Outdoor service panels versus indoor

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jeff48356

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Location
Livonia, Michigan
I live around Knoxville, Tennessee (relatively new to the area), and I see a lot of houses where they have the main service panel mounted OUTDOORS at the meter, rather than inside the house. This has to be THE dumbest idea ever, in my opinion, when it comes to electrical wiring. First, anyone could have malicious intentions, and come and turn any or all of your power off inside your house at any time. Second, who would want to go outdoors on a cold or rainy day to reset a tripped breaker? Not me!

But I think I figured out why the original builders' electricians did it that way. In my subdivision, for example, the power comes from pad-mount 50kVA transformers on some people's front lawns, each servicing several houses. On some houses, the meter is on the garage side of the house, and on others, it is located on the side which would have the living room behind it. They used indoor panels inside the garage, directly behind the meter, but they used outdoor ones when the panel would need to be placed in the living room. This is probably for aesthetic reasons. But personally, I would MUCH prefer a panel on the finished living room wall than have to go outdoors to access it. I could always hang a large picture over the panel and call it a day.

Which would you vote for?:
1) Panel in the living room, and hang a picture over it, or
2) Panel outdoors and have the issues I described in the first paragraph
 
Tennessee.. ???
You are new to the area, aren't you !! :D
Don't all new homes come with this ?
dogs playing poker.jpg

they do in my part of TN :D

most also come with this that reduces the malicious mischief...
AR15.jpg
 
jeff48356 said:
I live around Knoxville, Tennessee (relatively new to the area), and I see a lot of houses where they have the main service panel mounted OUTDOORS at the meter, rather than inside the house. This has to be THE dumbest idea ever, in my opinion, when it comes to electrical wiring. First, anyone could have malicious intentions, and come and turn any or all of your power off inside your house at any time. Second, who would want to go outdoors on a cold or rainy day to reset a tripped breaker? Not me!

But I think I figured out why the original builders' electricians did it that way. In my subdivision, for example, the power comes from pad-mount 50kVA transformers on some people's front lawns, each servicing several houses. On some houses, the meter is on the garage side of the house, and on others, it is located on the side which would have the living room behind it. They used indoor panels inside the garage, directly behind the meter, but they used outdoor ones when the panel would need to be placed in the living room. This is probably for aesthetic reasons. But personally, I would MUCH prefer a panel on the finished living room wall than have to go outdoors to access it. I could always hang a large picture over the panel and call it a day.

Which would you vote for?:
1) Panel in the living room, and hang a picture over it, or
2) Panel outdoors and have the issues I described in the first paragraph
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Personally an interior panel w/ an outside disconnect is preferable to me- if a fire occurs in the room where the panel is at, there is a way to kill power to the house without having to pull meter or cut a drop. Put a lock on it if worried about pranksters- HO needs to remember where key is so its readily accessible, but if fire occurs when noone is home, ffs can cut lock- safer for them than the alternatives.
 
Before we had permits and inspections here, I heard that a lot about "don't want exterior disconnect, someone could turn off my power" but never anyone nervous about natural or propane gas shut-off valve

And it must be rare because I never hear about it happening, I have heard of meters being pulled by burglars though
 
readydave8 said:
Before we had permits and inspections here, I heard that a lot about "don't want exterior disconnect, someone could turn off my power" but never anyone nervous about natural or propane gas shut-off valve

And it must be rare because I never hear about it happening, I have heard of meters being pulled by burglars though
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And turning a gas valve off and then back on could actually create a serious hazard, while turning electric service off and back on is much less likely to be dangerous, as long as someone does not go into machinery that will autostart.
 
Seems odd that they would use an outdoor panel just to keep it close to the meter. My house has an external disconnect connected to SE cable that runs to the opposite side of the house where the garage and panel are located. Isn't that the standard arrangement when the feeder is on the "wrong" side of the house?

We have lots of older homes here that were upgraded with outside panels, but that's only because the new panel is larger the fuse box or tiny panel it's replacing and there just isn't room in the same spot. No new homes around here have outside panels that I have noticed.
 
No outside panels in resi here. If you suggested putting anything other than a main disconnect outside here for residential, you would be considered insane. :lol:
 
jeff48356 said:
That's exactly my opinion of the electricians who wired all the houses in around Knoxville!
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It's normal here in CA for semi-flush panels outdoors & tampering is not a problem, the problem is the ignorance of people that think it is. Tract homes are built as cheap as developers can get away with (refuse to say built to minimum code) and those panels are a way to cut costs.
 
jeff48356 said:
Which would you vote for?:
1) Panel in the living room, and hang a picture over it, or
Click to expand...

Living in the Northeast I prefer to be out of the snow and rain when working on panels, we also have basements so that is where the panels usually go.

That said, many areas do put them outside and it is not wrong or a problem.

2) Panel outdoors and have the issues I described in the first paragraph
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I think you are over blowing the problems.
 
Here in Texas most MDPs are on an outside wall. When we do encounter an interior MDP it always has a disco or enclosed breaker outside.
 
iwire said:
Living in the Northeast I prefer to be out of the snow and rain when working on panels, we also have basements so that is where the panels usually go.

That said, many areas do put them outside and it is not wrong or a problem.



I think you are over blowing the problems.
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I wouldn't worry about vandalism as much as I would worry about the elements. Breaker trips one night in the pouring rain what is the homeowner to do? How about if there is 4 feet of snow, is the panel considered accessible? What do you think is going to happen to arc fault breakers with all their electronics? Panels are only rain resistant. Lastly, didn't we have a big discussion about bringing the NM branch circuits into the panel from inside the house?

Nope, I agree with the OP. It is wrong and other than temp power or a required disconnect it should be illegal. :thumbsdown: No way do they belong outside.

-Hal
 
ActionDave said:
You do realize there are millions of breakers in service in outdoor panels without any problems don't you?
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LOL

I started to type that kind of post but realized it will not matter. It comes down to 'We don't do it that way so it has to be wrong' type of thing and you can't change that kind of legacy with mere facts. :D
 
iwire said:
LOL

I started to type that kind of post but realized it will not matter. It comes down to 'We don't do it that way so it has to be wrong' type of thing and you can't change that kind of legacy with mere facts. :D
Click to expand...

Trying telling someone in New England that they still use uninsulated staples throughout the rest of the country. :eek:
 
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