I have a customer who's inside sub panel is currently inside a kitchen cabinet. It will need to be relocated in order to put a window in its place, but she wants to still have the panelboard located inside one of the other cabinets. Is this allowed as long as it still meets the 30" working space rule?
Can panelboards be located inside cabinets?
- Thread starter Rawls007
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- New Jersey
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- Journeyman Electrician
The cabinet would have to have to be constructed without a bottom and without a top.
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
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- Electrical Contractor
Even if the panel is flush-mounted (recessed)?infinity said:
ryan_618
Senior Member
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- Salt Lake City, Utah
When I first read this I was thinking panelboard as in Article 408 and Cabinet as in Article 312. I was going to answer based on that, but I figured that would be a bit mean 
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- New Jersey
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- Journeyman Electrician
Maybe you could mount the panel so it's front is even with the front edge of the cabinet.
Cavie
Senior Member
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- SW Florida
I have to go with Jim on this. the NEC says nothing about flush or surface mounted panels. 30" wide, 6.5' top to bottom clear space from the wall it is monted on. Would you want to be the person looking for the main breaker in an emergancy?
I did that in one of my houses and loved it but that was a long time ago.
I did that in one of my houses and loved it but that was a long time ago.
- Location
- New Jersey
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- Journeyman Electrician
Cavie said:
So if the panel front is mounted even with the front edge of the cabinet and with the cabinet door open there is 30" of width clearance, it would be code compliant.
macmikeman
Senior Member
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- Planet macmikeman
Cavie said:
The measurement starts from the front of the box, not the wall it is mounted on. If it was the other way around, every flush panel would be a code violation, because of the obstruction of the wallspace itself that surrounds a flush mounted panel.
- Location
- Illinois
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- retired electrician
Actually this is another poorly written section of the code. There are no provisions in the the dedicated equipment space rules that permit the installation of a recessed panel. There is nothing in the code wording that says the measurements start at the face of the panel for recessed panels.
The wording clearly covers the full depth of the panel. As the code is now worded, recessed panels are a code violation. I doubt that is the intent of the rules, but that is what the words say.
Don
don_resqcapt19 said:
The quote botton still doesn't work right I see.
I don't see anything in there that says the wall can't be in the "dedicated equipment space" (I wouldn't call a wall equipment).
But the OP problem is working space, not dedicated equipment space.
- Location
- New Jersey
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- Journeyman Electrician
paul32 said:
Actually a cabinet with a bottom and a top would encroach on the dedicated space too.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
Paul,
Don
The wall finish and the top and bottom plates are in the dedicated equipment space. They are items that are foreign to the electrical equipment.
Don
- Location
- New Jersey
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- Journeyman Electrician
I agree with Don's interpretation. All recessed panels are a technical violation of the dedicated space requirement. This Article should be rewritten or provided with an exception to allow recessed panels.
How do you install a flush mounted panel in a wall then. with this reasoning there should only be surface mounted equipment. Please read below. E) Headroom The minimum headroom of working spaces about service equipment, switchboards, panelboards, or motor control centers shall be 2.0 m (6 1/ 2 ft). Where the electrical equipment exceeds 2.0 m (6 1/ 2 ft) in height, the minimum headroom shall not be less than the height of the equipment.infinity said:
Exception: In existing dwelling units, service equipment or panelboards that do not exceed 200 amperes shall be permitted in spaces where the headroom is less than 2.0 m (6 1/ 2 ft).
(F) Dedicated Equipment Space All switchboards, panelboards, distribution boards, and motor control centers shall be located in dedicated spaces and protected from damage.
Exception: Control equipment that by its very nature or because of other rules of the Code must be adjacent to or within sight of its operating machinery shall be permitted in those locations.
(1) Indoor Indoor installations shall comply with 110.26(F)(1)(a) through (F)(1)(d).
(a) Dedicated Electrical Space. The space equal to the width and depth of the equipment and extending from the floor to a height of 1.8 m (6 ft) above the equipment or to the structural ceiling, whichever is lower, shall be dedicated to the electrical installation. No piping, ducts, leak protection apparatus, or other equipment foreign to the electrical installation shall be located in this zonemounted equipment.
- Location
- New Jersey
- Occupation
- Journeyman Electrician
Doc,
The dedicated space is for the depth of the equipment. The recessed panel cannot meet this requirement since the space above and below it is within the wall. Now having said that I don't know if anyone would violate a recessed panel but as Don posted it is a technical violation of the literal words of the code.
The dedicated space is for the depth of the equipment. The recessed panel cannot meet this requirement since the space above and below it is within the wall. Now having said that I don't know if anyone would violate a recessed panel but as Don posted it is a technical violation of the literal words of the code.
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