Receptacles Outdoors in Wet Locations

[Telecastered]

Hello Folks,

I'm a new member here but I have been reading this forum for many years. I work in the lighting industry - please don't hate me!

Often times I have engineered custom lighting for indoor spaces (libraries primarily) that incorporate convenience receptacles into the design. Being hard wired and permanently installed there was not a lot of thinking involved in adding a receptacle to the base of the light.

Now I have a different project that will be outdoors in a textbook wet location. It is furniture, not a light, but it will be permanently installed. I have been reading up on the 2014 NEC 406.9 and it appears I will need to use an in-use cover:

"(1) Receptacles of 15 and 20 Amperes in a Wet Location.
15- and 20-ampere, 125- and 250-volt receptacles installed in a wet location shall have an enclosure that is weatherproof whether or not the attachment plug cap is inserted. An outlet box hood installed for this purpose shall be listed and shall be identified as “extra-duty.” All 15- and 20- ampere, 125- and 250-volt nonlocking-type receptacles shall be listed weather-resistant type."

Later in this part is this:
"(2) Other Receptacles.
All other receptacles installed in a wet location shall comply with (B)(2)(a) or (B)(2)(b).
(a) A receptacle installed in a wet location, where the product intended to be plugged into it is not attended while in use, shall have an enclosure that is weatherproof with the attachment plug cap
inserted or removed.
(b) A receptacle installed in a wet location where the product intended to be plugged into it will be attended while in use (e.g., portable tools) shall have an enclosure that is weatherproof when the attachment plug is removed."

The designers of this product have latched on to the "attended while in use" part of the code and think we can use the attractive "slim" type of cover. However I believe that this refers to receptacles that are NOT line voltage - like USB chargers and the like (not that there are any WR-rated USB chargers out there....).

Who is right?

Also, would/could the AHJ, seeing our product with the slim type cover force the installer to remove it and install an in-use cover? How likely would that happen?

Many thanks for all your help and, on behalf of lighting manufacturers everywhere, sorry about those LED things....

 

[GoldDigger]

Hello Folks,

I'm a new member here but I have been reading this forum for many years. I work in the lighting industry - please don't hate me!

Often times I have engineered custom lighting for indoor spaces (libraries primarily) that incorporate convenience receptacles into the design. Being hard wired and permanently installed there was not a lot of thinking involved in adding a receptacle to the base of the light.

Now I have a different project that will be outdoors in a textbook wet location. It is furniture, not a light, but it will be permanently installed. I have been reading up on the 2014 NEC 406.9 and it appears I will need to use an in-use cover:

"(1) Receptacles of 15 and 20 Amperes in a Wet Location.
15- and 20-ampere, 125- and 250-volt receptacles installed in a wet location shall have an enclosure that is weatherproof whether or not the attachment plug cap is inserted. An outlet box hood installed for this purpose shall be listed and shall be identified as “extra-duty.” All 15- and 20- ampere, 125- and 250-volt nonlocking-type receptacles shall be listed weather-resistant type."

Later in this part is this:
"(2) Other Receptacles.
All other receptacles installed in a wet location shall comply with (B)(2)(a) or (B)(2)(b).
(a) A receptacle installed in a wet location, where the product intended to be plugged into it is not attended while in use, shall have an enclosure that is weatherproof with the attachment plug cap
inserted or removed.
(b) A receptacle installed in a wet location where the product intended to be plugged into it will be attended while in use (e.g., portable tools) shall have an enclosure that is weatherproof when the attachment plug is removed."

The designers of this product have latched on to the "attended while in use" part of the code and think we can use the attractive "slim" type of cover. However I believe that this refers to receptacles that are NOT line voltage - like USB chargers and the like (not that there are any WR-rated USB chargers out there....).

Who is right?

Also, would/could the AHJ, seeing our product with the slim type cover force the installer to remove it and install an in-use cover? How likely would that happen?

Many thanks for all your help and, on behalf of lighting manufacturers everywhere, sorry about those LED things....

Certainly USB charging ports might be considered other receptacles, since they do not match the very specific 125 or 250, 15A or 25A
specification, but it could be argued that they are not the type of receptacles considered in the first place since they serve as the output of a UL listed device, not as a connection to the building wiring system.
But the NEC also covers higher amperage receptacles (specialized cleaning equipment, trailers, ranges and dryers, and higher voltage receptacles (motors, etc.). To my mind those are the main "other receptacles" that the code section is looking toward.

In any case, you are correct that the exception in (2) does not apply to the receptacles described in (1).

An AHJ, seeing the installed product outdoors could well red tag the installation until corrected.

 

[mgookin]

You still need the extra duty.
Does anyone make an extra duty slim cover?