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110.21(A)(2), 240.2, 404.16(A)(B)(C)(D) and 406.2 Reconditioned Equipment

Revision/New

Change Summary

  • The NEC has changed and added to the list of what types of electrical equipment can and can’t be reconditioned throughout the Code. The equipment identified here are the most commonly used in everyday installations. Do to space constraints in this guide, we did not list all of the less common equipment but if reconditioning is your thing, you may want to look to 410.2 (Lamps), 411.2 (Low Volt Lighting), 430.2 (Motors), 700.2 (Transfer Switches).

NEC®Text

110.21 Marking
(A) Equipment Markings.
(2) Reconditioned Equipment. Reconditioned equipment shall be marked with the following:
(1) Name, trademark, or other descriptive marking of the organization that performed the reconditioning
(2) The date of the reconditioning
(3) the term reconditioned or other approved wording or symbol indicating that the equipment has been reconditioned. The original listing mark shall be removed or made permanently illegible. The equipment nameplate shall not be required to be removed or made permanently illegible, only the part of the nameplate that includes the listing mark if applicable. Approval of the reconditioned equipment shall not be based solely on the equipment’s original listing.

240.2 Reconditioned Equipment.
(A) Reconditioning Not Permitted. The following equipment shall not be reconditioned:
(1) Equipment providing ground-fault protection of equipment
(2) Ground-fault circuit interrupters
(3) Low-voltage fuseholders and low-voltage renewable fuses
(4) Molded-case circuit breakers
(B) Reconditioning Permitted. The following equipment shall be permitted to be reconditioned:
(1) Low-voltage power circuit breakers
(2) Electromechanical protective relays and current transformers
Reconditioned equipment shall be listed as reconditioned and comply with 110.21(A)(2).

210.15 Reconditioned Equipment.
(A) Reconditioning Not Permitted. The following equipment shall not be reconditioned:
(1) Equipment that provides ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel
(2) Equipment that provides arc-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel
(3) Equipment that provides ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection of equipment

404.16 Reconditioned Equipment.
(A) Lighting, Dimmer, and Electronic Control Switches.
Reconditioned lighting, dimmer, and electronic control switches shall not be permitted.
(B) Snap Switches. Reconditioned snap switches of any type shall not be permitted.
(C) Knife Switches, Switches with Butt Contacts, and Bolted Pressure Contact Switches. Reconditioned knife switches, switches with butt contacts, and bolted pressure contact switches shall be permitted. If equipment has been damaged by fire, products of combustion, corrosive influences, or water, it shall be specifically evaluated by its manufacturer or a qualified testing laboratory prior to being returned to service.
(D) Molded-Case Switches. Reconditioned molded-case switches shall not be permitted.

406.2 Reconditioned Equipment. Reconditioned receptacles, attachment plugs, cord connectors, and flanged surface devices shall not be permitted.

Material taken from the National Electric Code. is reprinted with permission from NFPA 70., 2023 edition. National Electrical Code®, Copyright 2022, National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA. All rights reserved.

Expert Analysis

Several new sections have been added and relocated to address equipment that is permitted to be reconditioned and equipment not permitted to be reconditioned.

The reconditioned equipment shall be listed as reconditioned and comply with the additional marking requirements per 110.21(A)(2).

Leviton Comment: The NEC struck Article 210.15 which specifically disallowed reconditioning of both ground-fault and arc-fault devices. However, the NEC added 240.2 which adds back in ground-fault devices, but not arc-fault devices. Unless we missed another new article regarding reconditioning of arc-fault devices, it appears the NEC no longer prohibits reconditioning arc-fault devices.

All this makes the reader wonder who is doing all this reconditioning or remanufacturing. The NEC is directed at electrical installers, inspectors and alike. It’s unclear how many of these individuals are doing reconditioning to the level described in these code articles (probably few to none). Some inspectors interpret reconditioning as when an installer installs a device outside of the manufacturer’s instructions, thus in a different condition or reconditioned. Sometimes retailers use the remanufactured and reconditioned terms loosely on returned products that they can’t sell as new, so they sell it “reconditioned” at a discount.

Leviton does not recondition or remanufacture any devices or products. To bring used products back to the same level of quality and safety as new products, it would cost more than simply making a new product.

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