New condenser, side yard
What's wrong here?
- There is no disconnecting means within sight of the condenser
- A 125 V service receptacle is required within 25 ft of the condenser
- Liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit is not permitted outdoors
- Nothing. This installation is compliant
Show the answer and the code reference
The answer
The condenser has no disconnecting means within sight of it; the whip runs straight from the house wall into the unit.
Correct choice: 1. There is no disconnecting means within sight of the condenser
Air-conditioning and refrigerating equipment must have a disconnecting means that is within sight from and readily accessible from the equipment (440.14). A breaker in the basement panel does not count: 'within sight' means visible and not more than 50 ft away (Article 100). The hazard is a service tech working inside the condenser while someone resets the breaker indoors. The disconnect must also be rated for the load per 440.12, must have 110.26(A) working space in front of it (added to 440.14 in 2023), and may be mounted on the unit, just not on a panel that must be removed to service it.
How to fix it
Install a NEMA 3R air-conditioner disconnect (fused or non-fused pull-out, or a molded-case switch) on the wall beside the unit with clear working space in front, rated per 440.12; run the branch circuit into its line side and the LFNC whip from its load side to the condenser. At a dwelling, also provide GFCI protection for the condenser outlet: the 210.8(F) exception for listed HVAC equipment expired Sept. 1, 2026.
Code references
NEC 2023 440.14 — Location
The disconnecting means for air-conditioning or refrigerating equipment must be located within sight from and readily accessible from the equipment and must meet the working space requirements of 110.26(A). It may be installed on or within the unit, but not on panels designed to allow access to the equipment or where it obscures the nameplate.
Drills citing 440.14NEC 2023 Article 100 — In Sight From (Within Sight From, Within Sight)
Where the Code says one piece of equipment must be within sight of another, it must be visible from it and not more than 15 m (50 ft) away.
Drills citing Article 100NEC 2023 210.63(A) — Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Refrigeration Equipment
A 125-volt, single-phase, 15- or 20-ampere receptacle outlet must be installed at an accessible location within 25 ft of HVAC equipment, on the same level; it may not be connected to the load side of the equipment disconnect.
Drills citing 210.63(A)
2026 NEC:same rule and number. No 2026 change to 440.14 found in code-change coverage; the within-sight, readily accessible, 110.26(A) working-space, and not-on-access-panel requirements appear to carry over unchanged. Search snippets only, no 2026 source confirmed the text directly. Confidence: low
Minnesota
Minnesota adopts the NEC without section amendments. The 2023 NEC applies to permits filed July 1, 2023 through Aug. 16, 2026, and the 2026 NEC to permits filed on or after Aug. 17, 2026 (Minn. Stat. 326B.35; Minn. Rules 1315.0200; DLI electrical codes and standards page). No Minnesota change to 440.14 is known.
How Minnesota adopts the NECWhy the other choices are wrong
- A 125 V service receptacle is required within 25 ft of the condenser. That rule is real (210.63(A)), and the weatherproof receptacle on the wall to the left of the unit already satisfies it.
- Liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit is not permitted outdoors. LFNC is permitted in wet locations and exposed outdoors (356.10); it is the normal final connection to a condenser.
- Nothing. This installation is compliant. The condenser can be energized from a breaker in the basement with nobody at the unit able to see or lock it; 440.14 requires a disconnect within sight.