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What's Wrong Here?

Oct 24, 2005 4:01 PM, By Joe Tedesco

Answer:

The requirements of Art. 440, Part VII, cover electrically energized room air conditioners that control temperature and humidity (with or without provisions for heating). These units are considered to be an AC appliance of the air-cooled window, console, or in-wall type if they’re installed in the conditioned room and incorporate a hermetic refrigerant motor-compressor(s). The requirements of this Article apply to equipment rated 250V or less, single phase. This equipment shall be permitted to be cord-and-attachment-plug-connected. (440.60)

Where a flexible cord is used to supply a room air conditioner of this type, the length of such cord cannot exceed 3 meters (10 feet) for a nominal 120V rating or 1.8 meters (6 feet) for a nominal 208V or 240V rating. (440.64)

The branch circuit requirements for these units [440.62(A)] state that a room air conditioner is considered as a single motor unit in determining its branch-circuit requirements where all the following conditions are met: (1) It is cord-and-attachment-plug-connected. (2) Its rating is not more than 40A and 250V, single phase.

In addition, as per 440.63, an attachment plug and receptacle is permitted to serve as the disconnecting means for a single-phase room air conditioner rated 250V or less, if the manual controls on the room air conditioner are readily accessible and located within 1.8 meters (6 feet) of the floor.

And last, but not least, single-phase cord-and-plug-connected room air conditioners are required to be provided with factory-installed leakage current detection and interruption (LCDI) and arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) protection as an integral part of the attachment plug, or be located in the power supply cord within 300 millimeters (12 inches) of the attachment plug. (440.65)

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