"cords" above ceilings

[smalltime]

Good stuff. We struggle with this constantly in the audiovisual world with ceiling mounted projectors and displays.

First, just because a projector has a handle on it doesn't mean it's "portable". It is installed.

Second, usually these are envionmental air return pathways above the grid, so unless that power cord is plenum rated, forget about running it up there.

Third, a number of audiovisual manufacturers offer plenum rated equipment boxes that we can install above the ceiling. An electrical box with a recept facing inside the plenum rated box is wired to it and we run the power cord inside the pole to the recept inside the box.

As a general rule, we've treated power cords as flexible cords so we want a recept mounted flush to the ceiling or we use a plenum rated box as mentioned above.

 

[Steviechia2]

I'll take this a step beyond. It is my opinion, based on the scope statement of the NEC, that the NEC stops at the outlet. Nothing that you plug into a receptacle is within the scope of the NEC.

That being said, there should be a restriction on the use of flexible power cords in any application where they remain plugged in without attention. I have removed a lot of equipment that had a power connection cord, where the cord jacket and conductor insulation had failed over time. If you try to more the power cord the jacket and conductor insulation just falls off. In many cases these cords were not installed above a ceiling, but in the open, but no one ever looks at the cords when they use the equipment, unless the equipment stops working. Maybe the UL standards should be revised to require the use of hardwired connection methods for any type of equipment that would not normally be unplugged when the equipment is not in use.

This should not even be an issue these days because nothing lasts more than 2 years anymore!

 

[renosteinke]

IMO, the entire ban on flexible cords above suspended ceilings is unworkable, is bad law, and should be simply dropped.

After all, what is it trying to ban that is not already banned? What circumstances arise where this ban is an issue?

We already have a ban on using cords in place of fixed wiring. We already allow cords where maintenance, disconnection, or flexibility require their use.

Suspended ceilings as plenums? Hardly. The preferred use of such ceilings is simply to hide all the stuff that serves the room.

Countless appliances have some form of cord & plug as part of the appliance. Even the humble (hard-wired) bath fan often has little cord & plug connections between the wiring compartment and the fan, light, or heater. Yet, folks will try to argue that condensate pumps and projectors should not have cords.

Code has reached the logical end of a blind alley.

 

[iwire]

IMO, the entire ban on flexible cords above suspended ceilings is unworkable,

How is it 'unworkable' we have been living with it for a long time with no ill effects.

is bad law, and should be simply dropped.

Lets face it, you just hate all rules period.

 

[Strathead]

How is it 'unworkable' we have been living with it for a long time with no ill effects.



Lets face it, you just hate all rules period.

Not sure how long it has been in effect, but the #1 unworkable for me is condensate pumps. Either this code was ignored in the SF Bay area, or it was added in the 90's because before that I saw this done many times, and didn't know any better. I am with Reno that it is an arbitrary requirement. Sorry, #1 for me is Feeding linear light fixtures. There is no valid reason why the cord can not penetrate the tile 2"-4" in to a junction box above the ceiling.