ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Photos for General Discussion Disconnect on Ceiling - Is this Legal?

404.8(A)

Note the exceptions, there may be a loophole...

That's a tricky one. ’66’—is 404.8 the same as 380-8 for those of us lost in the stone age? At any rate, I would have broached a lifetime home-/jobsite-delivered latté pass early in the negotiations. {I’ll bet the fire marshal has one.}

I think it's a judgment call from a compliance standpoint. If it were adjacent to a served air-handler or drytype transformer, and non-fused, and allowed unencumbered use of a lock and tag, it maybe preferable to a remote location.

It may be worth asking if UL evaluates NEMA 1-enclosed disconnects mounted in other than the ‘upright’ position, or if any of their stock tests would potentially fail alternate mounting. The subject facility could use some slack {and permanent variance} for their charitable, strategic and precise worldwide distribution of a very popular and legal-in-most-states drug.

Aside from the apparent Art.110 clearances, it could be mounted in the ‘normal’ position with a handful of gusseted brackets, spring nuts and framing channel. [It would sorta’ make a nice j-box complete with ‘testable terminal point’ between EMT or GRC and vibration-isolating flex to the motor or drytype.]


[This message has been edited by Bjarney (edited 06-10-2002).]

NEMA-1 requirements address only the entry of rather large foreign objects; as far as the enclosure is concerned, the mounting shown is not a problem. This would change if the application required any other sort of NEMA enclosure.
NEC rules seem to encourage a "natural" motion to disconnect, but there is no "natural" motion here- unless one is to try to manipulate the switch with a stick.
Two issues need to be addressed: accessibility, and protection from damage. It is also not clear what is controlled by that switch.