Panel over countertop

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ramdiesel3500

ramdiesel3500

Senior Member
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Bloomington IN
A homeowner did a small remodel. As part of this remodel, he installed floor cabinets and a coutertop below an existing panel. Obvious code violation! The panel is quite easily reached and appears to be otherwise in good condition. I am having a hard time convincing the owner that it needs to be changed and there is no inspection required in this jurisdiction for small interior remodels of this type. What would you tell this homeowner? Is there any practical safty issue that exists with this installation?
 
Re: Panel over countertop

The safety issue will come into play when that homeowner (if he fancies himself a "skilled DIY") or a future electrician (if he doesn't) attempts to add a circuit or to do other work within that panel. If he de-energizes the panel completely, before starting work, then there is no electrical safety issue. But that is not likely to happen, since it involves removing power to the whole house and may even involve opening a disconnect at the meter.

The "electrical science" explanation of the hazard starts with recognizing that:
</font>
  • <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">120 volts can kill you.</font>
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">and
</font>
  • <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Contacting a 120 volt source will cause your muscles to contract, and this has a good chance of forcing your hand to grab onto the source more firmly. You won't be able to let go, despite whatever frantic commands your brain might be giving to your fingers.</font>
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">and
</font>
  • <font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">No circuit breaker in that panel, be it the main breaker or a 15 amp branch circuit breaker, will ever trip, to save your life.</font>
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">So if the worker accidentally contacts an energized portion of the panel, it is possible that the only thing that might save that person's life is when all muscle control is lost, the person's body collapses to the floor, and the weight of the falling body forces the hand to pull away from the source. If there is any obstacle in the way, for example a countertop, then the body will not fall to the floor, and the hand will remain firmly attached to the source. It will not be a pretty sight.

I would strongly urge you to communicate to this person the dangers that await. You might also mention that if they sell this house, they may never know if a person were to be killed in the future, because of a safety hazard they created in the past.
 
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