Circuit Panel Height

JohnV

Does anyone know what the height requirements for a residential breaker panel is in N.Y.C.?
Our designer and and electrician are fighting over the panel being 5' of the floor at the bottom of the panel.
The electrician claims the panel needs to between 5' and 7' off the floor.
The designer says he always puts it at 5' to the center of the panel.
No one can find a city code anywhere except for a "rule of thumb" of eye level.

mdshunk

Yes, there is a height limit to panels. The operating position of the topmost breaker may not be greater than 6', 7" off the deck. If the top breaker will be higher than that, you need to build a permanent platform or mezannine under it.

404.8 Accessibility and Grouping.
(A) Location. All switches and circuit breakers used as
switches shall be located so that they may be operated from
a readily accessible place. They shall be installed so that the
center of the grip of the operating handle of the switch or
circuit breaker, when in its highest position, is not more
than 2.0 m (6 ft 7 in.) above the floor or working platform.

Exception No. 1: On busway installations, fused switches
and circuit breakers shall be permitted to be located at the
same level as the busway. Suitable means shall be provided
to operate the handle of the device from the floor.
Exception No. 2: Switches and circuit breakers installed
adjacent to motors, appliances, or other equipment that
they supply shall be permitted to be located higher than
specified in the foregoing and to be accessible by portable
means.
Exception No. 3: Hookstick operable isolating switches
shall be permitted at greater heights.

JohnV

Is this from NEC ? I think their arguement is that New York City has their own rule about this.

mdshunk

Yes, that's an NEC code I quoted.

Help me out here. I was always under the impression that NYC's code supplimented and amended the NEC. You said you can't find anything specific in the NYC code, so that causes you to fall back to the NEC base text. No?

Speedy Petey

NYC recently adopted the NEC with only a few ammendments from what I hear.
I'll try and find confirmation.

__________________

Speedy Petey

That was easy:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/model/nec.shtml

__________________

mdshunk

For completeness sake, there is no minimum panel mounting height, unless the panel is in a mobile home. Mobile home panels may be no lower than 24". Other locations, the panel may be mounted on the floor, a foot off the floor, or where ever, up to the max mounting height. Bigger MDP's, MCC's and most all switchgear are traditionally mounted on the floor or on a housekeeping pad. Even some of the bigger NQOD type panels can end up only a foot or so off the floor if you're observing the 6'7" max height for the top breaker.

Common sense should prevail, and you should mount the panel so that it will be convenient to work in also. It would be plain stupid to mount the typical residential panelboard 6 inches off the deck, even though it is permissable.

Jefe

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