What is a Dead Front?

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jmellc

Senior Member
Location
Durham, NC
Occupation
Facility Maintenance Tech. Licensed Electrician
infinity said:
As the title asks what is a dead front? In the photo below the panel has a two part cover, an inner trim (shown) and a cover (not shown). Some say that the inner trim is the dead front but the definition in the NEC seems to say otherwise. IMO the combination of the inner trim and the outer cover make up the dead front. For a residential style panel the two are connected together so the point is moot. Any opinions?






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Most guys I ever worked with called this part the dead front. Last barrier to open live parts.
 
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Rick 0920

Senior Member
Location
Jacksonville, FL
Occupation
Electrical Instructor
Art. 100 Exposed (as applied to live parts) Capable of being inadvertently touched or approached nearer than a safe distance by a person. I believe the picture shows something "exposed" here. I too always considered what is shown as a deadfront. I've started my day off learning something new! Great Monday! :)
 
kwired

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Hv&Lv said:
Funny story… now anyway, it wasn’t then.
my son was a small toddler playing around the house. (Early 80s)
my then wife and I were in the kitchen. We noticed the lights dim then come back on followed by the shrieks of a child…
my son had plugged in a lamp.

Apparently his fingers were small enough to touch the prongs as they are inserted..
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Sounds like Hollywood, unless maybe he had more than just finger contact going on. You really think he had low enough resistance in his fingers to draw voltage down enough to make lights dim?
 
DrSparks

DrSparks

The Everlasting Know-it-all!
Location
Madison, WI, USA
Occupation
Master Electrician and General Contractor
infinity said:
But you can still reach around the inner cover an touch a live part.
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Oh, that's true. So I guess it's a dead front, but not a dead side

From a safety standpoint, I consider the following practices to be safe:

- caution taped or cordoned off working area while covers are off panel and electrician is present with gear on

- inner dead front panel on and area cordoned off while electrician is briefly absent

- all covers on otherwise

Sent from my BE2028 using Tapatalk
 
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