For all the electrical types out there…
My condo has an indoor circuit breaker panel, and it seems that at some point down the line, somebody didn’t like the color of a greenish gray box resting in the wall and decided it would look better with a coat of latex. Then I’m sure somebody else didn’t like the look of the wall paint and thought they could do better. Needless to say, I am not a big fan of painting anything that doesn’t take paint well: electrical outlets, hinges, door knobs, aluminum windows, etc. I think the service box looks like a major eyesore and is by far worse than it would have been in its original color and would like to do something about it.
I am pretty sure that replacement covers are not available, and even if they were, I doubt I could find one for a decent price that fits the model I have. Well, I have the means to bead blast the cover to bare metal and then powder coat it to any color I see fit (I’m thinking straight white). I could even reproduce the label sticker if I wanted to. I know that it would look great if I did it, but I was wondering if there was some sort of code that would prevent me from doing such a restoration. I was also wondering that, even if there are no codes applicable, are there any considerations that I should be aware of, i.e. grounding issues, thermal protection, etc. when it comes to the covers of the circuit breaker boxes.
Thanks for the help!!!
Replies
As long as you maintain the structural integrity of the cover I would expect no problems. Paint away. Code just specifies the metal with the paint there to prevent excessive rust.
Cover the panel when you remove the front.
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Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
At least that is better than the house that I looked at where they finished off the basement and took the cover off the pannel and then covered with a piece of panneling on hinges.
When you opened you all of the wiring and bus bars where exposed.
Some of the pcoat applications are so tough the cover screws won't dig thru the paint and ground the box, so you should be sure you have a method for electrical contact of the cover to the box.
The panel box should have a bonding screw or bar to the neutral or ground bus inside of the panel for that. If it is a concern, he could scratch a few bare spots on the back of the screw holes so the painted cover makes good metal to metal contact.
Good point. Not a bad idea. I suspect the inner surfaces, key to making this connection, will be still unpainted so it might not be an issue. If needed I keep a small shaft-mounted cylindrical stone, about $2.50 for a cheap one, in my drill box for removing paint and crud from where a ground lug goes. Any decent metal to metal contact should do.