Surface Mount Box knockouts what am I missing

[seaton]

I have generally used flush mount boxes, but one thing about surface mount boxes have always puzzled me. For example, if you look at the SC42M200PS. It is designed as an all in one, meter, etc. Ok, so you mount it on the side of a house. You bring the service right in the bottom knockout, all is good.

So now you have up to 42 circuits you run out of the box. So the box has some factory knockouts in the bottom of the box. WHY ?
those knockouts would be on the outside of the structure, a veritable nightmare. Maybe an outlet or something, but it seems to me that the bulk of the wiring has to go out the back. I would expect knockouts there, or is everyone just using a greenlee, and its expected that a person puts them all where they need them ? I would expect that would be fine, but I would hate to punch a bunch of holes and have an AHJ not like where they are.

I am sure I must be missing something, but surely people are not dragging their branch circuits out of the structure to enter the box from the bottom.

 

[luckylerado]

I am sure I must be missing something, but surely people are not dragging their branch circuits out of the structure to enter the box from the bottom.

Why are you using those? Put the panel inside...

I would not want all of my branch circuits in an outdoor panel unless the majority of the loads are outside like an RV park or Ag building.

 

[ActionDave]

I think there should be an opt in for pre punched panels instead of the opt out that the manufacturers offer us at this time.

 

[infinity]

So now you have up to 42 circuits you run out of the box. So the box has some factory knockouts in the bottom of the box. WHY ?
those knockouts would be on the outside of the structure, a veritable nightmare. Maybe an outlet or something, but it seems to me that the bulk of the wiring has to go out the back. I would expect knockouts there, or is everyone just using a greenlee, and its expected that a person puts them all where they need them ? I would expect that would be fine, but I would hate to punch a bunch of holes and have an AHJ not like where they are.

I'm not sure why someone would object to you making your own KO's, generally boxes and cabinets can be field punched without affecting the listing.

 

[seaton]

I'm not sure why someone would object to you making your own KO's, generally boxes and cabinets can be field punched without affecting the listing.

I don't object to making my own, I actually prefer it. It just seems odd to me that the only place they do have knockouts makes no sense. It is a bit more painful when you have an add on circuit to do the punch. No one should be bringing them in the bottom of a surface mount, certainly not the number they have available. I would expect that they would have a them in the back of the panel with that being their consumer line.

 

[seaton]

Why are you using those? Put the panel inside...

I would not want all of my branch circuits in an outdoor panel unless the majority of the loads are outside like an RV park or Ag building.

Numerous reasons. Myself I do a lot of solar. I can not tell you how many times you find an existing box already external on a house that is too small to accommodate any expansion, let alone the 120% rule and adding in solar.