Hide a panel - Your thoughts please...

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e57

Senior Member
A while back I did this panel hidden in a wall behind a blind door.
attachment.php

This is a CH-BR with a niche below for some lighting interfaces, and below that a 16x24X6 j-box for a bunch of LiteLab tracks on the floor below. It's not yet completed there, it's not taped in yet, and I no longer work for the company - but when finished I'll see if I can get another picture...

Anyway this is the gist of what it will look like when done....
attachment.php


Once it mudded in level 5 there should only be an 1/8" gap around it. With touch latches and the walls finish it should nearly disappear.
 

A/A Fuel GTX

Senior Member
Location
WI & AZ
Occupation
Electrician
With the door open, it looks to me like there is way more than 30" of working space. I don't see a violation of 110.26.
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
With the door open, it looks to me like there is way more than 30" of working space. I don't see a violation of 110.26.

I would have no problem working on it.:)

But the code has no provision to allow the 2" or more setback inside that less then 30" door frame. Even the mop board area is in violation.

It is a violation that could really suck to fix if the inspector enforced the code.
 

e57

Senior Member
I would have no problem working on it.:)

But the code has no provision to allow the 2" or more setback inside that less then 30" door frame. Even the mop board area is in violation.

It is a violation that could really suck to fix if the inspector enforced the code.
This why I posted it....

The 'spacer' at the bottom will be replaced by baseboard, and the portion under the door will be attached to the door. The door was supposed to be 30" - but it appears someone made a command descision to make a smaller door... Anyway, the inspector was cool with it... :roll:
 

480sparky

Senior Member
Location
Iowegia
With the door open, it looks to me like there is way more than 30" of working space. I don't see a violation of 110.26.

I do. Most resi panels are 14?" wide, to fit into a 16"OC stud cavity. The door opening would have to be slightly more than twice the width of the panel to get 30" of clearance, and you would lose a couple inches with the depth of the door and the hinges.

Maybe this will help you visualize it:

studcavity2.jpg



If those stud cavities are 16" OC, then two of them would be 32". But like Bob, I'd have no problem with it. It just depends on whether your inspector got sugar & cream in his coffee that morning.​
 

e57

Senior Member
To me, a toe kick is the recessed area at the bottom of a base cabinet. It does not stick out.

A baseboard is a piece of wood trim that does stick out.

I don't consider using incorrect terms 'minutia'.
Not sure what to call this really - the detail for the (REAL PITA) piece of wood at the bottom. It will be flush with the wall with an aluminum channel seperating it from the sheet rocked surface above - it won't stick out more than the wall....

I say this 'kick-plate' detail is a real PITA because this whole house has all the recept's in said piece wood. All in cut-in boxes as the bottom plate would have needed to be cut out to install 4S's. And a spec required metal boxes. So the whole thing was done with metal cut-in's screwed to the wood. You know the box volume on them is not great, and everything needed to be only one cable in, and one out - on deep cut-in's which had to have the clamp screw and somtimes ground screw cut off in any 2x4 walls so as not to push out the silly base or mop or kick-plate on the other side....

Anyway the inspectors take on the panel was that he saw no difference in extending your hands and fingers in toward the panel any more than one would had it been flush. And the walls are not conductive, or prevented access - which I guess is the point of the workspace anyway.
 

glene77is

Senior Member
Location
Memphis, TN
Point taken .... I can't spell toche':grin:

:)
In Aristotelian logic, in Greek, it is "To Toc" (not in the Greek letters),
which means "You Too", or "You are one too".
It refers to the presentation of an illogical reasoning,
merely pointing out that the presented proposition was illogical.
:)
As I've told the guys for years, "I've got a wife, I don't need this".

Your points on the hidden qualities of the OP's panel are worth considering.,
 
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