HVAC Equipment Outlet

BigJimmy

Q:

NEC 210.63 requires a 15 or 20A receptacle for servicing HVAC&R equipment to be located w/in 25 ft (and on the same level) as the equipment. I've noticed that in residential construction, it seems to be customary for the electrician to install a box/receptacle/disconnecting switch on the furnace itself.

I have two HVAC systems in my house that I provided the wiring for, one in the basement and one in the attic. Our house was originally set up as a two flat with separate panels for the upper and lower units. I am in the process of installing a new 200A panel/meter/service and once it is temped in, I will start cutting over all existing circuits from the two separate panels to this new one (we are converting to a single family).

I originally fed each HVAC receptacle from a dedicated circuit in each panel out of convenience due to the fact that the upper unit was piped from the 2nd floor panel and the basement unit from the 1st floor panel (both panels are located side by side in the basement). Since everything will be repiped and fed from the new panel, is there any reason that these two receptacles cannot be on the same circuit? Also, does this circuit need to dedicated for this purpose or can it also contain other receptacles, say those installed throughout the basement?

Edit: I was going to post the following separately but it's too close to this topic so I'm adding it in here:

Currently, there is no permanent lighting outlet for servicing the equipment installed in the attic as is required by NEC 210.70.C and I wish to add this as part of an ongoing rewiring job that I'm performing on my house.

The HVAC unit is powered from a 220V 15A breaker. There is a separate 20A breaker that is currently providing power to the receptacle that is located at the unit for servicing. Could this second 120V receptacle circuit be used to provide power to the light that I intend on installing?

Thanks!
Jimmy

__________________
The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves,"You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done." - George Carlin

LawnGuyLandSparky

Why don't you just install one 200a service & panel, and feed each of the existing panels with one of 2 100a breakers? No need to relocate all of the circuits into one panel.

As for the service outlets- they never had to be on individual dedicated circuits. They can be on any nearby convenience 15a or 20a circuit. So lights and other receptacles can be on the same circuit too.

jwhite

The lights for servicing the equipment can also come off of any convient circuit.

__________________
Master Electrician

BigJimmy

Thanks LawnGuy and Jwhite for the responses.

LawnGuy: Yeah, I considered it originally but the existing panels are very old and the conduit work/wiring to/from both is a total mess with a lot of very old BX/MC cable with cloth covered wiring. The new panel is in a more central location in the basement and I will be able to repipe many of the circuits so that the finished product will be much cleaner. Also, the old panels and some of the conduit connections are in the way of new gas and water distribution pipe routings that I designed based on existing appliance layout. Finally, my wife got a sooopah bargain on a brand new 42 circuit Square D QO panel that she gave me as a surprise gift ("20A Arc Fault breakers?? Honey, you shouldn't have!").

So, you're right, I could convert the existing panels to subs but it's not necessarily to best solution in my case.

Thanks you guys,
Jimmy

__________________
The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves,"You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done." - George Carlin