Page 51 - May-Jun 19

FEATURE

THE NEW INDUSTRY CATCH PHRASE:

“Reconditioned

Equipment”
By Jack Lyons, Northeast
NEMA Field Representative

“Reconditioned Equipment” is the new catch phrase in the reconditioned equipment for new
National Electric Code® (NEC®). Until the 2014 NEC®, the term or existing installations by electrical
“reconditioned” was only applied to x-ray equipment in Articles contractors outside the scope of
industrial maintenance.
517 and 660. In the 2017 NEC®, it was expanded to all types
of equipment and identified as a practice to install equipment The 2017 NEC® is used as an installation
that was reconditioned or rebuilt. guide for contractors, but the purpose
of the code is to provide a practical
safeguard in the use of electricity, which
The question one might ask is, “Why are we repairing and not replacing the equipment?”
One may also ask if the equipment has been physically damaged; or exposed to water, means providing safety to the end-user
excessive heat, or a corrosive environment. The NEC® has started to address the re- over the equipment’s lifetime. There are
installation of equipment and the approval process of determining if the equipment maintenance programs and standards
meets all original safety requirements. recognizing the life expectancy of
products in the field, as well how the life
The industry has seen older equipment installed with new components, which were expectancy could be altered by various
considered upgrades, or replacement of aging parts. For example, motors are rebuilt, factors while in use (i.e., temperature,
rewound, reconditioned, and put back into service. Circuit breakers have maintenance moisture, vibration). These factors may
procedures calling for replacement parts as part of the product standard. These types affect the ongoing performance and
of maintenance procedures have been used by factories for years but are not addressed safety of the equipment. The 2017 NEC®
in the scope of the NEC®. The NEC® will address factory maintenance differently than includes new marking requirements in

www.ieci.org | May/June 2019 | Insights Magazine 49