Dedicated workspace and conduits from another panel

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cvirgil467

Senior Member
Location
NewYork
Hello all.

Can conduits originating from another panel be routed within the dedicated workspace of another panel? The dedicated space in question is the dedicated space above the panel.

Thanks.
c
 

Carultch

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
Hello all.

Can conduits originating from another panel be routed within the dedicated workspace of another panel? The dedicated space in question is the dedicated space above the panel.

Thanks.
c


Yes. The dedicated space is dedicated to the electrical installation as a whole. Any equipment or conduit that is governed by the NEC can be occupied by this space. If the panelboard is unrelated to your scope of work, it is best to avoid encroaching upon this space as much as practical. Part of the reason for the rule is to allow for future use when connecting conduits to the panelboard, so installation of anything in this space should be arranged to allow for connecting future or current conduits to the panelboard.

This rule restricts equipment foreign to the electrical installation from occupying this space. Piping, ductwork, pumps, fans, valves, etcetera. Typically plumbing and HVAC systems, although there may be other scopes of work as well that would be excluded from this space.
 

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
You now have the answer you need, but I would like to either point out a significant problem or quibble about trivia, depending.

Your thread title refers to dedicated workspace, which is a non-existent concept.
There is working space (in front of equipment) and there is dedicated space (area above and below the equipment which is within its footprint.
The rules for each are very different and combining the two terms is confusing.
The rules for dedicated space only cover the footprint of each piece of equipment, and there is no "sharing" except to the extent that the two devices share a common footprint area.
The rules for working space extend in front of and to either side of the equipment to a minimum width of 30", and the easiest way to understand "sharing" of working space is to consider each device by itself and look at whether it has the required working space, independent of any other devices unless those devices stick out from the front plane of the first device and thereby intrude into its working space.
Two flush mount panels next to each other do not "share" working space and you do not add up two or more 30" requirements, you just look at each one individually.
 
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