Vertiv 38171 Metered Standard Rack PDU 20A 208V
Overview
The Vertiv VHVLCN102-102C13TL6 — SKU 38171 — is a metered rack power distribution unit built for high-density IT environments where you need instant visibility into power consumption without deploying network-managed infrastructure. It delivers 20A at 208V (3.3kW continuous load) across 10 IEC C13 outlets arranged in two banks of five, with a local LED scrolling display that shows amps, volts, watts, and power factor in real time. If you've ever triggered a circuit breaker mid-deployment because you didn't know the actual draw on the PDU, this is the unit that solves that problem without requiring SNMP or a management card.
Manufactured in the USA and Vertiv factory-tested at 100% before shipment, the 38171 is TAA Compliant and Buy American Act COTS Compliant — relevant for federal, DoD, and government-contract data center builds where procurement rules are enforced at the hardware level. RoHS and UL/c-UL Listed 60950 certifications are included.
Key Features
- Local LED Digital RMS Power Meter (±2% Accuracy): The scrolling display cycles through amps, volts, watts, and power factor at the unit level. That ±2% accuracy on a full-scale 60Hz sine wave means the reading you see is actionable — not a rough estimate. Technicians deploying or relocating servers can verify load headroom at the PDU face without logging into a management system.
- 20A / 208V / 3.3kW Power Configuration: Sized for mid-density server, storage, or networking loads in a standard 208V three-phase environment. The 10 IEC C13 outlets cover the vast majority of 1U and 2U server PSU form factors. Each bank of five is rated at 15A maximum — meaning you get bank-level protection without an active breaker, but you need to respect the 15A-per-bank ceiling when loading high-draw devices.
- NEMA L6-20P Twistlock Input Plug with 10ft Power Cord: The L6-20P twistlock connects to standard 208V receptacles found on most PDPs and UPS output panels in data center and colocation environments. The 10ft cord gives you reasonable reach in a standard 42U or 48U cabinet without excess slack piling up at the floor.
- Horizontal/Vertical Dual-Mount Configuration (17in / 432mm): Ships with 19-inch panel mount brackets and SLB-4 zero-U side-mount brackets. You can install this unit flat in a 1U rack slot or mount it vertically on the side rail of a 19-inch cabinet — useful when rack space is at a premium and you'd rather dedicate 1U to another device.
- Heavy Steel Powder Coat Chassis (Black): The steel enclosure is built to tolerate the physical abuse of a working data center — vibration from HVAC, cable pulls, and routine maintenance. Powder coat finish resists corrosion in humid or industrial environments. Chassis dimensions are 17.00in x 1.72in x 1.61in with a shipped weight of 6 lbs.
- 50/60Hz Dual-Frequency, 200–240V Input Range: The 200–240V input range and dual-frequency tolerance make this unit deployable in international facilities or mixed-voltage data centers without hardware modification. Standard operating temperature range is 10–45°C (50–113°F).
- Aggregate Unit-Level Monitoring (No Per-Outlet Switching): Monitoring is at the total-unit level — you get one aggregate read for the entire PDU. There is no per-outlet switching or individual outlet metering. This is the right tradeoff for environments that need load visibility but don't require granular outlet-level control, which keeps the unit cost lower than managed alternatives in the power distribution category.
- 5-Year Limited Warranty: Vertiv backs the 38171 with a 5-year limited warranty — longer than the 2–3 year standard on most competitive metered PDUs. For a passive, always-on infrastructure component, that coverage horizon matters more than it does for actively cycled equipment.
Integration and Compatibility
The 10 IEC C13 receptacles are the standard 15A-rated connector found on virtually every 1U–4U server, NAS, KVM switch, and network device PSU on the market. The L6-20P input connects to 208V branch circuits fed by standard data center UPS output panels from Vertiv, Eaton, APC, and others running NEMA L6-20R receptacles. Since this unit carries no network management interface, it integrates passively into any rack infrastructure deployment regardless of VMS, BMS, or DCIM platform — there are no drivers, no IP addressing, and no firmware to manage. For environments that need remote monitoring or outlet-level switching, consider stepping up to Vertiv's networked or switched rPDU families within the same product line.
