Minimum Electrical Clearance for Existing Panel

[hou628]

On a current job, a PLC needs to be replaced in an existing panel which is less than 3' feet away from a pump. NEC Table 110.26A.1 requires at least 3' working clearance. Can an exception be made to this code as the panel is existing and the PLC will only be replaced?

 

[charlie b]

I don't know much about PLCs, including how they are built and what sort of things you need to be able to do, once they are installed. NEC 110.26 only requires working clearance for equipment that is "likely" to require work while it is energized. I can't say whether that applies to a PLC. This isn't about pushing buttons on the outside, in order to alter some software command. It's about opening the enclosure, so that the live wires and terminals are within fingertip reach. Can you enlighten me on that aspect of the equipment?

 

[Zorch]

And is the pump within 3' of the FRONT of the PLC?