Client is requesting a Main Load Center Upgrade for a Pre-Existing Electrical Panel in Closet of Older Home

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cbooker

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Dallas, TX
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Electrical Contractor
I have a customer whom we are installing a generator for has also requested that we upgrade their panel. Their current panel location is inside the closet. Im worried that if we do this we will fail inspection because panel is inside of a closet, however, the original panel location should be grandfathered in, I believe? Before we begin work and permitting, etc, Id like to reach out and see if anyone here has ran into this problem before.

Customer stated he has no problem if we have to put the panel outside. Closet wall is an exterior wall. However, this will incur a greater cost obviously, and inconvenience customer by having to go outside during breaker trips to reset breaker. My clients are older and I want to make all breaker resets as easy as possible for them.

Current pre-existing panel is an old Federal Pacific with no OCPD between main panel and meter disconnect. Once we install the Generator and ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch). The ATS comes with a 200 AMP OCPD.

Thanks for any help y'all can dish out!
 
Clothes closet? No can do

Have you asked AHJ about it, to verify the "grandfathered in" ?

If you're changing the panel, I would be shocked if the allow it in the same location.
 
James L said:
Clothes closet? No can do

Have you asked AHJ about it, to verify the "grandfathered in" ?

If you're changing the panel, I would be shocked if the allow it in the same location.
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Ill ask on Monday. Customer requested today. AHJ closed till Monday. Thx for Reply!
 
If the panel is near or opposite side of an outside wall, the cleanest way to deal with it might be to run one or two large, short raceways to a new panel outside, take the guts out of the old panel, and splice all the existing wiring in the existing panel cabinet. It's fine to leave the old box where it is.
 
jaggedben said:
If the panel is near or opposite side of an outside wall, the cleanest way to deal with it might be to run one or two large, short raceways to a new panel outside, take the guts out of the old panel, and splice all the existing wiring in the existing panel cabinet. It's fine to leave the old box where it is.
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Sounds like he might have thought about that in some fashion (he possibly didn't think of turning panel into j-box)
 
Maybe if the dimensions are right they could modify the closet into an electrical closet/ space.
If there's enough room they might even be able to salvage a bit of the original closet.
 
I've replaced panels that were in closets and even areas with no way to comply with 110.26 and inspectors just grit their teeth and allowed it. Granted some of them were correct when installed and rooms/walls were added later.
 
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