The TAA and Buy American Act COTS compliance flags are meaningful for integrators bidding on federal contracts through GSA schedule or similar procurement vehicles — confirm your specific contract vehicle requirements before ordering, but the hardware itself meets the country-of-origin requirement with USA manufacturing. Consult a rack power planning guide to size branch circuits and verify UPS output capacity before deploying multiple units in the same cabinet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the Vertiv 38171 TAA compliant?
A: Yes. The 38171 is TAA Compliant and Buy American Act COTS Compliant, with country of origin listed as USA. It is appropriate for federal and government-contract data center procurements that require these designations.
Q: What is the warranty on the VHVLCN102-102C13TL6?
A: Vertiv provides a 5-year limited warranty on the 38171.
Q: Can the 38171 be mounted both horizontally and vertically?
A: Yes. The unit ships with 19-inch panel mount brackets for 1U horizontal rackmount installation and SLB-4 brackets for zero-U vertical side-mount on a standard 19-inch cabinet rail.
Q: Does the 38171 have per-outlet switching or per-outlet metering?
A: No. The 38171 is a metered Standard unit — monitoring is aggregate at the total unit level (amps, volts, watts, power factor). There is no per-outlet metering, switching, or remote management capability. For per-outlet control, you would need to look at Vertiv's switched or managed rPDU models.
Q: What input plug does the 38171 use, and how long is the power cord?
A: The unit uses a NEMA L6-20P twistlock input plug on a 10ft, 12/3 AWG power cord. This connects to standard 208V L6-20R receptacles common on data center UPS output panels and PDPs.
Q: What is the maximum load per outlet bank on the 38171?
A: The 10 IEC C13 outlets are arranged in two banks of five. Each bank is rated at a maximum of 15A. The total unit capacity is 20A / 3.3kW at 208V — plan your per-bank loads accordingly to avoid exceeding the bank limit even if the unit-level draw remains under 20A.
The 38171 is a unit I recommend specifically when the site has 208V branch circuits but the team doesn't want to manage a networked PDU — the local LED display showing amps, volts, watts, and power factor at ±2% accuracy gives technicians the load data they actually need during commissioning and moves without adding IP management overhead to a passive infrastructure component. The VHVLCN102-102C13TL6 occupies a well-defined slot in the Vertiv rPDU lineup: metered, not managed.
Technical Highlights:
- ±2% RMS Accuracy: The digital scrolling meter is calibrated against a full-scale 60Hz sine wave — you're reading true RMS, not an approximated value. That precision matters when you're trying to confirm whether a cabinet is running at 80% of the 20A circuit rating before adding another device.
- Dual-Mount Hardware Included: The SLB-4 zero-U brackets and 19-inch panel brackets both ship in the box. Most sites I've seen use the zero-U vertical mount to preserve rack unit space — the 17-inch chassis fits cleanly on the side rail of standard 42U cabinets without consuming a 1U slot.
- 15A Per Outlet Bank Ceiling: The 10 outlets are split into two banks of five at 15A max each, even though the unit feeds a 20A circuit. This is a real planning constraint — two high-draw dual-PSU servers pulling 9A per PSU could push a single bank past 15A before the unit-level 20A limit is reached.
Deployment Considerations:
- Verify that your UPS or PDU output panel has an available NEMA L6-20R receptacle before ordering — the L6-20P twistlock is non-interchangeable with NEMA 5-20 or L5-20 receptacles. In mixed-voltage rooms, this is worth a physical walk of the cabinet row before the hardware arrives.
- There is no over-current protection built into this unit. The upstream breaker is your sole protection. Size the branch circuit at 80% of rated capacity (16A continuous on a 20A circuit) per NEC guidelines, and leave bank-level headroom in your load calculations — the 15A-per-bank limit can bite you before the unit-level threshold does.
This unit is best positioned in colo-style deployments and government data centers running 208V three-phase distribution where TAA compliance is required, cabinet density is moderate (10 devices per PDU), and the team needs basic load visibility without the cost or management burden of a network-connected PDU.
