Q. The 2020 National Electrical Code^® (NEC^®) contains many changes regarding the use and limitations of reconditioned or rebuilt equipment. How does UL identify if equipment is Certified (Listed) as reconditioned or rebuilt?

 A. 2020 NEC Section 110.21(A)(2) requires reconditioned equipment to be identified as reconditioned and marked with the name or trademark of the company doing the reconditioning and the date of reconditioning. The original Certification (Listing) Mark must also be removed. The NEC states that “Approval of the reconditioned equipment shall not be based solely on the equipment’s original listing.” For clarity, Informational Note No. 2 states that “The term reconditioned may be interchanged with the terms rebuilt, refurbished, or remanufactured.” UL has a longstanding Certification (Listing) program for specific types of rebuilt products that are fully evaluated to the same safety requirements used to evaluate newly constructed products. The general guide information for each product category with a rebuilt Certification (Listing) program identifies the applicable requirements and the specific marking for rebuilt products. Only rebuilt products that bear the UL Mark together with the word “Rebuilt,” “Refurbished,” “Remanufactured,” “Reconditioned” or “Renovated” have been investigated by UL to the applicable Certification (Listing) requirements and comply with UL’s factory surveillance requirements for a qualified rebuilder.

For example, rebuilt hazardous location motors may be Certified (Listed) under the product category Motors and Generators, Rebuilt for Use in Hazardous Locations (PTKQ). The guide information for PTKQ details that products covered under the category will be identified with the UL Mark and the phrase “Rebuilt Electric Motor for Hazardous Locations.”

The UL guide information and Certification (Listings) for PTKQ can be viewed on UL Product iQ^TM at Productiq.UL.com; enter PTKQ at the search field. UL Product iQ is the next generation of UL’s online certifications database. Access to Product iQ is free, but registration is required. Additionally, UL may be able to provide field evaluations for electrical equipment that has been reconditioned in the field. For more information on UL’s field evaluation service, contact UL’s customer service team at 877-854-3577,#2 or www.ul.com/field.

Q.  What is considered “reconditioned” or “rebuilt”? Is converting a luminaire to LED reconditioning? Does changing blown fuses, circuit breakers, motor starters or motor control buckets in a motor control center qualify as reconditioning? What about having a motor from a piece of equipment rewound?

A. Reconditioned is defined in NEC Article 100 as “Electromechanical systems, equipment, apparatus, or components that are restored to operating conditions. This process differs from normal servicing of equipment that remains within a facility, or replacement of listed equipment on a one-to-one basis.”

Normal maintenance and servicing of equipment or replacement of Certified (Listed) equipment on a one-to-one basis is not considered reconditioning. For example replacing a fuse, circuit breaker, motor starter or motor control bucket identified on the equipment markings or installation instructions does not qualify as reconditioning. Other field modifications require a field evaluation to determine if the modified product complies with UL’s requirements.

An exception regarding field modifications is installing a Certified (Classified) retrofit kit in accordance with the kit installation instructions such as converting a luminaire to an LED light source. NEC Section 410.7, specifies that a retrofitted luminaire shall not be considered reconditioned.  UL Certifies (Classifies) LED retrofit kits under the product category Light-emitting-diode Luminaire Retrofit Kits (IFAR). The UL guide information and Certified (Classified) kits can be located on UL Product iQ at Productiq.UL.com; enter IFAR at the search field. 

The Certification (Listing or Classification) Mark from UL is the manufacturer’s declaration that the product was manufactured in accordance with the applicable certification requirements and was in compliance with those requirements when it was shipped from a factory. When equipment is modified, rebuilt or reconditioned after it leaves a factory, UL does not know if the product continues to meet the applicable  requirements unless the modification or reconditioning has been specifically evaluated by UL.

For more information concerning UL’s position on field modified or rebuilt equipment, see the UL guide information for Electrical Equipment for Use in Ordinary Locations (AALZ) located on UL Product iQ at Productiq.UL.com; enter AALZ at the search field. Additionally, UL may be able to provide field evaluations for electrical equipment that has been modified or reconditioned in the field. For more information on UL’s field evaluation service, contact UL’s customer service team at 877-854-3577,#2 or www.ul.com/field.

Reprinted with Permission from IAEI News, UL Question Corner March/April 2020.