I had a shop with a separate electrical drop for the building, which fed a few circuits as well as a 60-amp subpanel for a portion of the shop. This building was subsequently turned into a rental house. In the remodel, the subpanel, feeding two of the rental’s 110 circuits and two baseboard heaters, is located in a locked-off storage area that the owner retains for her own use. The main panel is in the renter’s area.
If a circuit were not behaving, the renters would be able to cut power at the main panel to the subpanel, but they don’t have access to the subpanel to flip individual circuit breakers. If a breaker just flipped flukishly at the subpanel, the renters also would not be able to flip it back on.
I was just wondering if code has anything to say about this.
Replies
I don't think the NEC cares who has access , only that there is access.
but with only one service into the shop, I would say the renters are lucky to have any access to either panel.....nice owner BTW to leave the Main in the rental space.
..
the local zoning board might have a diiferent opinion though
.
.
.
, wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?
Thanks for the response. Neither the present owner nor the renter is the least concerned about this, but when i was a landlord, i took pains to make sure my renters knew where ALL the shut-offs were - gas, water, and elec - so this piqued my interest. I had to warn her renter to move the aquarium from in front of the main panel, though.
move the aquarium ? cripes yeah, the one thing I've seen in commercial work is the Elec closets keep getting smaller, even in custom office buildings, to the point where there is exactly 36" in front of the panels since the damn room is 42" wide.and after the final, the tenants throw all sorts of crap in their brand new "storeroom".
.
.BTW.....welcome back
., wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?
Edited 3/10/2007 11:34 am by maddog3
36" x 42" sounds palatial! The "big house" on this property has its main panel scrunched onto the wall beside the steep, narrow steps to the mini-cellar, where the broken water heater and furnace also resided when i bought the derelict. I found the whole-house water shut-off located under those stairs when it began leaking one Friday at 4:30 pm. With apologies to Al Gore, the space could be renamed "An Inconvenient Booth".Since then, when i remodel, i make sure there is a LOT of space to work in. Funny, but the last house i sold, the fellow relocated the boiler to the crawlspace to reclaim a few square feet of living space. I hope he doesn't mind servicing it on his stomach.
The code is concerned about each occupant being able to disconnect all power to their unit.
If I understand the situation you have covered that.
Code is not concerned that the feeder the to shop might trip and the shop user not have access to reset it.
225.32 Location
The disconnecting means shall be installed either inside or outside of the building or
structure served or where the conductors pass through the building or structure. The
disconnecting means shall be at a readily accessible location nearest the point of entrance
of the conductors. For the purposes of this section, the requirements in 230.6 shall be
utilized.
225.35 Access to Occupants
In a multiple-occupancy building, each occupant shall have access to the occupant's
supply disconnecting means.
225.40 Access to Overcurrent Protective Devices
Where a feeder overcurrent device is not readily accessible, branch-circuit overcurrent
devices shall be installed on the load side, shall be mounted in a readily accessible
location, and shall be of a lower ampere rating than the feeder overcurrent device.
VI. Service Equipment ù Disconnecting Means
230.70 General
Means shall be provided to disconnect all conductors in a building or other structure from
the service-entrance conductors.
(A) Location The service disconnecting means shall be installed in accordance with
230.70(A)(1), (A)(2), and (A)(3).
No maximum distance is specified from the point of entrance of service conductors to
a readily accessible location for the installation of a service disconnecting means. The
authority enforcing this Code has the responsibility for, and is charged with, making
the decision as to how far inside the building the service-entrance conductors are
allowed to travel to the service disconnecting means. The length of service-entrance
conductors should be kept to a minimum inside buildings, because power utilities
provide limited overcurrent protection. In the event of a fault, the service conductors
could ignite nearby combustible materials.
Some local jurisdictions have ordinances that allow service-entrance conductors to run
within the building up to a specified length to terminate at the disconnecting means.
The authority having jurisdiction may permit service conductors to bypass fuel storage
tanks or gas meters and the like, permitting the service disconnecting means to be
located in a readily accessible location.
However, if the authority judges the distance as being excessive, the disconnecting
means may be required to be located on the outside of the building or near the building
at a readily accessible location that is not necessarily nearest the point of entrance of
the conductors. See also 230.6 and Exhibit 230.15 for conductors considered to be
outside a building.
See 404.8(A) for mounting-height restrictions for switches and for circuit breakers
used as switches.
(1) Readily Accessible Location The service disconnecting means shall be installed at a
readily accessible location either outside of a building or structure or inside nearest the
point of entrance of the service conductors.
(2) Bathrooms Service disconnecting means shall not be installed in bathrooms.
(3) Remote Control Where a remote control device(s) is used to actuate the service
disconnecting means, the service disconnecting means shall be located in accordance
with 230.70(A)(1).
230.72 Grouping of Disconnects
...
(C) Access to Occupants In a multiple-occupancy building, each occupant shall have
access to the occupant's service disconnecting means.
...
230.92 Locked Service Overcurrent Devices
Where the service overcurrent devices are locked or sealed or are not readily accessible to
the occupant, branch-circuit overcurrent devices shall be installed on the load side, shall
be mounted in a readily accessible location, and shall be of lower ampere rating than the
service overcurrent device.
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
So apparently things are legal and safe, as long as the renters can turn off the subpanel (in the locked storage room) with the breaker for it in the main panel to which they have access. I don't suppose they'll be working on any individual circuits themselves, but it seemed an odd set-up, all the same, when i saw how the place got partitioned.Now, the framing and DW that got notched around a live outlet that got in the way, and was mudded over leaving only the outline of the cover plate poking out from under the stud...i'm pretty sure that just ain't right! <G>