Homemade door on existing panelboard trim

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jtinge

jtinge

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Sr. Elec. Engr
What is the acceptability from a code or listing standpoint for a mod to be made on an existing panelboard to add a door to cover the circuit breakers as shown in the attached photo?
 

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edward said:
Very nice job. That is all I have to say.
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I agree and no one should fail that.


Here is what UL has to say about field modifications. Check the part I underlined and made bold.

Field Modifications
What happens to the Listing if a UL-Listed product is modified in the field?
An authorized use of the UL Mark is the manufacturer’s declaration that the product was originally
manufactured in accordance with the applicable requirements when it was shipped from the factory. When
a UL-Listed product is modified after it leaves the factory, UL has no way to determine if the product
continues to comply with the safety requirements used to certify the product without investigating the
modified product. UL can neither indicate that such modifications ‘‘void’’ the UL Mark, nor that the
product continues to meet UL’s safety requirements, unless the field modifications have been specifically
investigated by UL. It is the responsibility of the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) to determine the
acceptability of the modification or if the modifications are significant enough to require one of UL’s Field
Engineering Services staff members to evaluate the modified product. UL can assist the AHJ in making this
determination.


An exception for a field modification authorized by UL is when the product has specific replacement
markings. For example, a switchboard may have specific grounding kits added in the field. The
switchboard is marked with a list of specific kit numbers that have been investigated for use in that
particular switchboard. Only grounding kits that are included on the marking on the product have been
investigated for use in that product.


If a party wishes UL to determine if the modifications made to a UL Listed product comply with UL
requirements, the appropriate Field Engineering Service can be initiated to investigate the modifications.
This investigation will only be conducted after UL consults with the AHJ to ensure that UL’s investigation
addresses all areas of concern and meets all of the AHJ’s needs.
If you have any questions or would like to inquire about a Field Evaluation, contact Field Services at
+1-877-UL-HELPS, prompt #2 (+1-877-854-3577) or visit http://www.ul.com/field/index.html.
Click to expand...
 
I appreciate the feedback. I had no problem with the quality of work with the mod but I'm always battling the opinion of some that any mod of a listed piece if equipment negates the listing and thus is a code violation. There appears to be a few words missing in the bold text addressing the UL listing. The complete sentence is as follows:

It is the responsibility of the Authority Having Jurisdiction to assess the acceptability of the modifications or to determine if the modifications are significant enough to require on of UL's Field Engineering Services staff to evaluate the modified product.


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Doors on UL 67 listed panelboards are not part of the UL listing at all. The interior/bus, trim and box are all that is included. The doors are for convenience. You can not install the doors at all if you don't want to, as long as the trim is not affected (which on some designs, might be an issue), because that trim is the "dead front" of the panelboard.

Now that said, there appears to be some sort of modification to the trim with those galvanized brackets, they don't look original. THAT may be an issue.
 
Jraef said:
Now that said, there appears to be some sort of modification to the trim with those galvanized brackets, they don't look original. THAT may be an issue.
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I guess that was the premise of my OP. Is there an issue with the added door to the existing trim? If so, what is it?


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The cabinet and its doors are covered by Article 312, and that article does not require the use of listed products.
 
jtinge said:
I guess that was the premise of my OP. Is there an issue with the added door to the existing trim? If so, what is it?


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Click to expand...

The only modification (if you to call it that) is you drilled holes on the front cover to mount your door. IMO, the functionality of that cover for the purpose that it was designed for is not modified.

If I was the AHJ, I do not see any issue with it.
 
iwire said:
Again, this is up to the AHJ.
Click to expand...

Would it make a difference if the door was added to an existing in service panelboard vs adding the door to the trim during installation of a new panelboard?


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I'm not sure, but I don't think the inside flange behind the door looks original either.

I would have more of a problem with that since its basically part of the dead front enclosure.
 
Jraef said:
The funny thing to me is, they did a nice job with the door itself, but then used a cheesy little slide bolt on it from the hardware store... :slaphead:
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Yes, I thought that too.It's like the one on my back gate.
The other thing I noticed about it is that there doesn't appear to be any means of locking it to prevent unauthorised entry.
 
Besoeker said:
Yes, I thought that too.It's like the one on my back gate.
The other thing I noticed about it is that there doesn't appear to be any means of locking it to prevent unauthorised entry.
Click to expand...

The cover is probably on there to keep the breakers from getting bumped and accidentally shut off. I have seen panels like the OP's in gymnasiums. It would make sense to have such a cover in that case.
 
K8MHZ said:
The cover is probably on there to keep the breakers from getting bumped and accidentally shut off. I have seen panels like the OP's in gymnasiums. It would make sense to have such a cover in that case.
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Yes, that I can see. I just wondered about them tampered with by people who business doing so. Maybe it's in a locked switchroom or other area.
 
Besoeker said:
Yes, I thought that too.It's like the one on my back gate.
The other thing I noticed about it is that there doesn't appear to be any means of locking it to prevent unauthorised entry.
Click to expand...

Many panelboard covers have no key lock at all. Many others have no door at all.

Neither are required
 
iwire said:
Many panelboard covers have no key lock at all. Many others have no door at all.

Neither are required
Click to expand...
Exactly.

I used to put in panelboards at Boeing facilities, they had an extra complicated door-in-door arrangement requirement that Westinghouse had developed just for them in the 60s, but when Westinghouse was bought by Eaton, the special configuration was dropped by them because of low volume. So a company called IEM said they would do it, and for a while, IEM got 100% of Boeing's panelboard business through whatever contractor was doing work there, and they discounted NOTHING. I remember asking the IEM salesman if it was a problem getting these custom doors UL listed, that's when I found out that the doors were irrelevant to UL.
 
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