Hint: elevator room escapades
Who needs an attachment plug cap anyways? Apparently not this installer, since he cut off the cord cap of the air conditioning unit and hard-wired it directly into the outlet box.
Misusing the cord-and-plug connection in this way violates the requirements of Sec. 110.3(B), since the air conditioner is not designed to be hard-wired. How can we swap out this unit now if it needs to be replaced? An electrician would need to remove the box cover and disconnect the wiring to allow this through-the-wall unit to be removed. This was not meant to be used in this manner.
The lack of a cord-cap also has me wondering where the disconnecting means is located for this room air conditioner. Section 440.63 is no longer applicable since the cord-and-plug connection has been eliminated. Section 440.14 requires a disconnecting means to be installed in a readily accessible location within sight from the air conditioning unit. Neither of the two exceptions in Sec. 440.14 would be applicable here. I did not see a disconnect for this unit anywhere in this elevator machine room. The installer may have also eliminated the AFCI, LCDI or HDCI protection device required by Sec. 440.65, which may have been located in the supply cord or part of the attachment plug.
