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Cord-and-Plug Connected Equipment – and the Inspector  

 
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We were recently contacted by an electrician that needed Mike’s help and expertise. All identifying names have been removed in an effort to avoid any further conflict. We are sharing this story with the hopes of helping someone that may find themselves in a similar situation.


I recently took a call from a customer that was moving his business into a new building and the electrical inspector had placed a temporary operation restriction on a machine we had manufactured/sold to him some years ago. It stated that the equipment was not "Listed" and as such he would have to have it certified by a Third Party Testing Laboratory (NRTL).

Curious, I contacted the inspector inquiring as to the nature of this highly unusual request (it is cord/plug connected equipment). He indicated that he inspects all equipment and appliances (right down to microwaves and toasters) and generically cited NEC as his substantiation. It took about a week’s worth of exchange and the backing of a substantial industry authority (Thank you Mike Holt) to convince this inspector that cord/plug connected equipment was not subject to NEC.

I would like to have thought that would have been the end of the battle, but the inspector then came back citing a state law barring the sale or transfer of Consumer Electrical Products that were not Listed. (Wow,.. really? From a building inspector?) I pointed out that not only was no sale or transfer taking place, but that this very specialized piece of equipment was not subject to any Consumer Electrical Products law that I had ever seen. He did not care and was going to force the inspection anyway. I responded demanding to know the exact text of the statute that was driving this. The arguments that followed stretched on for weeks until it was escalated to the state level and, with my backing, our customer initiated legal action.

Yes, we were eventually successful, but Hindsight being 20/20 our customer would have waited for final inspection before moving his equipment into the building.

 

Thank you again for your support. It was pivotal in my effort to put this issue to rest. If there is ever anything I can do for you in return please do not hesitate to ask.

 

 

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Mike Holt Enterprises of Leesburg, Inc. 3604 Parkway Blvd. Suite 3 Leesburg, FL 34748
"... as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" [Joshua 24:15]
Comments
  • Can the disconnecting means for a hot tub be installed on the tub

    Craig sparrowgrove   October 17 2015, 8:11 pm EDT
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  • I ran int a similar situation here in Ohio. There were some specialized optical lens grinding machines that were from a foreign country and were installed before final inspection. The inspector told me that if they were plugged in. they became a part of the building wiring system and were then subject to inspection. We just made sure they weren't plugged in.

    Mike Walker  September 1 2015, 12:04 am EDT
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  • I am a senior electrical inspector in South Florida. I would say that this inspector is out of control. His supervisor should have stepped in before it this went this far. If you can't specifically quote a code section at the time of rejection, the installation can't be failed. I'm glad the user pushed back. A municipality in this area is know for misapplying codes and I can't get any contractor's call them on it. They would rather switch than fight. That only encourages those "inspectors" the make-up more bogus codes. It gives all of us a bad name.

    JPeer  August 31 2015, 2:15 pm EDT
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  • I am a electrical contractor in Rhode island I have never heard of this ever happing hear that inspector really wanted to make a name for himself. Sounds like he was a pain.

    Michael Peluso  August 30 2015, 5:16 am EDT
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  • Thank you for sharing your experience. - It might help someone else in the future.

    Paul Spinosa  August 29 2015, 4:52 pm EDT
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  • The inspector could drop a dime to OSHA....OSHA requires all electrical equipment used in a work place to be listed by a NRTL.

    Don  August 29 2015, 2:34 pm EDT
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  • What parts of the NEC was this inspector citing to derive authority to inspect anything that is not part of the permanent building structure? I've witnessed testimony a tendency of inspectors to us faulty receptacle testers when inspecting homeowner electrical installations. When the homeowner told me his side of the story, it sounded like the inspector wanted to force the homeowner to get their electrical work checked by a licensed contractor. The homeowner had come to me for advice and assistance in the installation process and I had lent him a tester to enable him to test his work prior to inspection. When the inspector confronted him about an apparent problem with his outlets, the homeowner asked the inspector if he would mind if he checked the same outlet with his tester. When that tester showed everything fine, the inspector had nothing more to say and signed off on the electrical installation. My point, there seems to be evidence of over-reach of authority in both cases. It raises the question of what added benefit or value do electrical inspectors add if the there is no real effort to evaluate an electrical installation or cord energized equipment being electrically safe or not. If they have the authority to inspect work performed by licensed electrical contractors, it seems to me that they should, with that authority, have the knowledge to be able to demonstrate and/or articulate their electrical safety concerns and not just be label inspectors that moves them to red-tag and installation or assembly.

    Karl Mesenbrink  August 29 2015, 11:32 am EDT
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  • So, commercial refrigerators, garbage grinders, drinking fountains, plug-in industrial luminaires,etc,etc, should not be inspected for UL labels by the AHJ?? What a boost for the manufacturers of plug-in equipment both here and in Asia... from now on I will wear rubber gloves when using a drinking fountain.

    bill talbot  August 29 2015, 11:24 am EDT
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  • Wow... You give someone a little authority and they abused it and that's just what it was abuse of power

    Fred hurd  August 29 2015, 11:23 am EDT
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  • I have designed and built many control cabinets(both hard wired and C&P connected)and many machines (both hard wired and C&P connected). The local AHJ's have approved them as long as the components are UL listed.

    It sounds like the AHJ is just trying to push his weight around.

    David Earman  August 29 2015, 12:26 am EDT
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  • AFTER ALL SAID THE EQIPMENT WAS OK THANK YOU !!

    GARY GOMEZ  August 28 2015, 10:33 pm EDT
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  • Hello my name is Kriz. I live in the Cayman Islands and we adopt the NEC code. This wouldn't work in the Caymans. All specialized equipment must be in place prior to inspection and they must be listed. The only way we could have gotten away with this is if the circuit was listed on the drawings as general purpose and the equipment was not present at time of inspection. All equipment in the Cayman Islands must be listed even if they are not installed by electricians, such as pool equipment, garage doors, and gates to ones home.

    Kriz gibson  August 28 2015, 8:33 pm EDT
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  • Why would anyone ever assume a machine meets the minimum safety requirements (of a product standard) just because it is cord connected? There are many types of industrial machines that are cord connected that do require listing, to say that an AHJ cannot inspect it because of how it is installed in absurd. I cannot understand the logic of this at all, it certainly is not about providing safe installations.

    CPorter  August 28 2015, 7:35 pm EDT
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