10 Percent Rule Panelboard ?

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innersurffer

innersurffer

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St Petersburg (Have lived in Lakeland, Miami, Ft L
A couple of years ago an engineer designed a project with a 42 space panel with all circuits taken but one. The AHJ (Polk County, FL) said that their had to be 10% space left in any panel installations.
I've looked in the NEC and haven't found anything related to this issue. I think Florida adopted the NEC in 2000 but this inspector had the final say. Can someone point me to the code related to this? Maybe FL building code?:confused:
This may be an issue on a current project in Tampa, FL (Hillsborough County)
 
I agree with 480,

Outside of a local amendment, the NEC does not require a 10% future space requirement in a panelboard. This would be a design issue.

Chris
 
Not an NEC issue, and should not be either. If there were a rule that says to leave spares, it would clearly be to allow for future installations. But as soon as those installations get installed, the spares would be gone, and the rule requiring spares would be violated. It is nonsense. That said, I think it is a good design practice to leave 10% or more as spares.
 
innersurffer said:
A couple of years ago an engineer designed a project with a 42 space panel with all circuits taken but one. The AHJ (Polk County, FL) said that their had to be 10% space left in any panel installations.
I've looked in the NEC and haven't found anything related to this issue. I think Florida adopted the NEC in 2000 but this inspector had the final say. Can someone point me to the code related to this? Maybe FL building code?:confused:
This may be an issue on a current project in Tampa, FL (Hillsborough County)
Click to expand...

I cannot even imagine this having anything to do with requiring spares, but, 408.34 (A) & (B)
use 10% in defining lighting and appliance panelboards and power panelboards.
Like I said I cannot imagine that having anything to do with it.
 
qcroanoke said:
I cannot even imagine this having anything to do with requiring spares, but, 408.34 (A) & (B)
use 10% in defining lighting and appliance panelboards and power panelboards.
Like I said I cannot imagine that having anything to do with it.
Click to expand...


408.34 went bye-bye in the '08............
 
I think this is just another one of those Florida myths, the reason I say this is that I've heard this said by other Fl electrical trades people.

Roger
 
innersurffer said:
Thanks everyone, just checking.
I know that the AHJ's have final.
Wish they would follow the NEC:cool:
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They have to follow something, not just their own shirt-pocket rules. If they are going to enforce it, it must be written down and adopted somewhere. Require that it be produced.
 
I think the key words here are " an engineer designed a project". The 10% spare space was either his idea or it was part of the project spec. We often have requirements for 10% spare terminal block space. The customer is allowing future additions.
 
spare panel space

spare panel space

MY HOW THE MYTHS CHANGE OVER TIME. as a kid in the middle 70's the false myth was you had to leave two empty spaces in a panel. most of the panels were 30 circuit. they could have called it the "6.6 percent rule".
 
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