Vertiv 38438 Basic Surge Rack PDU 15A 120V 8-Outlet
Overview
The Vertiv VSSL084-101R15 (part number 38438) is a 1U horizontal/vertical rackmount power distribution unit built for IT racks and cabinets that lack facility-level surge suppression — or for integrators who want a second layer of protection regardless of what's upstream. Eight individually rotated NEMA 5-15R outlets deliver up to 15A at 120V (1.4kW total), fed through a 10-foot 14/3 cord terminating in a standard NEMA 5-15P plug. The unit ships 100% factory-tested, carries a 5-year limited product warranty plus a $5,000 connected equipment warranty, and is TAA compliant and Buy American Act COTS compliant — a meaningful differentiator on federal, state, and municipal deployments. Explore the full Vertiv power and infrastructure line to pair this unit with matching UPS and cooling equipment.
Key Features
- 720-Joule Surge Rating with Super MOV Technology: 720J of surge absorption and a maximum clamping voltage of 340V via Super MOVs — enough headroom to protect sensitive edge switches, NVRs, and encoders from the voltage spikes common in shared electrical environments. The red surge indicator LED tells you at a glance when the protection circuit has been stressed and may need replacement.
- 8x NEMA 5-15R Outlets, Individually Rotated: Eight individually rotated receptacles spaced 1.25 inches center-to-center accommodate wide-body wall-wart power supplies without blocking adjacent outlets — a practical detail that matters in dense rack builds where power bricks from PoE injectors, controllers, and access panels all compete for space.
- 15A Thermal Breaker Over-Current Protection: A built-in 15A thermal breaker replaces the need for an external fuse on the circuit, tripping automatically on overload and resetting without tools. Each outlet is rated up to 15A at 120V, so you're not artificially derated across the strip.
- 10ft 14/3 Power Cord with NEMA 5-15P Plug: The 10-foot cord gives enough slack to reach a floor-mounted PDU or top-of-rack power strip without running extension cords or relocating the rack. 14-gauge wire is correctly sized for a 15A circuit and won't be a thermal weak point under sustained load.
- Dual-Mode Mounting — Horizontal or Vertical: Ships with 19-inch panel mount brackets and both top and bottom plastic mounting clips, so it installs horizontally in a standard 1U slot or vertically along a rack rail without additional hardware purchases. A single unit covers both form-factor needs.
- Green Power-ON LED Status Indicator: The always-on green LED confirms the unit is live without requiring a voltmeter — useful during initial commissioning and after any breaker event to confirm power restoration before you reconnect loads.
- TAA and Buy American Act COTS Compliance: Manufactured in the USA, TAA compliant, and Buy American Act COTS compliant. For rack PDU deployments in federal buildings, government data centers, or GSA schedule contracts, this compliance status is a procurement requirement, not a nice-to-have.
- RoHS Compliant, UL and c-UL Listed to 60950: Safety certifications under UL and c-UL 60950 mean the unit has been independently tested for electrical safety — a baseline requirement for most enterprise and institutional purchasing departments.
- 50/60Hz Operation, 100–120V Input Range: The unit operates across the full North American voltage and frequency envelope (100–120V, 50/60Hz), which matters for deployments in manufacturing or industrial facilities where nominal voltage can run lower than 120V under load.
- Operating Temperature 10–45°C (50–113°F): Rated for the full thermal envelope of a populated server room or wiring closet. If your rack environment approaches the upper end of this range, pair with adequate rack cooling — the PDU won't fail prematurely, but connected equipment will.
- 5-Year Limited Warranty + $5,000 Connected Equipment Warranty: The product warranty period is five years, and Vertiv backs connected equipment up to $5,000 — meaningful coverage when the PDU is protecting IP cameras, NVRs, or edge computing hardware that would be costly to replace after a surge event.
