rough in struggle,help needed!!

[Tarheel Slim]

I seem to be having a bit of a struggle starting my rough in,i have the panel mounted and a tech 100 connector for the wire entering building through pvc,the service panel was mounted upside.I would like to hide all wires behind the wall after the nailer board above service panel is in, Im looking for a way to to run the wires so they are not exposed,i thought 14-2 Armour cable would be better than 14-2 romex behind the walls but im now wondering if that was a wise choice or not.Also i realize im going to need some #10 or#12 wire for the tools Im planning on having a milling machine, lathe, drill press and compressor and several outlets, 9 - 12 lights, all plug type in from ceiling so they can be taken down for cleaning and replacement. Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated...

 

[The Cobbler]

I recessed my panel in the wall so all wires are behind . there will be a bit less insulation at the panel, but I put 2" styro there with plywood on top of that.
I also used romex behind the walls, no need for bx imo

 

[2011cummins]

Given what is shown in the pictures, I would run conduit (2") from the box to the top of the header for a sleeve. The romex would then be exposed from there to the final location, covered by whatever you put on your walls.

I recessed mine as The Cobbler suggests but also left sleeves in place for this purpose.

 

[Tarheel Slim]

If this is the only solution to not have exposed wires,maybe i should start over again,and recess the panel in the wall.I have EPS behind the insulation .Would i need to cover the EPS foam with plywood?then a vapor barrier ?This is also the corner of the building that gets hit the most with wind and snow ,but if it means having the wire not exposed then im all for recess mount panel.I would like to see some pictures as examples of framing for the recessed panel.

 

[n20junkie]

Build a box around the panel, leaving 4 inches clearance, and put a screwed wood panel face on that with the cutout for the panel.

Use this protected space to transition the wires from the panel into the wall.

 

[manwithtools]

Recess the panel and be done with it. The little bit of insulation you will give up is worth it to have the wires hidden in my opinion. And before anyone asks, yes I know it get's cold there.

 

[Tarheel Slim]

Im almost sold on the idea of recess mount,just need to look at the pros and cons of hidden wire vs exposed wire, if you need to change anything in the future it is a pain with wire hidden behind a wall. I mentioned i was going to hook up a lathe, mill, compressor,drill press and im still not sure how im going to tackle that yet, need to figure out the loads for the motors,one good thing about being broke is it gives you some time to plan things out a bit better.

 

[rvieceli]

Let me suggest a compromise. If you can stand to lose 4 inches of space, jusr frame out the space around the box. Slightly less than the width of that piece of osb. Leave plenty of space so you can easily access the side knockouts on your box shoul you need them. Go all the way to the ceiling. Then cut a piece of plywood to fit the"box" with a cut out for your panel. Don't nail it up yet. Do your wiring and then use screws to fasten the wall piece in. If you need to add or change stuff in the future, you can remember be the panel face and door then unscrew the wall piece and replace everything.

 

[ard]

Just recess it, the run several pieces of EMT up to the attic. Couple of 1" pieces, terminate in a 4 11/16box. No wires just pipe. If you need it in the future, its there. Run across the attic, can snake romex down the wall or run a clean piece of suirface mount straight down.

Aesthetically superior than surface mount and wire chases, etc etc

 

[Orionrising]

he cannot recess it unless he wants bunch of bends in the conduit that are gonna make feeding painful, from the photos that appears to be a pole structure with a big *** beam/ header above the panel....

 

[mm08822]

I think you have a great application for 1/2" and 3/4" emt with everything as is.
I assume that the osb is 1/2" thick. Will it run all the way to the underside of the beam? If yes, how much does the beam project past the osb?

Let's just say it is close to 11/16". You could use 11/16" unistrut and secure conduit to it and probably go straight into the panel ko's. Maybe you need a few small offsets or need to punch a few ko's where you want the conduit.

Run the conduit on the top side of the lower chord of the trusses and 90 over as needed to get to the walls in desired spots.

Plan your conduit runs both by size and layout so none cross including a few future conduits on paper.

It would look sharp!

 

[ard]

he cannot recess it unless he wants bunch of bends in the conduit that are gonna make feeding painful, from the photos that appears to be a pole structure with a big *** beam/ header above the panel....

Wire goes through bends often...

I cannot tell from that photo what is behind those 'beams'- are they full wall thickness? Not clear. Agree, though, if they are full thickness (horrible for insulation, BTW) you cannot go up.

But, I now recall this project form the last time it was posted... confusion over recessing the panel and where the conduit was located in the floor...how to furr out a wall....

In hindsight, I have no idea how OP plans to run wires around this structure. amoured cable?, 14....some 10 and 12?... nailer board above the panel?


I guess my advice:

If you are running wires on the surface, leave the panel on the surface

If the wires are in the walls, put the panel in the wall


He has already decided to leave the conduit into the bottom of the panel outside of the wall cavity...

 

[mm08822]

ard, you're right. this is that same build with the feeder conduit issue.

 

[Tarheel Slim]

ARD,those beams arent full wall thickness, two 2 x 12s with a 2 x 6 on its edge in between for my framing wall between posts.I should be able to insulate with no issues.Also its no big deal to take down the osb ,insulation and mount panel inside the wall but i would still have that problem at the bottom with the feeder conduit like i posted a few weeks ago.

 

[Tarheel Slim]

Update!!! just found out the service i have is for recess mount,it has 2 screws at the back that dont all for it to sit 100% flush on the plywood backer,so in the wall it goes, i guess.