That talk with an old fire alarm tech changed how I think about panel placement

I was bitching to this guy named Mike about a commercial job where the alarm panel was in a tight closet. He said, "You ever think about why they put it there? It's always the last spot the architect thinks about." That hit me because yeah, I always just dealt with it. Now I ask for a walkthrough before rough-in to check the space. Saved me three hours on a job in Portland last month. Does anyone else request site visits before panel installs?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy_ross16d ago

Man that Mike guy is absolutely right and nobody ever talks about it. Architects throw those panels in the most random spots like they're trying to hide them on purpose. I started doing walkthroughs after getting burned on a job where the panel ended up behind a fake wall that wasn't even on the blueprints. Now I just say "show me where it's going" and they always point to some tiny closet crammed with pipes. It's like they think we're supposed to work magic in a space the size of a phone booth. Honestly I think half the time they just pick the last empty corner on the floor plan.

king.lisa16d ago

Geez, that hits home! I had a job once where the architect actually put the main electrical panel in what was supposed to be a broom closet, but they forgot to account for the door swing, so you couldn't even open it all the way. It felt like a prank, honestly. And then @troy_ross is totally right about those last-minute closet spots - I showed up to a "mechanical room" once that was basically a glorified crawlspace with a drop ceiling you had to duck under. You almost have to wonder if they're daring us to complain or something.