The NC Department of Insurance Office of State Fire Marshall’s October Newsletter contains a clarification that comfort cooling equipment used for product cooling is in violation of the NC Building Code.
The relevant section states:
Technical Bulletin – Comfort cooling equipment not designed for product cooling
It was brought to the attention of our department by the NC State Board of Refrigeration Contractors that some businesses are using after-market controls attached to comfort cooling equipment to act as refrigeration units for produce cooling. The aftermarket controls and devices that force the comfort-cooling unit to cool to a lower temperature than it was designed for is not in compliance with the manufacturer’s installation instructions and is therefore in violation of the NC Building Code. We clarified that this is a violation of NCMC 304.1 and/or 1101.2 if this occurs in a building or process where the NC Building Code is applicable. These sections are reprinted next:
304.1 General. Equipment and appliances shall be installed as required by the terms of their approval, in accordance with the conditions of the listing, the manufacturer’s installation instructions and this code. Manufacturer’s installation instructions shall be available on the job site at the time of inspection.
1101.2 Factory-built equipment and appliances. Listed and labeled self-contained, factory-built equipment and appliances shall be tested in accordance with UL 207, 412, 471 or 1995. Such equipment and appliances are deemed to meet the design, manufacture and factory test requirements of this code if installed in accordance with their listing and the manufacturer’s installation instructions.
If the cooling unit is located in a structure, and performing a purpose that meets the definitions of Industrial Equipment, then it is outside the scope of the NC Building Code, reference NCGS 143-138 paragraph b9, but it may be subject to other agency and licensure rules.
You can read the newsletter here.