Receptacle at service panel

[jeff43222]

Does the 2002 NEC require a receptacle to be installed at/near a single-family dwelling's service panel? I know they are commonly installed, but I haven't been able to find anything in the code requiring it.

 

[infinity]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

Look at 210.52(G) which requires at least one receptacle in addition to any laundry receptacle in a basement.

[ May 13, 2005, 07:45 AM: Message edited by: infinity ]

 

[drg]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

Article 210.52 (G) explains that a garage and basement require at least 1 receptacle but it does not state that it "shall be" next to the service panel......maybe the reason you see a receptacle by a panel most times because it is close , meet requirments of 210.52 (G) and time and money is saved not running conduits or cable.
To answer your question of "does a receptacle have to be next to the panel" I would say No its does not.
If this service panel was put inside the house other than the garage or basement you will probably not see the receptacle mounted next to it.

 

[jeff43222]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

This is in a basement that already has several other receptacles installed. I recently upgraded the service to 200A, but yesterday it dawned on me that a panel receptacle might be required, so I started looking through the code for such a requirement. The closest one I could find was that one was required for servicing HVAC equipment, but that stuff is located on the other side of the basement, and there are already receptacles there.

I wasn't planning on installing a receptacle at the panel, but I wanted to double check and make sure that I wasn't missing a requirement.

Thanks for the input.

 

[luke warmwater]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

I think it is based on convenience of the service installer when trying to comply with Article 527.

527.4(D) and 527.6

It is easier at time of service installation to mount it close to the service.

The houses that we wire have more than one in the basement and garage added later, so there is never a problem with leaving one near the service.

 

[infinity]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

As it was stated the receptacle is not required to be adjacent to the panel but is usually installed there out of convenience to the installer.

It should noted however that a basement may require more than one receptacle for unfinished areas if the basement were divided up by finished habitable rooms. Each unfinished portion is required by 210.52(G) to have a receptacle. Also all receptacles in the unfinished portion(s) of basements need GFCI protection.

 

[drg]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

The statements member #60 made in regards to convenience an articles 527.4(4) and 527.6 in the NEC 2002 "best explain" why you see the receptacle by the service panel in most homes.....good call on your part and glad you mentioned this.

 

[allenwayne]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

For years here new construction we would install a 4 sq.under the panel when back to back service,this was for irrigation timer,That changed in 1 /05 when we are required to have all receptacles in a garage gfci protected IE freezer,irrigation etc.unless the appliance was there at time of final then a single recep could be used.
At 2,500 homes/ year a gfci device and a decora RS cover was alot of $$$ thrown away.So we hit the HR at the irrigation recep 1 ft in front of the panel and jump from gfci device as required.It has already been a nusiance for call backs,freezer trips gfci device that we installed on a dedicated circuit.MR./MRS. homeowner is furious since all that meat they saved all that money on is spoiled.We shrug our shoulders and tell them we were required to install that device since there was no freezer on the final

 

[infinity]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

I think it is based on convenience of the service installer when trying to comply with Article 527.

527.4(D) and 527.6

Is this in the 2002 NEC?

The statements member #60 made in regards to convenience an articles 527.4(4) and 527.6 in the NEC 2002 "best explain" why you see the receptacle by the service panel in most homes.....good call on your part and glad you mentioned this.

What does Article 527 have to do with this question? Isn't 527 for temporary installations?

[ May 13, 2005, 11:58 AM: Message edited by: infinity ]

 

[electricmanscott]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

I have not read any replies but the answer to the original question is no.

 

[luke warmwater]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

Originally posted by drg:
The statements member #60 made in regards to convenience an articles 527.4(4) and 527.6 in the NEC 2002 "best explain" why you see the receptacle by the service panel in most homes.....good call on your part and glad you mentioned this.

No problem.

 

[luke warmwater]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

Originally posted by infinity:

I think it is based on convenience of the service installer when trying to comply with Article 527.

527.4(D) and 527.6

Is this in the 2002 NEC?

Yes, it is in 2002NEC

The statements member #60 made in regards to convenience an articles 527.4(4) and 527.6 in the NEC 2002 "best explain" why you see the receptacle by the service panel in most homes.....good call on your part and glad you mentioned this.

What does Article 527 have to do with this question? Isn't 527 for temporary installations? [/QUOTE]

Well, in the areas that we work, we will set the service on a new home as soon as we can to get the power turned on by the Utility Co.

This is so we will have temporary power for running drills, saws, etc., etc. and not have to run generators.

Since the service is being used as temporary power at this point, we must comply with Article 527.
So, at this point, it is just easier and quicker to mount the (GFCI protected) receptacle(s) next to the loadcenter.

We are doing a number of large custom homes right now that have the 20amp Laundry(washer), a 20amp outdoor, (3) 20amp bathroom, and (1) 15amp sump pump circuts all energized for 'temporary power'.

Now,
Jim and Allen and the other guys in their Florida area don't have to worry about this, since they can't get the power turned on until after their final electrical inspection.

edit: tricky quotes

[ May 13, 2005, 08:50 PM: Message edited by: luke warmwater ]

 

[infinity]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

Well, in the areas that we work, we will set the service on a new home as soon as we can to get the power turned on by the Utility Co.

This is so we will have temporary power for running drills, saws, etc., etc. and not have to run generators.

Ahhhh, now that makes sense. But what do you do for power before the service is finished? Around here we almost always install a temporary service before the work even begins. Someone will need power long before the permanent service is installed.

 

[George Stolz]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

Todd, let me take that a step further and say this: I recently roughed a house where the basement will be finished at some point in the near future after C.O., and I'm pretty sure that our company will do the job.

To limit the temp-power problem in that future project, I did the same thing, placed the (G) outlet under the panel. By placing it in a known future "Utility Room", I've hedged my bet that I won't have to unplug my boom box when I demo the keylesses and go to town.

 

[George Stolz]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

Infinity, check out this thread.

 

[allenwayne]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

We are required to set a t pole at each residence even 15 ft apart tract homes,that way when finaled the tpole meter goes on the house.even new areas where poco has not run undergriund they mark the spot we install t pole and maybe the trans will be energized when the meter release is issued,if not we pick up the same t pole that was never energized when meter is set

 

[infinity]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

Thanks George. That would never fly around here. The AHJ wouldn't allow it and I would agree with him. If the GC didn't want to pay for a temp service let him buy a generator and lot of $2.50/gallon gasoline. Just for the record the local POCO gets about $325 for a temp service hookup so the cost to the GC would be $325 plus whatever the electrical contractor gets for his installation. That's about $500.

 

[luke warmwater]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

Here are a couple pics of a typical service that will be used for temporary power while home is under construction. Panel covers are not installed when pics were taken. Installed by 2nd year apprentice:

 

[allenwayne]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

we install t poles for free ?? guess we are missing out

 

[luke warmwater]

Re: Receptacle at service panel

We will sometimes set a temp pole. But not too often.
We have one now that needs to be removed and taken to a different lot.