Can You Wire an AC Disconnect Like This? We’re going to talk about disconnects—specifically air conditioning and heat pump disconnects. We get a lot of questions about how to wire them, so we’re going to show you how we do it with two different types. Stick around!
Let’s begin by gently pulling down the wire. The cord is pretty much melted together, so here we have our finished end.
For this specific type of disconnect, it actually includes a breaker. This breaker doesn’t have an amperage rating on it—it simply acts as an on/off switch. The actual amperage is determined at the breaker panel inside the house. This is primarily used as a service disconnect. We use these often because they’re outdoor-rated and have a built-in switch.
On the left side, we have the wire from the house, and on the right, the wire going to the heat pump. We’ll start by securing the grounds to the ground terminal. This disconnect doesn’t include a neutral bar—just ground terminals and line/load terminals. The power from the house (line) connects at the top, and the load connects directly to the breaker.
We always tighten our ground connections securely, usually with an impact driver—especially when working with bare ground wires.
Important note: Never do your own electrical work. Always consult your local licensed electrician.
Now, the red and black wires provide 240 volts. We’re going to connect them to the line side—this is the incoming power from the house. Since it’s a single-phase setup, red and black can go on either side, but we typically put black on one side and red on the other for consistency.
We use wire strippers to prep the wire, then insert the black wire into the top-left terminal, which comes from the panel in the house. Once it’s in place, we tighten it down and push it out of the way.
Next, we do the same for the red wire, giving us our full 220/230/240 volts, depending on your region.
For this demonstration, the top cover of the disconnect is removed—it normally hinges down. We’ll show how to reattach that later.
Now that the line side is done, we connect the load side to the breaker terminals underneath. Again, we match red to one side and black to the other. Strip the wires, insert them under the lugs, and tighten securely while holding the wire in place.
After the power is turned on, we usually record the exact voltage for the heat pump installer so they can document the readings.
Now that everything is wired, we’ll reassemble the disconnect. The wire cover has grooves on the top that snap into place. Start by securing the bottom, then push the top in to clamp it.
For the metal front cover, align the two tabs—one on each side—then push them into place and close it up. This is a lockable disconnect, meaning you can attach a padlock to prevent tampering once it’s turned off or on.
There are two main types of disconnects: the kind we just installed, and a more basic version often referred to as a pull-out disconnect.
These smaller units are a bit cheaper and use a pull-out tab system. There are four terminals inside—two for line and two for load. The outer terminals are clearly marked “Line,” and the inner ones are marked “Load.”
Your power wires from the panel (red and black) go to the line terminals, and the wires to the heat pump go to the load terminals. Do not wire both the red and black to just one side—doing so would create a short circuit. The pull-out tab transfers power from the line terminals to the load terminals.
The pull-out must be inserted firmly and completely to make a proper connection. If it’s not fully seated, it won’t work properly. These types are more prone to arcing, which we’ve seen happen frequently.
Even while demonstrating this one, I accidentally had it inserted incorrectly. It’s a good reminder that you need to push it in firmly—sometimes even giving it a bump—before closing the cover.
These are the two types of disconnects that are most commonly used for air conditioners, heat pumps, and other 240V equipment. Occasionally, they’re used for shed wiring. In those cases, the neutral is typically joined straight through without connecting to the disconnect itself.
These disconnects are a solid choice for outdoor-rated heat pump installations.
That’s it for today! I was mostly focused on not getting leaves in my face—and showing the heat pump disconnect itself. If you enjoyed this video or want to see how we wire a heat pump, click the video linked in the corner. Don’t forget to like and subscribe.