Location of panel in garage wall
Quite a while ago I had a job where we located a subpanel inside the garage in a wall that was also an interior wall of the house. The inspector required a layer of sheetrock in the stud bay behind the panel, and fireblocking immediately above and below the panel, with firecaulk in all the wire holes.
Recently I looked a new home where the electrician went to the trouble of installing the panel inside the garage but in the one exterior wall, and all of the runs were quite a bit longer than if he had used a common wall.
Today I looked at another new panel going in, also in a common wall. The electrician said nothing special was required.
The inspector on the first job pointed out that the panel constituted a penetration of the garage fire wall. Made sense to me at the time. What’s the code on this?
Replies
Makes sense to me I guess.
I've also seen them in the garage on the common wall, mounted on plywood over the sheetrock. Not recessed as you described.
Mudded up all the wires going into the rock above and below the panel. Don't ask me how the exposed cables were allowed. Not very pretty either.
Eric
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There's nothing in the electrical codes about this.If a building inspector is enforcing firewall issues it must be in his structural regs.
If the wall is actually defined as a firewall of substantial rating, and not just a minimum ten minute barrier, or if the wall is used as a shear wall mounting the panel in, but not on it, becomes problematic. It isn't really in the code, as far as I know, beyond the article deferring to the AHJ and the work being completed in a 'workmanlike manner'.
If you really want, need, to install the panel on the wall between the house and garage most inspectors would allow it as long as you do a bumpout and chase. Essentially leaving the plane of the firewall intact and adding a complete and separate wall assembly in front of it to contain the panel and cables.
if the chase above and below the panel are made removable this can actually be a feature. It can make adding circuits and repairs much easier.
The install I saw yesterday was the panel recessed into the wall... no bumpout, no chase. I do not know if the wall will be more than 5/8 type X over the studs.
first inspector was right
berg
Yes, if in a common wall, the panel must not blow the fire rating.
The other thing to consider in a garage is locating it where it won't get a bunch of crap piled in front of it. Near the garage door hardware is better than the middle of a wall. The worst is an inside corner.
-- J.S.