Ecmweb 4810 410ecmwwhpic1
Ecmweb 4810 410ecmwwhpic1
Ecmweb 4810 410ecmwwhpic1
Ecmweb 4810 410ecmwwhpic1
Ecmweb 4810 410ecmwwhpic1

What's Wrong Here?

Oct. 24, 2005
Hint: Cool splice for an air conditioner, huh?

How well do you know the Code? Think you can spot violations the original installer either ignored or couldn't identify? Here's your chance to moonlight as an electrical inspector and second-guess someone else's work from the safety of your living room or office. Joe Tedesco, who has a knack for finding shoddy electrical work, did the dirty work and found this mess. Now it's your turn to identify the violation.

Find the Answer

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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About the Author

Joe Tedesco

Tedesco served the industry in many roles during his career. He was a director, senior electrical code instructor for National Technology Transfer, Inc. and American Trainco, Inc.. He was also a codes, standards and seminar specialist for the International Association of Electrical Inspectors and an electrical field service specialist for the National Fire Protection Association in Quincy, Mass. He ran his own business as an NEC consultant and is a Massachusetts licensed master electrician and journeyman electrician and certified electrical inspector (one and two family 2A; General 2B, and Plan Review, 2C). Tedesco also wrote articles for CEE News and EC&M (Code Violations Illustrated and What's Wrong Here?) for more than 15 years and helped launched the Moving Violations video series.

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