I came across this in today’s inspection. The heat pump is a good 18 inches from the house, which doesn’t bother me so much, but the power source is not properly secured. 1,500 sq ft home, 8yrs old. I’ve never seen positioning like this before. I’ve searched, but haven’t been able to find anything regarding placement of the unit or power cord. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance for any insight.
I would call it out. I think it will be prone to mechanical damage. The whip should be secured in my opinion. But I have no resource to back up my thoughts, but hey…that never stopped me 
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Looks like something a kid would try to pull on, just to see what would happen. Heck, might even sit on it or treat it like a zip line. 
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I agree that the whip should be secured.
Depending on location, there should also be pump ups located under the unit.
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Hey Jeff, Thanks for the education. I was wondering why I had never heard of “pump ups” until now. Here in Alabama we don’t have much need for them.
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That whip will make a fun toy for a kid or a dog. I would write it up as a safety concern.
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It looks like liquidtight which is covered by NEC Article 356. If a run of iquidtight exceeds 6 feet, it should be secured every 3 feet and secured within 12” of both ends. Less than 6 feet, I think it needs to be just secured at three feet.
Maybe @rmeier2 could share his interpretation.
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It does appear to be liquidtight flexible nonmetallic conduit (LFNC) which in this installation would require support every 3’ and within 3’ from the unit as you’ve mentioned.
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I would have them check with the AC install company to correct all of these issues.
- The obvious issue of the seal tight not being secured Which this conduit is not mounted based on NEC standards. This needs correction
- When the unit was installed they should have squared it up and centered it on the pad.
- The pad should have been closer to the refrigerant line so the 3’- 4’ length of copper is not exposed where it can be easily damaged…
- The pad should be leveled. Unleveled fan blades put strain on the fan motor bearings which will shorten the life of the motor.
If the condensing unit was installed closer to the disconnect and the copper raceway the unit wouldn’t be hanging out on the edge of the pad and have soo much extra copper. This looks like there was not much planning done by the installers.
Or perhaps it was, in an effort to resolve other (unseen) issues of higher concern.
The only concern I see is the electrical. Simple fix.
What is your source for #2, #3, and #4? Are these a TREC required thing?
I was trained many years ago that the unit was allowed to be out-of-level up to 10 degrees. Has this been changed? In fact, it appears to be the first photo that is out of level, not the unit. See pic #2.
I agree with others that the conduit should be secured to the structure in a way that it isn’t prone to mechanical damage.
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Wire should be in conduit from compressor running directly to wall from ground (not to be trip hazard)then to breaker along wall, and then into house.
Example:
In looks to me like someone moved it away from the wall to increase airflow. This is a West wall and gets very hot in the summer and may be affecting the capacity of the system in very hot weather. Not much airflow in that alcove during the Alabama summers.
Note the diagrams that Marcel posted for equipment clearance.
The conduit must be changed and secured to protected it from damage. That would be the cheapest fix.
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I concur.
Observation: HVAC compressor/condenser power cable issue. The suspended hanging compressor power cable is not secured to the masonry wall within 6’ feet of the disconnect and HVAC compressor/condenser. The power cable acts as a possible entanglement issue while traversing the yard. Impedes clear way of passage. Trip fall personal injury hazard.