NEC 440.14 HVAC Disconnect Location

[marmathsen]

2020 NEC

Looking at a job where a heat pump will be located under a porch, which is allowed in the instructions for the equipment.

However in reading 440.14 I feel like I need a little clarification. 440.14 reads as follows:

440.14 Location.

Disconnecting means shall be located within sight from, and readily accessible from the air-conditioning or refrigerating equipment. The disconnecting means shall be permitted to be installed on or within the air-conditioning or refrigerating equipment.

The disconnecting means shall not be located on panels that are designed to allow access to the air-conditioning or refrigeration equipment or to obscure the equipment nameplate(s).

Then Readily Accessible reads:

Accessible, Readily (Readily Accessible).

Capable of being reached quickly for operation, renewal, or inspections without requiring those to whom ready access is requisite to take actions such as to use tools (other than keys), to climb over or under, to remove obstacles, or to resort to portable ladders, and so forth. (CMP-1)

So my question is, if you can sit in front of the equipment and reach the disconnect without climbing under anything FROM THE EQUIPMENT does that meat code even if the equipment and the disconnect are both under a low ceiling (approx. 45")?

 

[PaulMmn]

I thought heat pumps needed (liked) free-flow of air around them.

 

[suemarkp]

What is the headroom under the porch? You probably need normal 110.26 working space in front of it too which give a 6.5' ceiling height limit. Maybe put the disconnect on the wall just outside the porch. I'm not sure how well a heat pump is going to work under a porch if the fan blows upwards. Does the fan blow up (classic heat pump) or sideways (mini split)? Usually, they want at least 6 to 10 feet of clearance where the fan blows.

 

[marmathsen]

I thought heat pumps needed (liked) free-flow of air around them.

What is the headroom under the porch? You probably need normal 110.26 working space in front of it too which give a 6.5' ceiling height limit. Maybe put the disconnect on the wall just outside the porch. I'm not sure how well a heat pump is going to work under a porch if the fan blows upwards. Does the fan blow up (classic heat pump) or sideways (mini split)? Usually, they want at least 6 to 10 feet of clearance where the fan blows.

The heat pump is a sideways blowing style and the porch is metal grating so I guess that's good enough.

@suemarkp it sounds like you're considering the disconnect to be "electrical equipment" thus subject to the requirements of 110.26. Would you also consider the heat pump itself to be subject to those requirements? I haven't ever thought that our code requirements would dictate where HVAC equipment would go.

Rob G - Seattle

 

[don_resqcapt19]

The heat pump is a sideways blowing style and the porch is metal grating so I guess that's good enough.

@suemarkp it sounds like you're considering the disconnect to be "electrical equipment" thus subject to the requirements of 110.26. Would you also consider the heat pump itself to be subject to those requirements? I haven't ever thought that our code requirements would dictate where HVAC equipment would go.

Rob G - Seattle

This was made clear in the 2023 code.
[quote[440.14 Location.
Disconnecting means shall be located within sight from, and readily accessible from, the air-conditioning or refrigerating equipment. The disconnecting means shall be permitted to be installed on or within the air-conditioning or refrigerating equipment. Disconnecting means shall meet the working space requirements of 110.26(A).[/quote]
As far as the heat pump itself, the electrical controls would be covered by 110.26. They added 110.26(A)(4) a few cycles ago to address this issue for installations above drop ceilings, but there is nothing that changes the rules for this installation.

 

[marmathsen]

This was made clear in the 2023 code.
[quote[440.14 Location.
Disconnecting means shall be located within sight from, and readily accessible from, the air-conditioning or refrigerating equipment. The disconnecting means shall be permitted to be installed on or within the air-conditioning or refrigerating equipment. Disconnecting means shall meet the working space requirements of 110.26(A).

As far as the heat pump itself, the electrical controls would be covered by 110.26. They added 110.26(A)(4) a few cycles ago to address this issue for installations above drop ceilings, but there is nothing that changes the rules for this installation.[/QUOTE]Cool thanks for the clarification

Rob G - Seattle

 

[kwired]

Hard to write one size fits all rules.

I myself have no issue with what OP proposes for the disconnect location as long as it is only serving that particular HVAC equipment item. If it were a panelboard serving other loads as well then probably not acceptable.

The idea is to have a disconnecting means very near the equipment that needs servicing.

Maybe it is on side of wall but 10 feet off the ground? If I were the one servicing this I'd want it within reach while I am servicing it from whatever I need to use to access it. Same if it were installed within suspended ceiling, crawl space, etc.