Has anyone ever come across an AHJ who has had a problem with multiple vacuum sources being piped together with a valve separating the area(s) served?
NFP 99 2012 code states:
5.1.10.11.7 Prohibited System Interconnections.
5.1.10.11.7.1 Two or more medical gas or vacuum piping systems shall not be interconnected for installation, testing, or any other reason.
By definition Medical/Surgical Vacuum System does not specifically call out the term "system", but rather central vacuum-producing equipment:
3.3.111 Medical–Surgical Vacuum System. An assembly of central vacuum–producing equipment and a network of piping for patient suction in medical, medical–surgical, and waste anesthetic gas disposal (WAGD) applications. (PIP)
I imagine that the intent of the code is to prevent different gases and different source technologies from interconnecting (e.g. dedicated WAGD & vacuum), but in some cases it is certainly more practical to connect multiple sources for the same application with a valve separating areas served.
Does the code permit interconnections for like sources or not?