Do corrision resistant enclosures exist?

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mark32

Senior Member
Location
Currently in NJ
I need to replace a rotted 3R outdoor load center that is located a block from the ocean. I assumed that I could order lets say an aluminum panel but I've been told by a local supply house that no one makes such an animal, at least for residential use. Is that true? It only needs to be a main lug panel that has around 8 or so spaces.
 

charlietuna

Senior Member
Try another supply house -- there are companies that manufacture enclosures any size out of PVC -Aluminum or even stainless steel. Big bucks, but they can do it !
 

satcom

Senior Member
We use the stainless steel panels, most of the manufactures offer them, but there is delivery time, and sticker shock.
 

btharmy

Senior Member
Location
Indiana
I don't know about stainless steel or aluminum panels, but I have seen panels mounted inside 6", 8" or 12" deep 3R stainless or aluminum j-boxes with a hinged cover/door.
 

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
Don't go alum. near salt water. The alum. will corrode like steel due to oxidation. As mentioned go with a 3r stainless steel enclosure.
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
If you want small and cheap, check out the GE TPL412R. It'll accept eight 1/2-space THQP's.
 

quinn77

Senior Member
Here on the texas coast we install panels in stainless 4x enclosures all the time. Sometimes local UL listed fab shops are the cheapest. Local shop here built me one for a 42 cirquit panel for 650.00 when Hoffman was 1800. Turns out he has a patent for a latching mechanism that was superior to the competition. Good luck.
 

mark32

Senior Member
Location
Currently in NJ
Thank you all for the input. Forgive my ingnorance, but if I were to purchase any of these 4x, non metallic, etc, enclosures, would the guts come with it? If not, what are my choices, to take the guts from a load center and install that in the new enclosure? Do I mount an entire panel inside the new enclosure? I see that I could have a custom one made but that seems to be too expensive.
 

jim dungar

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Wisconsin
Occupation
PE (Retired) - Power Systems
A residential 'load center' is simply a cost reduced 'panelboard'. One of the ways they reduce the cost is to reduce the number of available options, including enclosure types. Except for a few panels with a limited number of breakers (i.e. 4-8 circuits) it is unlikely you will find a corrosion resistant load center. However, corrosion resistant panelboards are available from almost every manufacturer.

Mounting a standard load center into a larger corrosion resistant enclosure is between you and the AHJ.
 

mark32

Senior Member
Location
Currently in NJ
Thank you again for the insight.

Larry, I checked that panel out but I need 8 spaces, I believe that one only has 4. I've seen a number of these empty 4x enclosures and I see that they come with back panels that one would mount equipment to. My question is, can I take the internals from an everyday panel and tap them to said back plate? Wouldn't that be a violation?

Jim answered "Mounting a standard load center into a larger corrosion resistant enclosure is between you and the AHJ" but here I'm asking about just the bussbar and ground bar.
 

jim dungar

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Wisconsin
Occupation
PE (Retired) - Power Systems
Jim answered "Mounting a standard load center into a larger corrosion resistant enclosure is between you and the AHJ" but here I'm asking about just the bussbar and ground bar.

My answer is still the same.

The biggest issue you might face, doing it your way, would be creating an adequate internal 'dead front'. But, most things are possible.
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Larry, I checked that panel out but I need 8 spaces, I believe that one only has 4.
It's a 4-space/8-circuit panel. It takes four 1" breakers or eight 1/2" breakers, or a combination. Your pic shows two 2-poles and four 1-poles, which the box I showed will accept.

2-poles install straddling the divider between phases, like half-sized FP breakers. The 1-poles and 2-poles look like these, respectively:

783164085679md.jpg
783164085730md.jpg
 

mark32

Senior Member
Location
Currently in NJ
Jim and Larry, I thank you once again for your expertise.

Jim, geez, I forgot all about a dead front but it's so true, once the new enclosure is opened in order to gain access to the breakers the buss would be exposed.

Larry, throughout my eight or so years in the trade I've only worked in only a small handful of GE panels and don't completely understand their buss set up. I'm almost too embarrassed to ask but the twin looking breaker that has the handle tie, is that a slim version of a double pole?
 

LarryFine

Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
Location
Henrico County, VA
Occupation
Electrical Contractor
Larry, throughout my eight or so years in the trade I've only worked in only a small handful of GE panels and don't completely understand their buss set up. I'm almost too embarrassed to ask but the twin looking breaker that has the handle tie, is that a slim version of a double pole?
Yes. Start with the panel bus stabs. Most tandems have a single body like a 1p breaker, and have the same kind of contact as a 1p, with the bus blade horizontal (as you look at the mounted panel.)

GE bus tabs have a little 'cross-arm' on each stab, and their tandems each contact one side of the cross-arm, which is why their 'tandems' are really separate, individual 1/2"-thick, half-space breakers.

If you look at the underside of a GE breaker, the bus stab slot is really an X, and the contacts themselves have little slots, so the little cross-arms don't prevent the breaker from seating fully.

In a typical tandem breaker, both halves are supplied by the same bus stab, because they fit where a 1p breaker fits. The GE half-space breakers contact only their own cross-arm, and not the main blade.

The GE 2-pole half-space breakers are simply two half-space bodies riveted together, just like standard 2-pole breakers (excluding CH, QO, etc.), and the bus stab contacts are separate.

So, GE THQP 2p breakers are able to obtain 240v because they are installed straddling the phases, with each half contacting one phase bus, just like quad breakers, which are tandem 2p breakers.

Either another 2p half-sized breaker (which would contact the next stab, also), a single half-space breaker, or a 1/2" filler, takes up the other half of the 1" space. This is similar to Federal Pacific panels.

Added: I used an indoor version of that panel for my home-theater sub-panel:

Panel1lg.jpg
 
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petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
I need to replace a rotted 3R outdoor load center that is located a block from the ocean. I assumed that I could order lets say an aluminum panel but I've been told by a local supply house that no one makes such an animal, at least for residential use. Is that true? It only needs to be a main lug panel that has around 8 or so spaces.
I have seen panelboards installed inside other enclosures. I suspect it is technically a code violation (working space).
 
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