NEC 2020 brings transparency to reconditioned products

Safety has always been Eaton’s highest priority and we work closely with the NEC (National Electric Code) to ensure new policies continue to protect our most valuable resources, people. 

Eaton, the NEC, NEMA, and other organizations have long maintained that molded case circuit breakers are not suitable for repair or refurbishment.  While changes to the code for 2020 do not change that position, they do provide clarity on what it means to be refurbished and what is now required when a suitable product is refurbished, including clearly marking the item as refurbished and removing the original manufacturer’s listing mark. 

The new code distinguishes between general maintenance like replacing a breaker, and refurbishment, altering a piece of equipment to a once again operational state.  Because a refurbished unit cannot be tested to the manufacturer’s test protocol, it cannot continue to carry the original listing mark.

Read the article below and learn about “reconditioned”, and what the NEC is doing to reinforce that UL489 molded case circuit breakers are not suitable for refurbishment or repair.