ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues What "equipment" does 110.26 apply to?

I believe 3 feet is also excessive. For many types of equipment and boxes, 18" is sufficient for safe operation and maintenance, without necessarily any room required to either side. There should be more leeway here for common sense and AHJ judgement.

Who's going to write up the new suggested code?

I am teaching a class of apprentices these evenings. As an exercise, I gave them the latest list of "code questions" from Mike Holt. (Thanks, Mike!) As you might guess, this issue came up .... specifically, are it regards motor disconnects.

I agree that this section requires a LOT of work. Maybe even a complete re-write.

IMO, what matters is that the disconnect be easily reached - even if that means reaching over the motor or pump itself - and that is be obvious what the switch disconnects.

Now, the residential guys might be scratching their heads at this point .... but the example I have in mind would be an industrial production line. In these arrangements, there are often many machines, or motors, that work together. Yes, it often is possible to work on one section, while a neighboring section operates.

In practice, this means the disconnects are either mounted to the equipment itself - hello, working space issues! - or clustered all together on a wall three miles away .... good luck figuring out which switch is the one you want!

I brought this issue up for discussion in my class ... and I noticed something strange ....

On this topic, the NEC handbook takes pains to illustrate only examples of switchgear, electric rooms, etc.

Now, I realize that this does not even imply an official code interpretation ... but I do suspect that the code committee wasn't thinking about motor starters and furnace disconnects when they wrote this section.

As the great mayor Daily said: you're supposed to print what I meant, not what I said"

The only thing I can see as being a constant is if you can possibly get the required clearance it becomes required (like outside A/C disconnects) but when it is hard to impossible the rule suddenly disappers. Like the inside air handler that ends up in a closet or the attic or a water heater shoe horned into a utility room.