Mount wall cabinets above panel???

[marley2984]

So I just landed a full set of used kitchen cabinets that I want to mount in the garage. Problem is I would love to use the corner cabinet and my panel is located pretty much directly on the corner. Would it be bizarre to mount all my cabinets up high? Thinking down the road I would be having a bench and some lower cabs added as well. Opinions? Forgive the garbage in the garage but you can see the panel in the corner. There would be a line of cabinets above the fridge and then a corner and then other cabinets on the other wall.

 

[Big Bad Dad]

Use CAUTION to not run your mounting screws into the wiring. There will be lots of it above the panel box....

 

[pattenp]

I think it would be fine. What's the height of the top of the breaker panel?

 

[Gary S]

It all comes down to personal preference. What do you plan to store in them? If it is things you seldom use, putting them up high makes sense because it gets things out of your way. If you plan to store commonly used items in there, getting to them up high is a hassle.

I custom built cabinets for my garage. The bottom of the cabinet is at the 5' level from the floor. The lower cabinets are used to store items I need to reach regularly. The upper ones are long term storage for seldom used items. It works out well if you plan for your needs.

 

[marley2984]

The top of the panel is approx 76". So the bottom of the cabinets would be just above that line. The would be mounted right at the horizontal drywall seam

 

[premierplayer]

Could you position one full cabinet over the electric panel? If so, remove the swing door on the electric panel and cut the back out of the cabinet so you still have access to a tripped breaker. Your remaining cabinets could then be set at a standard height and useable without a step ladder. Should you ever need access to the guts of the panel for additional wiring and such, remove the single cabinet, reinstall when finished the work.

Do you have a frig or stove top cabinet that could be positioned over the electric panel? Then set the remainder at a useable height.

 

[c7fx]

I would be extra careful around that box wires can be all around that thing

 

[PAToyota]

If so, remove the swing door on the electric panel and cut the back out of the cabinet so you still have access to a tripped breaker.

At a munimum, you'll have to provide some indication that the electrical panel is inside the cabinet. But it is pretty likely you may run into some code issues if the panel is in the back of the cabinet and you could store stuff in front of it in the cabinet. You need clear access to the electrical panel.

I'll also chime in on making sure you know where the wiring is. Most of the wires are going to either come out the top or the bottom of the panel and use that stud bay to travel out.

 

[Stuart in MN]

You need to maintain a clear working space in front of the panel, at least 30 inches wide by 36 inches deep by 6 1/2 feet high. You can't put a cabinet over the front of the panel.