Hiding "unsightly" breaker panel from view, legal?

[Mike G. 500]

Hi, first post here and maybe not in the right forum, I apologise if that's the case.

I am a contractor / carpenter working in a commercial building, specifically an office complex.
I have been asked by the building owner to construct a bulletin board or similar item to be installed in front of a breaker panel in order to hide the panel from direct view.
The panel is located inside an office and the Tennant finds the panel unsightly.

Question - Is it a violation to conceal / hide a panel from view by installing a removable (hanging a picture frame, etc.) or hinged decorative cover?
I'm not knowledgeable on the NEC or which version is enforced in my state of South Carolina, but I am trying to find out today.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

[ActionDave]

Since you are not attempting any electrical work I think we can allow your question.

 

[tw1156]

You might find this forum post helpful: http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=100180

 

[growler]

I am a contractor / carpenter working in a commercial building, specifically an office complex.
I have been asked by the building owner to construct a bulletin board or similar item to be installed in front of a breaker panel in order to hide the panel from direct view.
The panel is located inside an office and the Tennant finds the panel unsightly.

Kind of a funny story about hiding panels. A few years ago I was called by a GC that was finishing up a remodel at a health club. He was having problems with some circuits to some of the exercise equipment.

I find that the circuits are dead and he says the only panel is in the basement below. Can't find the breakers for the equipment. Come to find out they had installed a sub panel in the health club and then put a mirrror over it and an atrifical tree in front of that and then forgot about it.

The moral of the story is don't hide it to well and forget where it's hidden.

So long as you have the required working clearance when the inspector is there it should pass the electrical inspection. If you put flammable material in front of the panel the Fire Marshall may object (if it's noticed).

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Paint the cover to match the wall
Cover with wallpaper to match the wall
Put a label on the mirror/painting, etc.

I would never allow a panel to be covered up in my buildings, BTW.

 

[Jraef]

I've done it twice in my lifetime, I am 50/50 on AHJs allowing it. The one that rejected it did so because I had removed the outer door of the panel cover, thinking it redundant because I put in a frame to hold a nice birch cabinet door that matched the other cabinet doors in the adjacent kitchen. His claim was that the cabinet door now became part of the breaker panel and was not listed with it. All I had to do was replace the factory door, so the owner had to open the wood door to access the breaker panel, then open the steel door on the breaker panel to access the breakers. Problem solved.

 

[kwired]

If well hidden, but still easy to gain accessibility, I think it is at least a good idea to put a label at the source end of the feeder stating the location of the panel. If it is service panel, most electricians anyway, would probably automatically look directly back side of meter first, but a label at the meter noting location of the service panel maybe not a bad idea either.

 

[Ponchik]

You can build a frame around it with a bulletin board (as you said) that hinges open. As long as your constructed frame does not interfere with the electrical panel in ANY way then I don't see any issue with it.

 

[GoldDigger]

If the frame of whatever is covering the panel remains in place when the access is open and is not flush with the panel front you may have a working space issue. The 6" exception only applies, IMHO, to other electrical equipment.

 

[steve66]

I personally wouldn't have a problem with it. A nice little label at the distribution panel would be a nice touch - "Sub panel A behind hinged bulletin board in front office."

Maybe even add the same label to any equipment it serves.

If there is a dropped ceiling, in theory the panel could also be found by tracing the conduits back.

 

[K8MHZ]

So, storing a mop bucket on wheels in front of a panel is not OK, but hiding the panel is?

That's the way I read it.

Unless a picture is considered equipment, that is.

Personally, I think it's a bad practice to hide breaker panels. Hiding panels is one of those things I kind of wish were not NEC approved.

 

[steve66]

So, storing a mop bucket on wheels in front of a panel is not OK, but hiding the panel is?

So we can lock a panel, but not hide it?

Best practices or not, it's the owner's building. If they want to hide the panel, and the inspector doesn't find a violation to cite, they should be able to hide the panel. I'm sure the buildings maintenance staff will still know where it is. And even if not, I really don't see how its any different than placing a panel behind a storage room door. That's going to be just as hard to find.

And there should be blueprints anyway. If you can't find a panel, look at the blueprints.

 

[mwm1752]

Are you being inspected?? covering a panel with a decorative painting cannot be controlled on a finished/approved/inspected building -- what goes on after final inspection cannot be controlled by inspectors -- If something would happen causing life safety issues due to covering the panel then whom ever was the culprit would most likely be responsible -- What would be the difference of building a 4" niche in a 3" wide hall & have a door 6'6" x 30" in front of a panel? not a code violation, panels can be behind closed doors

 

[gadfly56]

Are you being inspected?? covering a panel with a decorative painting cannot be controlled on a finished/approved/inspected building -- what goes on after final inspection cannot be controlled by inspectors -- If something would happen causing life safety issues due to covering the panel then whom ever was the culprit would most likely be responsible -- What would be the difference of building a 4" niche in a 3" wide hall & have a door 6'6" x 30" in front of a panel? not a code violation, panels can be behind closed doors

One large issue I can see is someone decides to make that decorative covering the focal point for a room "anchor"; a table, couch, or set of chairs or some such, leading to a clear violation of the working space. Not to mention that the bulletin board or whatever if hinged will need to be at least 30 inches wide if centered on the panel to provide the working space when opened up.

 

[K8MHZ]

So we can lock a panel, but not hide it?

Best practices or not, it's the owner's building. If they want to hide the panel, and the inspector doesn't find a violation to cite, they should be able to hide the panel. I'm sure the buildings maintenance staff will still know where it is. And even if not, I really don't see how its any different than placing a panel behind a storage room door. That's going to be just as hard to find.

And there should be blueprints anyway. If you can't find a panel, look at the blueprints.

All good points.

I guess I am just a bit 'prejudiced' from working industrial maintenance. I remember the first day on the job at a foundry and an overhead light was on fire. My trainer just ignored it and said it would burn itself out. When I asked why he wasn't dashing off to shut the power off to the light, his reply was that in order to do that, he would have to spend half a day trying to figure out where the breaker was located.

 

[mwm1752]

One large issue I can see is someone decides to make that decorative covering the focal point for a room "anchor"; a table, couch, or set of chairs or some such, leading to a clear violation of the working space. Not to mention that the bulletin board or whatever if hinged will need to be at least 30 inches wide if centered on the panel to provide the working space when opened up.

should I fail an inspection that has a AFCI receptacle in a place a couch would fit nicely? or better yet the plans show a table in that location? IMO non fixed furniture is impossible to regulate after final inspection though it may indeed become a code violation in the future --

 

[K8MHZ]

should I fail an inspection that has a AFCI receptacle in a place a couch would fit nicely? or better yet the plans show a table in that location? IMO non fixed furniture is impossible to regulate after final inspection though it may indeed become a code violation in the future --

Usually it's a washer or a dryer. In one case, a refrigerator. That last one was a bugger to troubleshoot, even with my through the wall tracer. HO didn't know the panel was behind the fridge, which was there when he bought the house. Yep, half the basement lights and recepts dead because of a tripped breaker hidden behind a refrigerator.

 

[gadfly56]

should I fail an inspection that has a AFCI receptacle in a place a couch would fit nicely? or better yet the plans show a table in that location? IMO non fixed furniture is impossible to regulate after final inspection though it may indeed become a code violation in the future --

No argument here; I'm just suggesting that creating the "near occasion of sin" isn't the best idea.

 

[Tony S]

I don’t know if concealing a panel is against any code. What I do know is it’s damned confusing. I spent nearly two hours looking for a panel in an oak panelled room, the cleaner finally showed me where it was.