panelboards in bedrooms

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sedeca

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I was called to rewire a three family house. there is a new service with the panels in each unit. one unit, the panel was located in a bedroom.I thought panels should not be in bedrooms, but I can't find that in the code.Any comments.
 
Yes it can be placed in the bedroom, but ideally, it should be located centrally or near the biggest load which normally the electric range and that is obviously in the kitchen. Two reasons. One is economy wise, because bigger load requires larger conductors. Secondly, kitchen is normally damp location which means ground condutor (CWL) for houses has an effective connection to earth ground (low resistance).
 
cduranph2006 said:
Secondly, kitchen is normally damp location which means ground conductor (CWL) for houses has an effective connection to earth ground (low resistance).
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What will this low resistance connection to earth do for us? :?:
 
iwire Wrote:
What will this low resistance connection to earth do for us?

It allows good connection to earth ground, so that in any event of ground fault, it will serve as a good return path for ground fault to trip the breaker.
 
cduranph2006 said:
iwire Wrote:
What will this low resistance connection to earth do for us?

It allows good connection to earth ground, so that in any event of ground fault, it will serve as a good return path for ground fault to trip the breaker.
Click to expand...

The earth and our electrical connection to it plays no role worth thinking about for the operation of the over current device.

In the case of a ground fault it is the job of the equipment grounding conductor to provide a low resistance path back to the source (not the earth) in order to open the over current device quickly.
 
cduranph2006 said:
It allows good connection to earth ground, so that in any event of ground fault, it will serve as a good return path for ground fault to trip the breaker.
Click to expand...
Tell us you know better!
 
cduranph2006 said:
Yes it can be placed in the bedroom, but ideally, it should be located centrally or near the biggest load which normally the electric range and that is obviously in the kitchen. Two reasons. One is economy wise, because bigger load requires larger conductors. Secondly, kitchen is normally damp location which means ground condutor (CWL) for houses has an effective connection to earth ground (low resistance).
Click to expand...

This entire theory is nonsense. Sure the range requires larger conductors so in essence the closer the panel is to the range the shorter the range conductors. But...the panel it self requires even larger conductors still so the farther form the main disco to the panel location the longer the feeder conductors the more $$$.
As for the damp location issue, since when is a kitchen in a residence a damp location?
The connection to earth issue has been covered.
 
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