You can find electric panels inside cabinets, behind refrigerators, or inside clothes closets in older homes. Current National Electrical Codes (NEC) allow none of these locations. Electrical panels need to be installed 4′ off the ground with the center grip handle of the highest circuit breaker is no more than 6’7″ high to be NEC compliant.
Full Answer
Where are circuit breaker boxes not allowed to be installed?
These codes cover the installation and placement of residential circuit breaker boxes, including main service panels and subpanels. Circuit breaker boxes may not be installed in bathrooms, powder rooms, clothes closets or in any room where there is insufficient space for a worker to access and work on the box.
How to install circuit breakers in a new home?
Step 1: Try to look for the index of the circuit panel within your new home. The index will help you better understand the breaker panel and make it easier to continue with the process. Step 2: Now, assign numbers to each of the individual circuit breakers inside the panel at the electric panel.
Can an electric panel be in a closet?
Can an electric panel be located in a closet? An electric panel is not allowed to be located in a clothes closet, and the logic is that the close proximity of flammable items is a hazard. Here’s how it is stated in the Florida Building Code (FBC, Residential Edition, and the International Residential Code (IBC):
Where are breaker panels installed in a house?
If there is no basement, garage, or staircase available, the breaker panel will be installed in the home’s central area, as long as you adhere to clearance standards. In an apartment, you can find a breaker panel in a hall or entryway. Regardless of where they might be, all breaker panel locations tend to have some traits in common;
Where should a breaker box be located?
This allows some leeway in the location of the breaker box, but also restricts it. You should not locate a box on the opposite side of the home from the meter. In general, this restriction in the NEC encourages you to determine the circuit breaker box location and from that determine the service entrance equipment location. The service entrance equipment includes the meter, meter base, outside disconnect and the mast extending up through the roof. For example, don't run the service wiring 30 feet inside the house before you connect it to the main circuit breaker box.
What are the rules and restrictions on the placement of a circuit breaker box?
The rules and restrictions on the placement of circuit breaker boxes are meant to make the installation safe, and that includes common-sense precautions. Although a location may meet the strict definition of the code, it may not make sense to put it there. For example, locating the main circuit breaker box in an attic where it is not readily ...
How far off the ground is a breaker box?
An area 30 inches wide by 36 inches deep, measured from the center of the service equipment, and 78 inches high, measured from the ground, must be clear of obstructions, including ground rods and water pipes. The center of the meter must be 44 to 66 inches off the ground. If the service entrance includes the circuit breaker, the highest switch may not be more than 79 inches from the ground. The service entrance must not be located within 3 feet of the utility side of the gas meter or within 10 inches of the customer side of the gas meter.
How deep should a breaker box be?
The space immediately in front of the box must be clear, and the box must be accessible. Clearance provided in front of the box must be 36 inches deep, measured out from the front of the box, and 30 inches wide, measured from the center of the box and from the floor to the structural ceiling. The ceiling must be at least 78 inches high from the floor.
Can you locate a breaker box on the opposite side of the house?
This allows some leeway in the location of the breaker box, but also restricts it. You should not locate a box on the opposite side of the home from the meter. In general, this restriction in the NEC encourages you to determine the circuit breaker box location and from that determine the service entrance equipment location.
Where are electrical panels located?
Electrical panels are usually located on a wall in an out-of-the-way area of your home. In older homes, electric panels are commonly found inside cabinets, behind refrigerators, or inside clothes closets, all against current National Electrical Codes (NEC). To be NEC compliant, electrical panels need to be installed 4' off the ground with ...
What are the regulations regarding the location and placement of electrical panels?
The regulations regarding the location and placement of electrical panels exist to ensure your safety first and foremost. This article covers the possible allowed areas and installation of electrical panels. You can easily identify where the panel should be located and how exactly you should install it.
What is the Minimum Clearance Required Around Electrical Panels?
A minimum clearance reduces risk and makes it easier for electricians to work with electrical panels, ensuring that there isn’t any object near the breaker box, which might result in a dangerous situation.
Are Electrical Panels Required to be Locked?
The interior electric panel doors have a latch on the panel cover door to secure the panel closed.
Can Electrical Panels be Installed Outside?
While it may come as a shock to many living in the city, in rural areas, many times, the electrical panel is located outside the home. This is done so that no home area needs to be sacrificed or made less attractive to accommodate a panel.
Can Electrical Panels be Located Behind Doors?
So, as long as there is adequate space in the panel region, electrical panels can be located behind doors.
Are Electrical Panels Allowed Over Stairs?
When looking at the stairs, we occasionally see electric panels in stairways of a basement or where a homeowner added an addition, usually before the NEC was written.
Where are breaker panels installed?
Yet breaker panels are installed in garages where some of the most burnable, explodable, and combustible things are stored.
How much room do you need for a bathroom panel?
It doesn’t matter how much room one has around a panel it cannot be installed in a closet or dwelling bathroom. All panels are required to have 30 inches in width and 36 inches in depth for a person to stand while working on the panel.
Where is the water heater in a stairwell?
The water heater was under the landing at the top of the stairwell with new circulating pump installed beside on the wall. The entire floor area was covered in boxes of spray paint with a 5 gallon can of gas sitting within inches of the gas valve on the heater. This area is enclosed with a small make up air grill.
Can you put a panel in a closet?
Yes, true. Thing is it was stated that you cannot put a panel in a closet. This is simply not entirely true.
Is it safe to open a door that is on the panel?
It should be safe if the door is on the panel, and closed.
Can a sandbox be installed in a closet?
It can be installed in a closet, just not a clothes closet or where easily ignitable material are stored. This is as long as clearances are met and maintained.
Why Should an Electrical Breaker Panel not be Located in a Bathroom?
Building codes only come into play when building a new structure or remodeling. Most areas have only had building codes for 20 to 25 years. The county I live in didn’t have a building and zoning department 25 years ago.
How Far does Water Need to be from an Electrical Breaker Panel?
However, you can install a breaker panel near plumbing pipes without issues. As long as there is sufficient working space for the breaker panel , they can be near each other.
What Does Moisture do to an Electric Breaker Panel?
If you have a panel located inside a bathroom, moisture will inevitably make its way inside and cause damage. The wiring and circuit breakers will corrode, and you may find the panel box itself rusting.
