Hi,
Our kitchen sink drain pipe is directly above our electrical panel. It has been this way since we bought the house and apparently passed inspection at some point. While it has always puzzled/bothered me i never thought too much about it. However now i am in the beginning phase of finishing basement which will require a sub panel to be installed. My concern is when i get sub panel inspected, that this is gonna raise all sorts of red flags. As I understand it this is not up to code. So my question is, what can i do to make this right? Can i move drain line back into wall (in rim joist space) and run over and out above door, so that its not directly above panel? Its hard to see in picture, but drain line has a 45 that brings it from rim joist area to above panel. This would put drain pipe several inches “behind” panel. Any thoughts/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Asking on here will get you answers that do not align with what will be required by your local authority. It would be best to call your city inspector and see what they will allow.
The pipe cannot be over the footprint of the panel because it is within the dedicated space for the panel. So you’ll need to move either the pipe or the panel.
So would moving pipe further back into the wall (pipe would then be above blocks) be out of the dedicated space?
Thansk! Yeah i am going to reach out locally but trying to see what i may possibly be up against.
Yes if it is not over the panel. If you look at the side view in the graphic I posted it can’t be in the shaded area.
Ok that is what i was thinking based on image. That seems like a much better/way cheaper solution than moving panel. Thanks
I’ve seen catch pans installed under drains that were located over panel boards. They just cannot be installed within the panel board workspace.
E3405.3
I was wondering if some kind of diverter/catch pan could suffice. Just not sure how to effectively install one in this situation.
Leak protection would need to be at least 6’ above the panel.
Is there an exception for a panel board that is not rated in excess of 200 A?
Not for the dedicated equipment space. There is an exception in existing dwellings to the working space requirements when the panelboard is 200 amps or less.
(a) Dedicated Electrical Space. The space equal to the width and depth of the equipment and extending from the floor to a height of 1.8 m (6 ft) above the equipment or to the structural ceiling, whichever is lower, shall be dedicated to the electrical installation. No piping, ducts, leak protection apparatus, or other equipment foreign to the electrical installation shall be located in this zone.
Just an observation to consider. The illustration has a surface-mounted panel, and the photo depicts a panel inserted in the stud bay. The pipe may be slightly outside of the dedicated space since it is outside of the stud bay.
Maybe the picture skews the view, but the pipe is directly above the panel in that corner. They actually framed around pipe with the studs that the panel is installed within. You can see the vertical stud that stops just below pipe. Part of me wonders if the panel was installed first (fully framed) then later cut when sink drain installed.
Do you have room in the base cabinet to move the drain over about 4 inches?
You know i didn’t think about that. Yeah i probably do. Although im not sure if that would be much easier than rerouting the current pipe so that it is behind panel. Unless i went straight through bottom of sink cabinet rather than through wall behind it and down. The drain does go through wall on left side of sink cabinet, so I could make it so it goes out on right half of cabinet. Not sure where the air vent is though as it is within wall behind sink. I suppose if I would already cutting into the wall behind sink either way, it wouldn’t hurt to cut out the entire wall within back side of cabinet to expose everything.
(a) Dedicated Electrical Space. The space equal to the width and depth of the equipment and extending from the floor to a height of 1.8 m (6 ft) above the equipment or to the structural ceiling, whichever is lower, shall be dedicated to the electrical installation. No piping, ducts, leak protection apparatus, or other equipment foreign to the electrical installation shall be located in this zone.
Were you compelled to copy, paste, and repost your previous thread, or do you have a point?
