected from one of five categories. The Steel City RPT8 floor box was recognized in the Low Voltage category.
Steel City RPT8 floor box
The Steel City RPT8 floor box features five gangs and is round to fit into an 8-inch-diameter drilled hole. Two gangs are dedicated for power, while the remaining three gangs can be individually configured for any combination of power and data. A unique feature is the center compartment, which is rated for a wiring device of up to 50 amps and can accept ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) and twist-lock devices. There is also a bottom compartment that can be configured for separate emergency power.
ABB’s Steel City 8-inch recessed poke-through (RPT8) floor box. Image courtesy ABB
The Steel City RPT8 floor box also features a core-drilled design that eliminates the chance of error when the floor box is installed in a hole that is core drilled after all walls and cabinetry are set. These errors would otherwise result in costly jackhammering and concrete repairs.
2017 NEC 210.71
In commercial applications, the increased use of laptops and mobile devices has driven demand for more outlets. The 2017 National Electrical Code (NEC) includes section 210.71, which requires the installation of floor boxes in commercial building meeting rooms of more than 215 square feet. The new NEC requirement seeks to reduce the safety hazards that occur when cables run from a table or desk to wall outlets.
Michael Martin, senior product manager at ABB Installation Products, stated:
Given the limitations on the number of holes that may be drilled into a floor, it’s important to maximize the outlet capacity of each location. The new NEC requirement and the increase in the use of cabling creates a unique opportunity for contractors, in not just new commercial construction, but also in upgrading the even larger pool of existing commercial building spaces. The Steel City RPT8 floor box is ideal for these installations on the second floor and above in commercial buildings.
For more information about the Steel City RPT8 floor box, watch the product video on YouTube. With a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB today consists of four global businesses: Electrification, Industrial Automation, Motion, and Robotics and Discrete Automation, supported by its common ABB Ability digital platform. ABB’s Power Grids business will be divested to Hitachi in 2020. The company operates in more than 100 countries.
