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  #1  
Old 9/8/08, 11:33 AM
Andrew Cox Andrew Cox is offline
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Default A/C power supply

I have always assumed there is supposed to be a disconnect within reach of the outdoor unit, as a safety issue. On this house I inspected yesterday, there isn't one, it is hard-wired into the home, and the only breaker is the one inside the panel.
This is the first time I've come across this. Isn't there a requirement for this to have a disconnect close-by? And as this buyer will be financing with FHA, would this be something the FHA inspector would call out? Thanks.
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  #2  
Old 9/8/08, 11:54 AM
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Jeffrey R. Pope Jeffrey R. Pope is offline
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Default Re: A/C power supply

The panel-breaker can be used as the disconnect, as long as it is within sight of the appliance.



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  #3  
Old 9/8/08, 12:03 PM
Andrew Cox Andrew Cox is offline
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Default Re: A/C power supply

Jeff, thanks. However, there is no breaker for it within sight. This is outside, and the panel breaker is inside the garage.



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  #4  
Old 9/8/08, 12:32 PM
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Jeffrey R. Pope Jeffrey R. Pope is offline
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Default Re: A/C power supply

Then it needs to be corrected. There must be a disconnect within sight of the appliance.

It's very unlikely that the FHA inspector will recognize this issue, but you should report it as a defect.



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  #5  
Old 9/8/08, 12:45 PM
Andrew Cox Andrew Cox is offline
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Default Re: A/C power supply

Thanks Jeff.
I've already written it into my report and showed it to the client during the inspection. It's a bank-owned property, so she'll pay for it anyway, but I'll recommend it be repaired immediately.



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  #6  
Old 9/8/08, 1:33 PM
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David A. Andersen David A. Andersen is offline
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Default Re: A/C power supply

You assumed right, but you should never assume.



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  #7  
Old 9/8/08, 1:36 PM
John Allingham John Allingham is online now
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Default Re: A/C power supply

Hi Andrew
I quite often see older A/C units with no disconnect in sight . It wasn't in the code back then.
If this is an older installation you may want to check that out.
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  #8  
Old 9/8/08, 1:48 PM
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David A. Andersen David A. Andersen is offline
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Default Re: A/C power supply

If you look at the picture of the building and the HVAC, it is quite obvious that an HVAC disconnect was required at the time of construction.

It really doesn't matter if it was building code at any time because it's not our job to interpret or enforce these building codes.

We are here to simply report there is no disconnect at the outside unit and it can kill your HVAC technician if he can't turn the power off!



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  #9  
Old 9/8/08, 2:05 PM
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Jeffrey R. Pope Jeffrey R. Pope is offline
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Default Re: A/C power supply

Quote:
Originally Posted by jallingham
Hi Andrew
I quite often see older A/C units with no disconnect in sight . It wasn't in the code back then.
If this is an older installation you may want to check that out.
This may be true for Canada - I don't know Canadian Codes.



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  #10  
Old 9/8/08, 2:48 PM
Charles L. Harper Charles L. Harper is offline
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Default Re: A/C power supply

Hey Jeff,
I saw your response concerning an ac disconnect. I had the same issue this morning. AC units were hardwired into main disconnect on outside of house. SO if you have to disconnect the ac unit for any reason than you will also shut off ALL power to the home. This doesn't seem right.



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  #11  
Old 9/8/08, 3:26 PM
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Jeffrey R. Pope Jeffrey R. Pope is offline
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Default Re: A/C power supply

Well, the "required disconnect" is effectively in place, however, there are rarely any instances where the direct tap would be compliant, regardless of the equipment it serves.

It certainly isn't the most preferred method, however, if wired properly and not double-tapped, it may well be compliant.



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  #12  
Old 9/8/08, 3:30 PM
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Jeffrey R. Pope Jeffrey R. Pope is offline
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Default Re: A/C power supply

Actually, I think I may have given a bit of misinformation.

In your case, the service disconnect for the house must not exceed the maximum circuit rating for the condenser unit(s). So it's very unlikely that what you had was compliant.



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  #13  
Old 9/8/08, 8:46 PM
Charles L. Harper Charles L. Harper is offline
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Default Re: A/C power supply

Jeff, you are 100% correct. Why I didn't think of that I don't know. This particular builder has done all of the houses in this sub division like this.



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  #14  
Old 9/8/08, 8:56 PM
Terry B. Clayton Terry B. Clayton is offline
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Default Re: A/C power supply

The only way I know this would pass would be if the interior disconnecting devise is capable of being locked out by the servicing tech. Hope they never have to replace the sealtite
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  #15  
Old 9/8/08, 9:01 PM
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Brian K. Doles Brian K. Doles is offline
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Default Re: A/C power supply

Quote:
Originally Posted by dandersen
If you look at the picture of the building and the HVAC, it is quite obvious that an HVAC disconnect was required at the time of construction.
To help educate me, what makes this so obvious in the picture?




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