Are All Breaker Boxes This Tidy?

[lolaetype]

I removed the covers from the breaker boxes when I was painting the garage wall. These are the tidiest breaker boxes I've ever seen. When the electrician added the breaker for the island electric cooktop he told me this was about as precise work as he had ever seen.

 

[RPH]

Nope, that is a sign of a professional. Care matters and pretty is nice too!

 

[jeepxj]

is it ok to use that left box as the raceway for the right one?

 

[RPH]

This was after the controls engineer did the wiring on an upgrade. Just made the whole thing harder. Appreciate the care shown.

 

[RPH]

not an electrician but if conduit is between them it’s ok. At least they have bushings on both ends!

 

[vwpieces]

Looks Pretty but I bet there are things not to code. As there usually is Something...

 

[mike93lx]

The sign of someone that cares! And that's getting paid by the hour...

A lot of time was spent in those panels

 

[yatg]

Looks Pretty but I bet there are things not to code. As there usually is Something...

All those ground wires twisted up and landed under one lug. Hate that ****.

 

[rlitman]

All those ground wires twisted up and landed under one lug. Hate that ****.

Agreed. I also hate ground wires making tight turns. They should be radiused.

 

[jeepxj]

Agreed. I also hate ground wires making tight turns. They should be radiused.

what about all the hots?

 

[Innovate1]

Yeah. A little too neat for me. Looks impressive but the short kinks in the wires aren't great and obvious someone had a bunch of extra time.

 

[nadogail]

Neat wiring makes later repairs easier, Service Loops should have been included. Service loops can be made neatly.

 

[rlitman]

what about all the hots?

I don't see the point in that. A smooth radius on the grounds lowers the impedance to ground, which helps to divert surge energy. Higher impedance on a hot wire doesn't hurt anything.

Neat wiring makes later repairs easier, Service Loops should have been included. Service loops can be made neatly.

Agreed. When I measure in a hot wire in a panel, I'll cut it long enough so that the breaker can be moved in the future to any other position on the bus without splicing, and then figure out how to neatly contain the extra length.

 

[mike93lx]

The more I look at it, the less I like it. It will be impossible to modify anything in there.

 

[Norcal]

The panel is a ITE/Siemens & full of Zinsco II breakers (BR) & SQ D HOM is always hack work in a competitive panel.

 

[rlitman]

The more I look at it, the less I like it. It will be impossible to modify anything in there.

In a residential install, I agree. In the commercial stuff I deal with at work, it's fine, because there are service loops in the wiring trough where everything comes in from a few feet above the panel. You do end up cutting a lot of zip ties when you make any changes though.

 

[Debcrow]

The powerplant where I worked all of the old cloth and lead covered wire from the 1920's up was neat like that.
All of the later plastic covered wire was a lot more random.
Common work expectations change with time, combined with more complicated wiring and multiple additions to existing junction boxes.
In the end it all worked whether it was neat or not.

 

[housewolf]

I’m a plumber but I’ve done all the electrical work in my shop, guesthouse, and garage. When I’m planning the service, that’s the way it looks in my head. Once done… not so much.

 

[AntonLargiader]

..Common work expectations change with time...

I have pics of BEAUTIFUL copper tube layouts from old-school HVAC that I was exposed to. It was amazing that anyone could conceive of these layouts at all, much less build them to match that idea.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

I removed the covers from the breaker boxes when I was painting the garage wall. These are the tidiest breaker boxes I've ever seen. When the electrician added the breaker for the island electric cooktop he told me this was about as precise work as he had ever seen.

the ground wires all braided together is actually not tidy and will make things difficult in the future. shouldve ran them to individual lugs or double up at the very least. also i bet that lug theyre terminated in is not rated for all those wires.

Looks Pretty but I bet there are things not to code. As there usually is Something...

plenty not to code here. Bryant and SQ D breakers in an ITE/Siemens panel, too many ground wires under that one lug.....

All those ground wires twisted up and landed under one lug. Hate that ****.

yup total trash install...

 

[mike93lx]

In a residential install, I agree. In the commercial stuff I deal with at work, it's fine, because there are service loops in the wiring trough where everything comes in from a few feet above the panel. You do end up cutting a lot of zip ties when you make any changes though.

Those grounds though...absolute nightmare in any situation requiring rework

 

[RivennHewn]

Wire management matters

 

[rancherbill]

If you've done a million boxes, doing it neatly and prettily is pretty easy. I trick is to give a damn what your work looks like.

I can think of 3 or 4 electrician on TIKTOK that do this quality work. They get extra jobs because of their attention to detail.

 

[zmotorsports]

To the OP, that is a nice looking load center and it is obvious someone took the time to make it nice. Shows pride in workmanship.

Here is my load center from my shop that I built back in 2017. I had my electrician friend help me but I insisted it be laid out neatly.

 

[alfredeneuman]

What about a whole job that's done that way (without the violations)?

 

[dcg9381]

HIRED. He puts in me in the special Olympics of electricians.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

That's tidy to the point of wasting time. Panels can be done neatly without being OCD about them.

 

[exranger06]

Looks Pretty but I bet there are things not to code. As there usually is Something...

On the left side is a black neutral wire with white tape wrapped around it, which is technically a code violation. When running individual conductors in conduit, you're not allowed to re-identify wires like that, unless they're #4 or larger. Those wires look smaller than #4.

 

[AntonLargiader]

Ground and neutral together it seems. What brand is that panel?

 

[yatg]

Ground and neutral together it seems. What brand is that panel?

Acceptable, if they are both main panels.

Not Square D, but there's a SqD breaker in the left panel.

Main neutrals not identified with white tape.

 

[PCustoms]

What's with the 2x4 between the panels?

Appears to be 2 pieces....

 

[mike93lx]

What's with the 2x4 between the panels?

Appears to be 2 pieces....

That's drywall

 

[PCustoms]

That's drywall

I see it now

 

[jeepxj]

and on the other end...

 

[mark-NJ]

 

[lolaetype]

Acceptable, if they are both main panels.

Not Square D, but there's a SqD breaker in the left panel.

Both panels are mains. The stickers inside the panel doors identify them as Siemens.

 

[PCustoms]

How'd you get a pic of my panel?

 

[mike93lx]

and on the other end...

If I ever found that, I'd fill it with epoxy and let it live forever

 

[Mzungu]

It's neat for sure. But a bunch of code violations. I also wouldn't recommend using a single hole to run all of your branch circuits through.

 

[jeepxj]

It's neat for sure. But a bunch of code violations. I also wouldn't recommend using a single hole to run all of your branch circuits through.

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