Field Assembled Panel

[theinspectorllc]

When is it acceptable for an electrician to build a 480 volt 3 phase 385 amp electrical distribution panel? The only UL listed components used are UL listed OCPD (Over current protective devices) . This is for a nonresidential and for an industrial application. Primary metered service.

 

[petersonra]

When is it acceptable for an electrician to build a 480 volt 3 phase 385 amp electrical distribution panel? The only UL listed components used are UL listed OCPD (Over current protective devices) . This is for a nonresidential and for an industrial application. Primary metered service.

I think more information is in order.

If you are essentially assembling a kit of parts like a common panelboard, no issue.

If you are doing your own thing it could be an issue. in large part it depends on just what it is you are doing and you have not given us enough information upon which to form an opinion.

I don't know what a 385 Amp distribution panel is. I doubt you can make such a thing cheaper than you can just buy a 400A panelboard.

 

[Jraef]

I agree. You can buy an interior and mount it in an enclosure, I used that all the time building panels for large machines with multiple motors. I found it was far far cheaper than building anything myself. But I was a UL panel shop so I listed the assembly after the fact, and that was in the days before the requirement for an SCCR label on everything power related. So a lot of this is also going to be dependent upon what this equipment will be considered as and what your state requires as listings go. Rolling his own distribution panel will mean he cannot alloy an SCCR label that says it is more than 5kA (unless the assembled components are listed for that). It would be all but impossible to find a 480V system capable of 385A that will only have 5kA available fault current. People are getting burned by this every day now.