Can an electrical panel be located in a closet? can an electrical panel be located in a closet.
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The short, safest and most efficient answer to this question is yes. According to the national code, with relation to electrical panels in closets: NEC 240.24D Overcurrent devices shall not be located in the vicinity of easily ignitable materials, such as a clothes closet.
nope its not a bathroom and as long as you having working clearances on the electrical panel per 110.26 and its not being used to store any easily ignitable material…have at it.
First of all, you cannot put the panel under anything. You cannot put it over anything. You cannot put it next to anything. There must a clear space in front of the panel for an electrician to stand.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Electrical Code (NEC), require that electrical panels have a minimum of 3 feet (36 inches) of clearance and a minimum headroom of 6.5 feet or the height of the equipment whichever is greater.
A panel cannot be located: 1) Where exposed to physical damage. 2) In the vicinity of easily ignitable material. Clothes closets are specifically noted as an area with easily ignitable material (hanging clothes).
As far as I know junction boxes are ok for closets. Your local jurisdiction may have other ideas. Please consider consulting them. Today’s circuit panels are full of (expensive) AFCI breakers that will be damaged by flooding and running many wires can get expensive with current copper prices.
There is a basic rule in the code that says unless otherwise approved and marked accordingly, no electrical conductors or equipment are permitted to be installed in damp or wet locations, where exposed to gases, fumes, vapors, liquids, other deteriorating agents, or where exposed to excessive temperatures.
NEC does allow for electrical panel installation inside a bedroom. Bedrooms meet the NEC workspace requirements for electric panel installation. You can find electric panels inside bedrooms in condos or small houses where space may otherwise be limited.
Electrical Panels in Bathrooms are Not Permitted.
- Garages – attached garages are the best location for an electrical panel, as they provide enough space to comply with the clear workspace requirements, but are also quite hidden.
- Basements – the basement is another preferable location for your electrical panel.
In summary, electrical panels can be located anywhere other than in bathrooms, clothes closets, above steps of a stairway or in fire-rated partitions or area separation walls as long as the proper working clearances are provided per NEC 110.26, and the enclosure type is suitable for the application (i.e. NEMA 3R if …
Just don’t put anything heavy or unwieldy in front of the panel, Mr. Wismer added. Or “you’ll have to get those Magic Sliders they show on TV for sliding the furniture around.”
For example, California’s state building code requires a minimum clearance of 30 inches horizontally in front of an electrical panel. This means you cannot place an electrical panel close to a corner if another wall, fixture or piece of furniture is within 30 inches of it.
Junction boxes are often located on walls near compressors, pumps or large pieces of equipment. In addition, junction boxes are often used on the roof of commercial buildings to provide access to circuits associated with air conditioning units and ventilation fans.
You should keep the receptacle at least 6 feet away from the edge of a bathtub or shower and at least 1 foot away from sinks.
You may install the panelboard as close as you like to a janitorial sink; however, a minimum of 36 in. deep by 30 in.
No gap is allowed between the front of a panel box and the wall surface that the dead front of a recessed panel will sit against in a regular wood stud (combustible) wall structure, but a 1/4” gap is acceptable in a noncombustible (steel stud or concrete) wall construction.