Vertiv 38606 15A Vertical Rackmount Power Distribution Unit
Overview
The Vertiv NSVB200-101R15 — part number 38606 — is a basic vertical rackmount PDU built for straightforward, reliable power distribution inside standard IT and security racks. At 66 inches tall with 20 individual NEMA 5-15R receptacles, it runs the full interior height of a typical two-post or four-post cabinet, giving you a high-density outlet count without consolidating outlets into shared strips that make cable management a headache. This is a no-frills unit: no remote monitoring, no switched outlets — just dependable 15A/120V distribution backed by a 5-year limited warranty and 100% factory testing before it ships.
TAA compliant and Buy American Act COTS compliant, the 38606 is a defensible procurement choice for federal, state, and municipal projects where country-of-origin documentation matters. It is manufactured in the USA.
Key Features
- 20 NEMA 5-15R Receptacles, Individually Rotated: Twenty outlets spaced 2.8 inches center-to-center and rotated to prevent adjacent plug bodies from blocking neighboring ports — critical when you are installing wall-wart or angled power supplies across a fully populated rack. You get the outlet count of a managed PDU without paying for metering you do not need.
- 15A / 1.4kW Capacity on a 15A Thermal Breaker: The unit draws from a single 15A circuit (NEMA 5-15P plug) and delivers up to 1.4kW continuous at 120V. A thermal breaker — rather than a standard fuse — trips under overcurrent and resets without requiring a replacement component. Plan your load at 80% of rated capacity (1.12kW / ~9.3A) per NEC best practice to avoid nuisance trips.
- 66-Inch Vertical Form Factor with Plastic Mounting Clips: At 66.25 x 1.61 x 1.61 inches, this PDU mounts vertically in the zero-U space along the side of a cabinet. It ships with plastic mounting clips — one at the bottom, two at the top — for tool-assisted installation that holds the unit securely without rail modification.
- 10-Foot 14/3 Power Cord with NEMA 5-15P: The 10-foot cord with 14-gauge conductors gives adequate slack to reach a floor-mounted PDU, raised-floor receptacle, or wall outlet without requiring an extension. The 14AWG wire gauge is rated comfortably above the 15A load, reducing resistive heating under sustained draw.
- Single Power ON Green LED Indicator: A single green LED confirms the unit is energized — simple, unambiguous status confirmation without a complex display that adds cost and potential failure points in a basic-tier PDU.
- Operating Temperature 10–45°C (50–113°F): Rated for the standard data center and IDF/MDF operating envelope. If your environment runs hotter than 45°C — edge deployments in non-climate-controlled enclosures, for example — verify ambient conditions before deploying.
- TAA and Buy American Act COTS Compliant, RoHS Compliant, UL & c-UL Listed: UL and Canadian UL listing under 60950 verifies the unit meets recognized safety standards for IT equipment power. RoHS compliance covers hazardous substance restrictions. TAA and BAA COTS compliance opens federal procurement pathways that grey-market or parallel-import units cannot satisfy.
- Shipped Weight 9 lbs: Light enough for a single installer to handle during rack build-out. The black powder-coat heavy steel chassis is durable without adding unnecessary mass to a high-density rack.
Integration & Compatibility
The NSVB200-101R15 is designed for standard 19-inch two-post and four-post open-frame and enclosed racks. The zero-U vertical orientation frees every rack unit for active equipment. With 20 NEMA 5-15R receptacles at 15A max each (subject to the 15A circuit total), it accommodates a mix of 1U servers, network switches, PoE network switches, NVRs, and other IT infrastructure drawing standard 120V power. It is well-suited alongside network video recorders and video management appliances in security-focused rack builds where you need clean, distributed power to avoid daisy-chaining surge strips.
This is a non-surge, non-monitored unit. If your deployment requires remote outlet switching, per-outlet metering, or surge protection, step up within the Vertiv PDU lineup to a metered or switched rPDU variant. For environments where a power distribution audit trail is required — healthcare, finance, critical infrastructure — a metered unit is the better fit. The basic tier is the right answer when the primary need is outlet density and circuit separation, not instrumentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the Vertiv 38606 TAA compliant?
A: Yes. The 38606 is manufactured in the USA and is both TAA compliant and Buy American Act COTS compliant, making it eligible for federal, state, and municipal procurement programs that require domestic origin documentation.
Q: How many outlets does the 38606 provide, and what receptacle type?
A: The 38606 provides 20 NEMA 5-15R receptacles, individually rotated and spaced 2.8 inches center-to-center along the 66-inch vertical chassis.
Q: What is the warranty on the Vertiv 38606?
A: Vertiv covers the 38606 with a 5-year limited warranty. Every unit is 100% tested for reliability and functionality before leaving the factory.
Q: Does the 38606 include surge protection?
A: No. The NSVB200-101R15 is a basic (non-surge) PDU. It includes a 15A thermal breaker for overcurrent protection but does not provide transient voltage surge suppression. If surge protection is required, select a different model in the Vertiv rPDU family.
Q: What power cord does the 38606 ship with?
A: The unit ships with a 10-foot, 14/3 power cord terminated in a NEMA 5-15P plug for connection to a standard 15A, 120V receptacle.
Q: Can the 38606 be monitored remotely?
A: No. The 38606 is a basic rPDU with no network interface, remote monitoring, or outlet switching. It provides a single green power-on LED as the only status indicator. For remote monitoring, consider a metered or switched Vertiv rPDU variant.
The 38606 is the unit I reach for when a rack build needs a high outlet count and nothing more. The 20-outlet, 66-inch vertical layout on this NSVB200-101R15 handles a fully populated 42U cabinet with room to spare — and the individually rotated receptacles at 2.8-inch spacing mean you won't be fighting stacked wall-wart power supplies for the first time at 11pm during a site build.
Technical Highlights:
- 20 Rotated NEMA 5-15R Outlets: Individually rotated receptacles at 2.8-inch center-to-center spacing prevent adjacent plug bodies from colliding — a small detail that matters enormously when half your rack is powered by bulky brick-style adapters.
- 15A Thermal Breaker (Not a Fuse): The thermal breaker resets on-site without a replacement part. On a basic PDU that may sit in a remote IDF for years, this is the right protection type — no spares to stock, no service call just to reset an overcurrent fault.
- TAA + BAA COTS Compliance, Made in USA: For any government-adjacent deployment — federal agencies, state/local law enforcement, public schools, DOD contractors — this compliance status removes a documentation obstacle that disqualifies non-compliant units regardless of price.
Deployment Considerations:
- Plan your connected load at or below 1.12kW (80% of the 1.4kW rated capacity) to stay within NEC guidelines and avoid thermal breaker trips under sustained full-rack load scenarios.
- This unit provides no surge suppression. In environments with dirty power — older buildings, industrial adjacency, or sites with generator-only backup — pair it with upstream surge protection at the UPS or panel level, or select a Vertiv surge-rated variant instead.
This PDU is the right fit for a government facility, municipal surveillance rack, or federal agency IDF where TAA documentation is non-negotiable and remote monitoring is handled at the UPS or network switch level — not the PDU itself.
