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Here's one to get this codes forum off and running...
Something I often encounter is plumbing (DWV and supply) running over an electrical panel.
This often sparks the "what came first...chicken or the egg" argument. Around here, the plumber is usually there first, and the electricians fail to avoid their work. But the plumber always ends up moving! :whistling2:
The International Residential Code and the National Electric Code both give sparky dedicated space above his panels, all the way up to the ceiling or the structural ceiling (underside of the floor sheathing above). Nothing but framing and electrical can be directly above the panel...No HVAC, no gas, no plumbing. This is to allow sparky to pull wires years in the future, and to minimize the risk of water saturating the panel. The best way to illustrate the requirement is to imagine the panel sliding upward...It has to go all the way up without hitting your pipes.
The code used to allow you to sleeve the pipes or create a drip shield above the panel. The new electric code has written that out (in 2005 I believe).
Hopefully this will save someone some extra work, since most plumbers don't sit around reading electric code!
Something I often encounter is plumbing (DWV and supply) running over an electrical panel.
This often sparks the "what came first...chicken or the egg" argument. Around here, the plumber is usually there first, and the electricians fail to avoid their work. But the plumber always ends up moving! :whistling2:
The International Residential Code and the National Electric Code both give sparky dedicated space above his panels, all the way up to the ceiling or the structural ceiling (underside of the floor sheathing above). Nothing but framing and electrical can be directly above the panel...No HVAC, no gas, no plumbing. This is to allow sparky to pull wires years in the future, and to minimize the risk of water saturating the panel. The best way to illustrate the requirement is to imagine the panel sliding upward...It has to go all the way up without hitting your pipes.
The code used to allow you to sleeve the pipes or create a drip shield above the panel. The new electric code has written that out (in 2005 I believe).
Hopefully this will save someone some extra work, since most plumbers don't sit around reading electric code!