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Mount JBox above Load Center

1024 Views 3 Replies 2 Participants Last post by  Jim Port, 
M
I need to get from romex running in a stud cavity to surface mounted conduit.

I've attached a picture of the top portion of my main panel. Note that the service entry cables do not come in through the top.

I'm not sure why, but when I upload this pic it keeps getting rotated. The load center is vertically mounted, and the pic is of the top.

Here is what I'm thinking of doing.

  1. Remove section of sheetrock from the top of the panel to 18" above the panel.
  2. Remove all the existing connections at the top of this panel. All are romex except for the circuit for a hot water heater ( #2 AWG Al ).
  3. Install a 12x12x8 junction box that is directly above the panel. The jbox will be mounted via screws in the side, anchored to the 2x4 stud, and mounted such that 3 inches of the jbox are below the surface of the wall, and the remaining 5 inches are proud of the sheetrock. The bottom of the jbox will be about 1/2 inch above the top of the load center. This is to allow the flush mount cover of the load center to be re-installed.
  4. Romex connections previously entering load center will now be installed in the jbox.
  5. A single 1.5 inch cutout will be made at the top and bottom of the jbox to pass the #2 AWG Al circuit through the jbox and into the load center.
  6. A single 2 inch cutout will be made on the side of the jbox to allow surface mounted conduit to be installed.
  7. Romex wires terminated in the jbox will be spliced with THHN and then run through conduit.
  8. Ground wire screwed to jbox will be run to ground terminal in load center.

If I describe this on a permit request am I going to get laughed at?

Thanks in advance!

Mike J

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J
Why do you want to go through all that work? Just bring the NM into the back of the box and extend with a surface conduit.
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M
Thanks for the reply...


I also need to get 3 runs of #3AWG copper +1 #6 AWG ground from this load center into conduit to feed a sub panel.

I was thinking having the panel below the surface of the wall would also make it easier to route these larger wires from the load center into conduit as well.

I suppose my main concern was having seen multiple references of the space above and below the load center must be clear. I didn't know if that meant I could put a junction box there or not.

Thanks again!
MJ
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J
Foreign systems should not be in the workspace of the panel. Junction boxes are fine.
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