Vertiv 28087 Basic Vertical Rack PDU — 14-Outlet 20A 120V
Overview
The Vertiv NSVC140-102S20 (part number 28087) is a basic vertical rackmount PDU designed to distribute reliable 120V AC power to 14 individual outlets inside a standard equipment cabinet. At 48 inches and rated for 20A/1.9kW continuous, it slots cleanly alongside 1U–4U gear without consuming precious horizontal rack space — the vertical orientation frees shelf real estate that a horizontal PDU would otherwise block. Every unit ships 100% factory-tested, and the 5-year limited warranty reflects confidence in that build standard.
For data center managers, rack integrators, and security infrastructure teams deploying high-density cameras, NVRs, access control panels, or network switches, the rack power distribution choice often comes down to outlet count, breaker configuration, and physical fit. The 28087 answers all three without adding monitoring overhead you don't need.
Key Features
- 14x NEMA 5-20R Outlets at 20A Each: All 14 receptacles share a single 20A thermal breaker with a maximum of 20A per receptacle at 120V — enough headroom to run a fully loaded camera NVR, PoE switch, or small server without voltage sag. Individual in-line receptacle spacing at 2.95-inch center-to-center keeps standard plug bodies from blocking adjacent outlets.
- 1.9kW Load Capacity at 120V: The 1.9kW continuous rating reflects a practical 95% of the 20A breaker capacity — a responsible design margin. If your load calculation puts you near 1.9kW, you're already close to breaker trip territory; leave 20% headroom as a safe operating floor.
- 20A Thermal Breaker with Manual Reset: Thermal breakers respond more slowly than magnetic breakers to short transient spikes, which means nuisance trips from inrush currents (common when powering up several IP cameras or PoE switches simultaneously) are less likely. When an overload does occur, the switch-equipped breaker gives on-site staff a clear reset mechanism without tools.
- Green Power-On LED Indicator: A single green LED confirms live power at a glance — useful in dense cabinet environments where cable clutter can obscure whether a PDU is actually energized after a maintenance window.
- 10ft Power Cord with NEMA 5-20P Plug: The 12/3 AWG cable is sized to handle the full 20A draw without resistive heating. The 10ft cord length gives enough slack to route cleanly to a wall outlet or floor-mounted PDU strip even in deeper cabinet installations.
- 48in Vertical Form Factor (47.50in x 1.61in x 1.61in chassis): At under 1.7 inches square in cross-section, the 28087 mounts inside the rear vertical channel of most standard 42U–48U cabinets using the included top and bottom plastic mounting clips — no rack units consumed, no shelf hardware needed.
- TAA Compliant and Buy American Act COTS Compliant: Manufactured in the USA, the 28087 qualifies for federal, state, and municipal procurement programs that require TAA or BAA compliance — a real differentiator when quoting government site deployments where non-compliant products are disqualifying.
- RoHS Compliant, UL & c-UL Listed (60950): UL 60950 listing covers IT equipment power distribution safety requirements; c-UL extends that recognition to Canadian installations. RoHS compliance satisfies hazardous materials restrictions on projects with environmental mandates.
- Operating Temperature 10–45°C (50–113°F): Covers standard conditioned data center and server room environments. If your cabinet is in an unconditioned space that pushes above 45°C, plan cooling before spec'ing this PDU — operating above the thermal ceiling degrades breaker response accuracy.
- 8 lbs Shipped Weight: Light enough for a single technician to mount inside a cabinet without a lift or second pair of hands, reducing installation labor time on multi-rack deployments.
Integration & Compatibility
The 28087 is a non-surge, non-monitored basic PDU — it has no network interface, no outlet-level switching, and no remote monitoring capability. That's by design: it eliminates the firmware, IP address, and credential management overhead of intelligent PDUs in deployments where simple, reliable power distribution is the only requirement. Pair it with an uninterruptible power supply upstream for runtime protection and voltage conditioning; the PDU itself provides no surge suppression.
