Air-conditioner disconnect location
Air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment needs a disconnect that is readily accessible and within sight of the unit, meaning visible and no more than 50 ft away. It can mount on the unit, but not on its access panels or over the nameplate.
What the code requires
The disconnecting means for air-conditioning or refrigerating equipment must be within sight from, and readily accessible from, the equipment. Within sight means visible and not more than 50 ft (15 m) away. The disconnect may be mounted on or within the equipment.
It may not be installed on panels designed to give access to the equipment, and it may not block the nameplate. It also needs working space that meets 110.26(A).
Under 440.11, in a sentence new in 2023, where the disconnect is readily accessible to unqualified persons, any door or hinged cover of its enclosure that exposes energized parts when open must require a tool to open or be lockable.
On the job
- A disconnect mounted on the unit's service access panel, or tucked behind the condenser, is a common correction.
- Where unqualified people, including children, can reach an outdoor AC disconnect, a cover that opens to expose live parts without a tool and cannot be locked does not meet 440.11.
- Via TIA 23-3, the printed 2023 NEC exempted listed HVAC equipment from the 210.8(F) outdoor GFCI rule only until Sept 1, 2026. Under the model code, outdoor outlets at homes covered by 210.8(F), including those supplying HVAC, now need GFCI. Confirm with your building department.
Exceptions that matter
- Equipment essential to an industrial process, in a facility with written safety procedures where only qualified persons service it, needs no disconnect within sight if the 430.102(A) disconnect is lockable per 110.25.
- Where a plug and receptacle serve as the disconnect (440.13), they need only be accessible, not readily accessible.
What changed in 2023
In 2020, 440.14 only pointed to 110.26 in an informational note. The 2023 edition makes meeting the 110.26(A) working space a requirement, adds the 440.11 tool-or-lock rule for enclosure covers, and moves the in-sight definition from Article 100 to 110.29.
Related sections
- NEC 440.11
- NEC 440.13
- NEC 110.26(A): Working space in front of electrical panels
- NEC 110.29
- NEC 210.8(F): GFCI for outdoor outlets at homes, including A/C units
- NEC 430.102: Motor disconnect location
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