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can an electrical panel be located in a closet

by Deborah Kuvalis Published 4 years ago Updated 2 years ago

According to the NEC, electric panels are not allowed to be installed in closets. NEC 240.24(D) states, “Overcurrent devices shall not be located in the vicinity of easily ignitable materials, such as a clothes closet.”May 31, 2021

Full Answer

Can an electrical panel be located in a closet?

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.

Does electrical panel have to be behind closed doors?

Does an electrical panel have to be behind closed doors? ... Actually the contrary is a bit the case -- electrical panels should never be blocked or made inaccessible. Olive from Calgary even showed us the beautiful use of Oak cabinets to hide the panel while leaving the panel still accessible. She even keeps all her important electrical ...

How to inspect an electrical panel?

  • ELECTRICAL PANEL COVER
  • CIRCUIT WIRING AMPS FUSING
  • PROBLEM-BRAND ELECTRICAL PANELS
  • ELECTRICAL PANEL FUSED NEUTRAL WIRE HAZARDS
  • ELECTRICAL PANEL LOCATION
  • FUSES vs CIRCUIT BREAKERS
  • MAIN DISCONNECT INSPECTION
  • OTHER ELECTRICAL PANEL DEFECTS

How to fix an electrical panel?

  • Go to the electrical panel in the basement, garage, utility room or hallway.
  • Open the panel door and look for an index that tells which area of the home each breaker serves.
  • Locate the corresponding breaker. ...
  • Reset the breaker by moving the switch to the “Off” position. ...

More items...

Can I put an electrical panel in a walk in closet?

ANSWER: According to Section 240-24(d) of the National Electrical Code (NEC), which says “Overcurrent devices shall not be located in the vicinity of easily ignitable material, such as in clothes closets,” you are not permitted to do this.

Can an electrical panel be in a closet in a bathroom?

d. Panelboards, service equipment and similar enclosures shall not be located in bathrooms, toilet rooms and clothes closets. e. Such work spaces shall be provided with artificial lighting where located indoors.Nov 21, 2011

How much clearance is needed around an electrical panel?

three feetFor equipment operating at 600 volts, nominal or less to ground, electrical panels must have a minimum of three feet of clearance in front of the panel and a minimum clearance width of 2.5 feet or the width of the equipment, whichever is greater.

Where should I place my electrical panel?

Best Locations for Electrical PanelGarages – 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.More items...•Jul 29, 2020

Electrical panel in closet | Mike Holt's Forum

I think there still is "wiggle" room. The rule says not in the vicinity of easily ignitable material such as in clothes closets . The words I made bold are the actual rule, the "such as in clothes closets" is just an example of where the panel may be in the vicinity of easily ignitable material>

Panel in a closet ? | Electrician Talk

I have a customer who is putting their home on the market, and want to get it up to snuff in regards to code. They had a "private" home inspector come through that told them that their electrical panel in the closet would have to be moved per code. I'm going over this evening to look at it, but...

Article 240.24 (D) | Mike Holt's Forum

Re: Article 240.24 (D) That is hard to define, especially since everyone has their own opinion. I went through a house the other day (house shopping right now), the master 'closet' was over the garage -- over the WHOLE 2 1/2 car garage.

Can Electric Panel be Located in Closet | Terry Love Plumbing Advice ...

For an existing house with a 100amp circuit breaker panel, can we build a clothes closet that will include the existing panel? Thanks in Advance! Bill

Electrical Panel in Bathroom Closet? | Electrician Talk

A customer of mine is adding a bathroom to his basement. The electrical panel is in a closet in his finished basement. The new bathroom is planned outside of the closet. Thereby the closet door will be inside the bathroom. The ejector pump will be installed in the closet as well (while...

Electrical panel in bedroom walk-in closet - Electrical Inspections ...

House built in 2000. I am having a hard time deciphering the requirements as it looks like there were some changes around this time. I’m pretty sure that having this service equipment in the closet is not permitted, correct? Layman’s terms, please. 😃 TIA. p.s. the owner moved all of the clothes and storage out of the way;-)

What happens if you put an electrical panel in a closet?

If you have an electrical panel in a closet used to store clothes, you’re already taking an enormous risk. If a loose connection occurs in your existing electrical panel, sparks, those simple sparks can easily ignite the clothes hanging in your closet, and in a matter of seconds, set fire to your entire home. ...

Can you use overcurrent in a closet?

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.

Can you change a clothes closet?

Some electricians argue that the definition of a “clothes closet” (as described specifically in the code) can easily be changed by removing the clothing rod and making the closet a space that doesn’t store easily ignitable material. The bottom line is your family’s safety.

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 ...

Why do people put electrical panels outside their house?

This is perhaps because, as mentioned before, having an electrical panel can interfere with the house’s aesthetic if it is located in the bedroom or the living area. Another main reason people prefer to have the circuit panel outside their home is to allow easy access to it in case of an emergency.

How high should an electrical panel be?

To be NEC compliant, 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 . The clearance around the electric panel must be at least 30 inches wide with 3' of front workspace clearance.

How to find the breaker number on 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 for you to continue with the process. Step 2: Now, assign numbers to each of the circuit breakers inside the panel at the electric panel.

How wide is a NEC panel?

The NEC requires a minimum of 36 inches in front and 30″ inches of width on both sides of an electric panel to ensure the electrician has a safe workspace.

What angle should an electric panel door be?

The electric panel door must be able to open to a 90-degree angle. Ideally, electric panels should be located in an unfinished basement or garage but can be located inside any room that meets the NEC requirements and local building codes.

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 a linen closet?

Other than that, what you call a linen closet is a pantry, or tool closet, or anything else someone wants to store stuff.

Where to put electrical room label?

Put a label over or on the closet door that says Electric Room. You still have to meet code clearances in front of your panel though..

Where should overcurrent devices not be located?

Overcurrent devices shall not be located in the vicinity of easily ignitable materials, such as in clothes closets.

Do bedrooms have closets?

The way I see it, bedrooms are required to have a closet so it's OK looking at those as clothes closets. But any other closet should be fair game as long as the homeowner says so.

Can you put plumbing in electrical space?

You really would not want any plumbing in the electrical space if it's only minimal size to meet code.

Should the OP have clearance in the utility area?

If the OP has the clearance in the utility area then IMO , he should be okay.

Can you locate overcurrent devices in a linen closet?

So to give an answer to your question about a linen closet -. NO you can not locate overcurrent devices there.

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