Vertiv 23168 20-Outlet 15A Vertical Rack Power Distribution Unit
Overview
The Vertiv NSVBN200-101S15 — cataloged as part number 23168 — is a basic vertical rack PDU built for reliable, no-frills power distribution inside standard IT cabinets and server racks. At 66.25 inches long and just 1.61 inches square in cross-section, it runs the full height of a 42U cabinet, hugging the vertical rail and leaving all usable rack space free for equipment. This is the unit you reach for when you need 20 individually accessible NEMA 5-15R outlets on a single 15A circuit without introducing monitoring complexity or unnecessary cost into the design.
Rated at 15A/120V with a 1.4kW continuous load capacity, the NSVBN200-101S15 is factory-tested — every unit is 100% tested before shipment — and carries UL and c-UL Listed 60950 certification alongside RoHS compliance. TAA Compliant and Buy American Act COTS Compliant status makes it eligible for federal and government procurement without additional documentation burden. It ships from US-based manufacturing. For integrators building out rack power distribution infrastructure in compliance-sensitive environments, that origin matters.
Key Features
- 20 NEMA 5-15R Outlets at 2.8in Spacing: Individual in-line outlets spaced 2.8 inches center-to-center give you clean access to each plug without the plug-body conflicts you get on tightly packed strips. All 20 outlets share the single 15A circuit — plan your load budget accordingly before populating the rack.
- 15A Thermal Breaker Protection: The integrated 15A thermal breaker trips on sustained overload without requiring a manual reset tool — it self-resets once the thermal element cools. This protects downstream equipment without creating a service call every time a circuit trips under transient load.
- 1.4kW Continuous Load Capacity: At 120V/15A, the 1.4kW rating is the NEC 80% derate applied — you're not supposed to run a 15A circuit beyond 12A continuous anyway. This spec confirms the PDU is rated correctly for continuous IT load, not just peak. Match it to your actual equipment nameplate draw before finalizing the design.
- 10ft/14AWG Power Cord with NEMA 5-15P Plug: The 10-foot, 14 AWG (14/3) cord reaches most raised-floor or overhead whip configurations without extension cords. 14 AWG is correctly sized for a 15A circuit — using an undersized cord on a full-load circuit is a common field error this unit avoids by design.
- 66.25-Inch Vertical Form Factor: The 1683mm chassis is sized to fit a standard 42U cabinet from top to bottom, mounted vertically on the rear rail. Plastic mounting clips (two at top, one at bottom) secure it without tools or cage nuts, simplifying installation in pre-populated racks.
- Single Green Power-ON LED Indicator: One status LED confirms live circuit presence — a deliberately minimal indicator set that eliminates the false-confidence problem you get when a PDU with complex display logic shows 'normal' during a partial failure. What you see is what you get: power present or not.
- Heavy Steel Powder-Coat Chassis in Black: The steel chassis resists the flex and rattle that plastic-body strips develop over years of cable weight. Black powder coat is the standard color; Vertiv can accommodate alternate colors through their sales channel for large deployments.
- 10–45°C Operating Temperature Range: Rated for operation from 50°F to 113°F — this covers standard data center environments and light-industrial IT closets. If your installation sees sustained temps above 40°C, verify room cooling is adequate before commissioning.
- TAA and Buy American Act COTS Compliant: US-origin manufacturing means this unit clears TAA procurement requirements without waivers. For federal, DoD, or state government deployments where supply-chain documentation is audited, this is a meaningful spec — not just a checkbox.
- 5-Year Limited Warranty: Vertiv's standard five-year limited warranty on the NSVBN200-101S15 is longer than the industry norm for basic PDUs, which typically carry one to three years. That coverage horizon matters when you're commissioning equipment expected to run continuously for a decade or more.
Integration and Compatibility
The 23168 is a passive basic PDU — no network card, no monitoring software, no SNMP interface. It integrates into any rack environment that has a 15A/120V circuit available and equipment with standard NEMA 5-15 plugs. It pairs naturally with open-frame and enclosed server racks of standard 42U height. For environments that need per-outlet switching, metered monitoring, or remote access, consider stepping up within the Vertiv rPDU line to a Switched or Metered variant — the basic category is the right fit when simplicity and cost efficiency are the primary drivers. The 50/60Hz frequency rating means the unit supports both North American and some international power environments, though the NEMA 5-15P plug limits physical compatibility to North American outlets without an adapter.
If your deployment requires UPS integration, this PDU connects downstream of a compatible UPS with a standard NEMA 5-15R output — confirm the UPS output receptacle and load bank rating before wiring. For larger racks running higher-density compute, evaluate whether a 20A or 30A circuit with a matching PDU better fits your load profile — a broader PDU selection covers those configurations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the Vertiv 23168 TAA compliant for government procurement?
A: Yes. The NSVBN200-101S15 is TAA Compliant and Buy American Act COTS Compliant, manufactured in the USA. It is suitable for federal, DoD, and state government procurement without additional waivers.
Q: What is the warranty on the 23168?
A: The NSVBN200-101S15 carries a 5-year limited warranty from Vertiv. Every unit is 100% factory-tested before shipment.
Q: How many outlets does the 23168 provide, and what type are they?
A: The 23168 provides 20 NEMA 5-15R receptacles, spaced 2.8 inches center-to-center, arranged individually in-line along the 66.25-inch vertical chassis.
Q: Does the 23168 include remote monitoring or network management capability?
A: No. The NSVBN200-101S15 is a basic (non-managed) PDU. It provides no SNMP, network card slot, or per-outlet switching. A single green LED confirms circuit power presence. For monitored or switched functionality, a different Vertiv rPDU variant is required.
Q: What is the maximum load the 23168 can handle continuously?
A: The NSVBN200-101S15 is rated at 15A/120V with a 1.4kW continuous load capacity — this reflects the NEC 80% continuous load derate on a 15A circuit. All 20 outlets share this single circuit, so total rack draw must stay within that envelope.
Q: What certifications does the 23168 carry?
A: The NSVBN200-101S15 is UL and c-UL Listed (60950) and RoHS Compliant. It is also TAA Compliant and Buy American Act COTS Compliant.
The Vertiv 23168 is the unit I recommend when an integrator asks me for a basic vertical PDU that won't create headaches five years from now. The NSVBN200-101S15's 5-year limited warranty combined with 100% factory testing means you're not gambling on field quality — and TAA/Buy American compliance means you can spec it into government and public-sector projects without a separate procurement justification.
Technical Highlights:
- 20 Outlets at 2.8in Spacing: Enough separation to seat most standard plug bodies without blocking adjacent receptacles — a practical detail that saves frustration during initial rack population and equipment swaps.
- 14 AWG/14-3 Power Cord: Correctly gauged for a 15A circuit at 10 feet — you won't find undersized wiring here, which matters both for safety compliance and for heat management in a continuously loaded rack environment.
- 15A Thermal Breaker: Self-resetting on cooldown, no reset tool required. In a remote or unattended location, that distinction can mean the difference between a brief outage and a truck roll.
Deployment Considerations:
- All 20 outlets share a single 15A circuit — aggregate your equipment nameplate draw before populating the rack. A fully loaded rack of 1U servers can easily exceed 12A continuous if you're not tracking it.
- This is a non-monitored PDU with no network interface. If your client will eventually want per-outlet metering or remote switching, design that into the initial spec rather than retrofitting — swapping a PDU in a live, populated rack is disruptive.
The 23168 is the right call for standard 42U government or enterprise IT closets where the circuit is known, the load is predictable, and the priority is long-term reliability over feature complexity — particularly in TAA-restricted procurement environments where US origin isn't optional.
