jtracy
Member
- Location
- New Hampshire
- Occupation
- Low votlage
Is it permitted to install an outlet above a drop ceiling grid in a commercial or residential occupancy?
Is it permitted to install an outlet above a drop ceiling grid in a commercial or residential occupancy?
- Thread starter jtracy
- Start date
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
You can install one but you can only use it for temporary use.
raberding
Senior Member
- Location
- Dayton, OH
- Occupation
- Consulting Engineer
A receptacle might be required by 210.63(A)...
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
That's what I was thinking.
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
Can't a wall-wart LV supply with no 120v wire be plugged in?
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
Yes I should have mentioned that in my prior post. This is another really dumb code rule.
electrofelon
Senior Member
- Location
- Cherry Valley NY, Seattle, WA
Doesn't it come down to that debate of whether the the cord on a product is an article 400 cord? I thought Mike holt made the case that those cords were not article 400 chords.
electrofelon
Senior Member
- Location
- Cherry Valley NY, Seattle, WA
Just as a practical matter, and I know this doesn't have any basis in the NEC, but in Seattle we often have cord and plug HRV's above drop ceilings, and the inspectors allow us to put that split loom wire covering stuff over the cord.
hbiss
EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
- Location
- Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
- Occupation
- EC
What’s an HRV?
Anyway, that’s a double whammy. Plug in a receptacle above ceiling and covering a flexible cord.
-Hal
winnie
Senior Member
- Location
- Springfield, MA, USA
- Occupation
- Electric motor research
Does anyone manufacture a cable product that is dual rated as both an article 400 flexible cord and an article 300 wiring method? Would such a dual rated cable be allowed concealed in a wall or behind a dropped ceiling?
ModbusMan
Senior Member
- Location
- Cleveland, OH
- Occupation
- Building Automation Engineer
AHJ at one of our offices also turned a semi-blind eye in this manner for our WiFi access points. The issue was later mooted by switching to PoE equipment.
electrofelon
Senior Member
- Location
- Cherry Valley NY, Seattle, WA
Heat recovery ventilator
The thinking is that split loom provides more physical protection for the cord
hbiss
EC, Westchester, New York NEC: 2014
- Location
- Hawthorne, New York NEC: 2014
- Occupation
- EC
The prohibition of using flexible cordage for building wire is because it is not designed with the longevity to last for decades and deterioration and damage cannot be detected when it is concealed. We all know how cords crack and become brittle over time. I just had to replace the cord on my Milwaukee right angle drill because the jacket was gone in places.
The closest thing to a “dual rated” cable would be TC but i don’t think it’s approved for that use.
-Hal
This situation comes up all the time when installing TVs on walls. You can’t drop the line cord down the wall or fish an extension cord up to it. They make a kit with a receptacle and box, a length of NM and another box with an inlet. Install the receptacle behind the TV and the inlet near an existing receptacle. Connect with a short extension cord.
The closest thing to a “dual rated” cable would be TC but i don’t think it’s approved for that use.
-Hal