minimun spacing between panels

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Cleveland Apprentice

Senior Member
Location
Cleveland, Oh
What is the minimum spacing (if any) between electrical panels? The only clearances that I know of is 36" in front of panel and 6' and some inches in height. I have seen some electrical panels spaced 3" to 4" apart. Not sure if that's correct. I couldn't find anything in NEC 2008. Thanks.
 

jeremysterling

Senior Member
Location
Austin, TX
Surface-mount panels mounted adjacent, with chase nipples for wiring, are common.

Another method of wiring involves setting the 3 or more panels adjacent with nipples to a trough (gutter), that runs the length of all the panels, above for wiring.

The consideration for these installs include cover fit and protruding hardware from items mounted to the sides of the tubs.

So, do not mount flush mount panels adjacent or the covers will not fit!
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
I agree with jeremysterling, the only limiting factor will be the overhang, if any, of the covers.

Even with surface mount covers watch out for some load center covers that wrap around the edges of the panel.
 

augie47

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee
Occupation
State Electrical Inspector (Retired)
I would only add that you might want to keep the 6" rule of 110.16(A)(3) into account. Taking the liberty of including switchboards into "panels", you can not take a 16" wide, 6" deep panel and squeeze it into an opening between two 24" deep swithboards without maintaining the required 30" width opening.
I have on occasion found that on installations.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I would only add that you might want to keep the 6" rule of 110.16(A)(3) into account. Taking the liberty of including switchboards into "panels", you can not take a 16" wide, 6" deep panel and squeeze it into an opening between two 24" deep swithboards without maintaining the required 30" width opening.
I have on occasion found that on installations.

You can put the 16" x 6" panel there if you mount it so it is not recessed more than 6 inches from the front of the two switchboards.
 

augie47

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee
Occupation
State Electrical Inspector (Retired)
true... but then you would be maintaining the reqired 30" as noted....
my point, as stated, was keep the 6" rule in mind.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
true... but then you would be maintaining the reqired 30" as noted....
my point, as stated, was keep the 6" rule in mind.

I was just pointing out an option that some people may overlook. You have to be a little clever and creative at times to make things work. Equipment does not have to be mounted directly on a wall. I space things out like this quite often to get around some obstacle that violates workspace that can't easily be moved.
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
I was just pointing out an option that some people may overlook. You have to be a little clever and creative at times to make things work. Equipment does not have to be mounted directly on a wall. I space things out like this quite often to get around some obstacle that violates workspace that can't easily be moved.

You're right you don't need to mount directly to the wall. I've seen build outs for transformer disconnects when space was at a premium. These guys were rather creative:

Disconnect%20over%20Transformer.jpg
 

luckyshadow

Senior Member
Location
Maryland
Whats everyones thoughts on this set up ?

Residential 400 amp service that consists of 2 - 200 ampere main breaker panels.

One mounted with the top at 6'6" off the floor and the other mounted directly below it.

2 - 200 amp panels basically stacked one over the other.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Whats everyones thoughts on this set up ?

Residential 400 amp service that consists of 2 - 200 ampere main breaker panels.

One mounted with the top at 6'6" off the floor and the other mounted directly below it.

2 - 200 amp panels basically stacked one over the other.


In general nothing wrong with it. For practical purposes it is easier to get conductors into the panels if they were side by side instead of stacked. I am assuming that there is not service conductors feeding through one panel to get to the other.
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
Whats everyones thoughts on this set up ?

Residential 400 amp service that consists of 2 - 200 ampere main breaker panels.

One mounted with the top at 6'6" off the floor and the other mounted directly below it.

2 - 200 amp panels basically stacked one over the other.


Sounds fine to me.
 

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
Whats everyones thoughts on this set up ?

Residential 400 amp service that consists of 2 - 200 ampere main breaker panels.

One mounted with the top at 6'6" off the floor and the other mounted directly below it.

2 - 200 amp panels basically stacked one over the other.

Would be OK. But with a 42 space panels, meeting the 6'7" rule on height of main breaker it would put the bottom of the bottom panel around 10" AFF. MPO is it would look like crap and I wouldn't want to wire the bottom panel. Makes my back hurt thinking about it
 
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