All 14 outlets are NEMA 5-20R, which accept both NEMA 5-15P and NEMA 5-20P plugs — giving flexibility when mixing equipment with standard 15A plugs alongside 20A-rated devices. This makes the 28087 compatible with the broad installed base of PoE network switches, IP camera recorders, and access control head-end equipment that ships with 5-15P cords. Review the rack power planning guide before finalizing outlet count requirements across your cabinet layout.
The Vertiv PowerIT rPDU line — including the 28087 — is part of a broader Vertiv rack infrastructure catalog that includes intelligent and metered PDU variants if monitoring or outlet-level switching becomes a project requirement in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the Vertiv 28087 TAA compliant for government procurement?
A: Yes. The 28087 is manufactured in the USA and is documented as TAA Compliant and Buy American Act COTS Compliant, qualifying it for federal, state, and municipal procurement programs with domestic sourcing requirements.
Q: Does the 28087 provide surge protection?
A: No. The 28087 is a Basic Non-Surge rPDU — it provides no surge suppression. For surge protection or voltage conditioning, install a compatible UPS upstream of this PDU.
Q: What is the warranty on the Vertiv 28087?
A: Vertiv covers the 28087 with a 5-year limited warranty as stated in the product specification sheet.
Q: Can I mix 15A and 20A equipment on the 28087's outlets?
A: Yes. The NEMA 5-20R receptacles accept both NEMA 5-15P (standard 15A) and NEMA 5-20P (20A) plugs, allowing you to mix equipment with different plug types across the 14 outlets. Total load across all outlets must remain within the 20A/1.9kW breaker limit.
Q: How is the 28087 mounted inside a rack cabinet?
A: The 28087 mounts vertically inside a standard cabinet using one top and one bottom plastic mounting clip (included). The 47.50-inch chassis fits standard 42U–48U enclosures. No rack unit space is consumed — it mounts in the vertical side channel.
Q: What breaker type does the 28087 use, and can I reset it myself?
A: The 28087 uses a 20A thermal breaker with a manual switch. If the breaker trips due to overload, on-site staff can reset it directly at the PDU without tools or a service call.
I spec the Vertiv 28087 on projects where the rack power requirement is straightforward: 14 outlets, 20A at 120V, vertical mount, no network overhead. The model number tells the story — NSVC140-102S20 encodes 14 outlets (C140), 10ft cord (10), 20A at 120V (2S20). It's a purpose-built unit, not a stripped-down intelligent PDU, which means there's nothing to configure, no firmware to patch, and no IP address to manage.
Technical Highlights:
- 20A Thermal Breaker: Thermal trip characteristics tolerate the inrush spike from powering up multiple PoE switches or NVRs simultaneously — where a magnetic breaker might nuisance-trip, the thermal design holds through startup transients and trips only on sustained overload.
- 2.95in Center-to-Center Outlet Spacing: Standard transformer-block wall warts won't fit, but that's fine — rack equipment ships with IEC or straight-blade cords. The consistent spacing means cable management stays predictable across all 14 outlets.
- TAA + Buy American Act COTS Compliance: This is the spec that determines whether the 28087 can appear on a government project BOM at all. Manufactured in the USA with full documentation — it passes procurement review where imported equivalents do not.
Deployment Considerations:
- Budget 80% of breaker capacity as your practical ceiling — that's 1.52kW continuous. Running above that risks nuisance trips when load spikes at startup; calculate your total connected load before committing to a single-PDU cabinet layout.
- No surge suppression is present. If the cabinet feeds from an unprotected branch circuit (common in retrofitted facility rooms or security head-end closets without a UPS), add surge protection upstream — the PDU itself will not absorb transient spikes from HVAC equipment or nearby electrical loads.
The 28087 fits cleanly in a security head-end cabinet running a 16-channel NVR, a managed PoE switch, and an access control panel — the load profile stays well under 1.9kW, all plugs are standard 5-15P or 5-20P, and TAA compliance satisfies site procurement requirements without stepping up to a metered unit.
