insulate beind breaker box?

[billsnogo]

I have 16" on center 2x6 studs, and have my breaker box flush mounted. I should have insulated behind the box before it was installed, but too late now. There is only about 1.5" of space behind it, and I can not get the rigid foam board behind it due to the nails from the siding poking through. I can split some fiberglass insulation and try and pull it, but think the nails will pretty much shred it.

Anyone have a similar situation? I need to get something behind there, it gets cold here during the winter, and hot/humid during the summer and really need to get something behind there as it will be temp controlled year round so I can play with my cnc mill anytime

thanks to anyone with helpful suggestions.

 

[Ironcrow]

Couple cans of spray foam?

 

[AndrewDouglasBird]

As long as above and below the box is insulated, I don't see this letting much heat in/out. Seems like a waste of time IMO.

 

[DC73]

Couple cans of spray foam?

This. Or get some blow-in insulation and stuff it behind the box.

DC

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

Stuff fiberglass in behind it. I'd also try and get a vapor barrier in.

 

[sberry]

Can it be unscrewed and pulled away to work on it? I did one a while back where we had to unhook the box and a couple cables and pull it away from the wall for something for an install to a detached garage. I shut the main off, took off box connector and was able to twist it, Its been a while and I cant remember the details except I dropped a screwdriver down the wall. I told her she owed me a new one and she got it out in about 5 minutes.

 

[billsnogo]

I would unscrew it, but the cables coming in from the meter are hot unless I get the power company to cut the power, so not something I want to try.

I do need to do a vapor barrier, wonder if I use the spray foam that the foam would act as a barrier?

thanks guys

 

[lakeroadster]

Ironcrow and sberry.. you guys are a hoot!

Pole Barn I am assuming?

Spray foam will adhere to the breaker box and the steel exterior sheathing. It sticks good... like real good! Too good in this case.

Now, if you or a future owner of said building, ever need to replace that steel sheathing, or replace that breaker box, it will be a real pain in the ****.

Don't sweat the small stuff. Go get some 1-1/2" thick foam insulating board, shove it back behind the box, and move on to the next adventure.

Happy Trails!

 

[NUTTSGT]

Don't sweat the small stuff. Go get some 1-1/2" thick foam insulating board, shove it back behind the box, and move on to the next adventure.

Happy Trails!

He can't use rigid because of the siding nails.

I'd just stuff stuff some fiberglass behind it and shove it down with paint or yard stick.

 

[ItsNemo]

Check codes, I'm not sure you could do foam (rigid or spray) behind the panel or touching the panel due to fire/combustion issues. I would just do roxul and some vapour barrier and call it a day.

Other option is to get an electrician in and change the panel to surface mount. Flush mount isn't ever really ideal except for rental units.

 

[lakeroadster]

He can't use rigid because of the siding nails.

I'd just stuff stuff some fiberglass behind it and shove it down with paint or yard stick.

The foam goes between the wall girts. No siding nails there, right?

Pushing (compressing) fiberglass insulation pretty much negates it's R-value.

 

[DC73]

The foam goes between the wall girts. No siding nails there, right?

Except for the part where the OP clearly states in Post #1 - ". . . I can not get the rigid foam board behind it due to the nails from the siding poking through."

I do need to do a vapor barrier, wonder if I use the spray foam that the foam would act as a barrier?

Closed cell foam will act as a vapor barrier but open cell will not. Not sure which you get in the spray cans.

DC

 

[The Cobbler]

a small void of insulation at a breaker box will have negligible effects of heat loss/gain. but you can shove pcs pf fiberglass or roxul up with a stick as mentioned before to at least get some in there.

 

[lakeroadster]

Bummer... so the workers nailed the siding into... air.

 

[dave89iroc]

Bummer... so the workers nailed the siding into... air.

I'm thinking the siding is nailed to sheathing, i don't see anywhere that the OP said this was a pole barn, so I'm thinking a stick framed structure

 

[Warrenator]

Can you make like a hinged door in front of the box, like the hidden safe behind a painting in every spy movie ever made, except your door is a nice piece of insulation in FRONT of the box?

 

[csp]

Thinner sheets of rigid foam in layers.

 

[Ironcrow]

If you don't want the foam to adhere to the box hang a thin sheet of plastic like a trash bag or similar and spray the foam between sheathing and plastic.

 

[BruceMc]

The main reason to get insulation behind it is to cut down on the condensation and/or frost that you will get inside the box in the winter. Compressing fiberglass reduces the batts uncompressed rating at full fluff, but it increases the R-value per inch. For instance -

http://www2.owenscorning.com/litera...ul Compressed R-Value Chart Tech Bulletin.pdf

An R-11 batt at 3 1/2 " has a value of 3.1 per inch. Squeeze that batt into a 1 1/2" cavity and the value goes up to 4.1 per inch.

 

[CARS]

Thinking outside the box here (or behind the box in this case), why not use some flat bar or similar and bend the nails over? If you bend them in one direction you should be able to slide rigid foam up/down in the same direction that you went with folding the nails over.

For safety sake, something non-metallic should be used.

Or as stated earlier, get a bag of blow-in insulation and drop it in from the top. For a make shift vapor barrier, plastic cut just a bit wider than the cavity, maybe stuck to the back side of the box with some spray adhesive???

Good luck!

 

[BCreekDave]

We should just take up a collection and give him twenty bucks. That should cover any heat loss for the next thirty years or so.
Seriously, without looking it over its hard to tell if foam will work or not. The stick factor is real.


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[Jack D]

Get some fiberglass insulation and compress it between two sheets of thin paneling and slide to down behind the box and pull out the wood sheet closest to the nails and then remove the second piece.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Stuff some fiberglass in behind the box. That's what I have done with mine. It's not the best but does work and is better than nothing.

 

[billsnogo]

I'm thinking the siding is nailed to sheathing, i don't see anywhere that the OP said this was a pole barn, so I'm thinking a stick framed structure

Yep, stick built, city would not allow pole barn

 

[CARS]

You still don't have this done? I think all your options have been given...

 

[StingRay]

Get a bag of granular insulation used for pouring into cinderblock. Zonolite is one of them. that's how I did behind my breaker box.

 

[Joemctag]

Maybe he’s thinking about condensation, also, if no insulation. Roxul sounds good.