Integration and Compatibility
The 38438 is a straightforward fit for any rack or cabinet accepting standard 19-inch rackmount accessories. The NEMA 5-15P input plug works with any standard 15A/120V commercial circuit. Horizontal and vertical mounting options make it compatible with open-frame racks, enclosed cabinets, and two-post relay racks alike. For multi-rack deployments or facilities that require metered or switched PDU capability, consider stepping up within the Vertiv rPDU family — this Basic Surge tier handles surge suppression and distribution but does not provide per-outlet switching, metering, or remote monitoring. If your application includes a managed PoE switch or NVR system that benefits from outlet-level power cycling, evaluate Vertiv's Switched or Monitored rPDU variants instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the joule rating and clamping voltage of the VSSL084-101R15?
A: The VSSL084-101R15 is rated at 720 joules with a maximum clamping voltage of 340V, using Super MOV technology for surge suppression.
Q: Is the Vertiv 38438 TAA compliant?
A: Yes. The 38438 is manufactured in the USA and is TAA compliant and Buy American Act COTS compliant, making it suitable for federal and government procurement.
Q: What warranty does the 38438 carry?
A: Vertiv provides a 5-year limited product warranty on the VSSL084-101R15, plus a connected equipment warranty covering up to $5,000 over 5 years.
Q: Can the VSSL084-101R15 be mounted both horizontally and vertically?
A: Yes. The unit includes 19-inch panel mount brackets for horizontal 1U installation and plastic mounting clips (one top, one bottom) for vertical rail mounting — no additional hardware required for either orientation.
Q: How many outlets does the 38438 have and what receptacle type?
A: The 38438 provides 8 individually rotated NEMA 5-15R receptacles, each rated up to 15A at 120V, spaced 1.25 inches center-to-center to accommodate wide power supplies.
Q: Does the VSSL084-101R15 include over-current protection?
A: Yes. A built-in 15A thermal breaker provides over-current protection on the single input circuit. It resets without tools after a trip event.
The 38438 (VSSL084-101R15) is the PDU I spec into surveillance and access control rack builds when the facility doesn't have a whole-building surge suppressor at the panel and the client needs documented protection on the connected equipment. The 720J rating and 340V clamping voltage via Super MOVs aren't headline numbers, but they're adequate for protecting NVRs, managed switches, and access control panels from the transient spikes you'll see on a shared commercial circuit — and the $5,000 connected equipment warranty gives the client something concrete if a surge does get through.
Technical Highlights:
- 340V Maximum Clamping Voltage: Super MOVs engage before a spike reaches damaging levels for most 120V-rated electronics. At 340V clamp, you're staying well clear of the 400V+ threshold that causes immediate damage to switch-mode power supplies.
- 15A Thermal Breaker: Self-resetting, no fuse replacement needed. On a surveillance rack with a mix of PoE injectors and NVR drives spinning up simultaneously, inrush current is a real concern — the thermal breaker handles nuisance trips more forgivingly than a fast-blow fuse.
- TAA + Buy American Act COTS Compliance: Manufactured in the USA. For government facilities, schools, or any project touching federal or state funding, this eliminates a procurement obstacle that would otherwise require a waiver or alternate sourcing.
Deployment Considerations:
- The 1.4kW (1,400W) total load capacity at 15A/120V is the hard ceiling for this unit — plan your outlet loading carefully if you're running multiple NVR drives plus PoE injectors. Budget no more than 80% of rated capacity (1,120W) for continuous loads per NEC guidelines.
- This is a Basic Surge unit with no outlet switching, no metering, and no network management port. If you need remote power cycling for an NVR or the ability to monitor per-outlet current draw, you'll need to step up to a Switched or Monitored rPDU in the Vertiv lineup — this model doesn't support those functions.
Best fit: small-to-mid surveillance rack builds in commercial or light government environments — a wiring closet with an NVR, a managed PoE switch, and a handful of access control panels — where TAA compliance is required and per-outlet management is not.
