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Hello everyone, Kyle here. Have you ever wondered why a six-foot cord is pretty much standard on all round or UFO-style high bays? Well look no further, I have all the answers for you in today’s episode. Welcome to Get Wired with Kyle, brought to you by LEDVANCE!

So flexible cords generally are only used to power portable or temporary lighting. But NEC section 410.62 allows some fixtures like high bays to be cord and plug to allow for easy removal to service them on the ground. The general idea is that an installer can go up on a lift and in one swift motion disconnect power with the left hand, un-hook the fixture with your right hand, and bring it back down with you.

The five general requirements of 410.62 are:
One, the cord must not be longer than six feet,
Two, the fixture must be located directly below the outlet,
Three, the cord is not subject to strain or physical damage,
Four, the entire cord is visible for inspection,
And five, the cord generally must terminate into a plug and matching receptacle for easy connection and disconnection.

Now let’s imagine your electrical box is way up on the decking but you want to suspend the high bay below the rafters, making the whole “one swift move” thing unrealistic. Is there another way you could use flexible cord? Short answer: yes.

A little bit deeper in the code book we find Article 604, Manufactured Wiring Systems. This is a short section which primarily addresses factory-made, modular wiring harnesses like what you might find from the brand Reloc®. These solutions are frequently made from metal-clad cables and all the connectors are factory-applied so the rules are a little bit different.

It is here within Article 604.100 section (A)(3) that you will find a provision for wiring harnesses made from flexible cord. The entire cord assembly must be listed and labeled (or L&L) for making a transition between the components of a manufactured wiring system and electrical equipment not permanently attached to the building structure. Exactly what you are looking to do, right?

And the rules are all basically the same as 410.62, including the maximum six-foot cord length. However, it appears to me that some manufacturers have been able to offer a 12’ cord set on their high bays by installing a listed wiring harness that is six feet of cord off the fixture and six feet of cord off the box with an approved strain-relieving quick connect in the middle. It does not appear that you can buy one of these wiring harnesses and install it yourself, it must be special ordered from the factory with your high bays. Probably not the answer you were looking for, but it’s an option!