Electric panel circuit breaker cover

Thes past few days with the temperatures hovering in the triple digits have found me taking advantage of the 24000 BTU AC unit I mounted in the end wall of my machine shop van. After installing a 20Amp 240 plug for it I ran a few pieces of conduit, added several more quadplex 120v outlets a strip plug under the shelf above my Mill table work bench and a light, Then I noticed I had added as many circuit breakers in the service panel as it could hold but I had somehow lost the breaker cover it was a salvaged panel to begin with so I may have never had it. I have been wiring more and more circuits in it for years and never bothered to look for it. So now that I am done with adding more circuits to that panel I made a cover I didn't care if it was fancy just something to prevent someone "ME", from accidently reaching in without thinking and getting shocked. Getting shocked by 120 or 240 usually doesn't bother me too terribly but if I happened to be sweaty or well-grounded that would be a different story.
Here is my cover made out of 20 ga steel
Attachment 45649
Now it just needs a little gray paint which I am out of currently
Attachment 45650

<!-- BEGIN /var/www/html/homemadetools/protected/modules/zeus/views/tool/postUpdate.php -->
Thanks Frank S! We've added your Circuit Breaker Cover to our Electrical category,
as well as to your builder page: Frank S's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-circuit-breaker-cover"> <img src="/uploads/259592/homemade-circuit-breaker-cover.jpeg"/> </a> </div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-circuit-breaker-cover">Circuit Breaker Cover</a> <span> by <a href="https://www.homemadetools.net/builder/Frank+S">Frank S</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href='https://www.homemadetools.net/tag/electrical'>electrical</a> </div> </div> </div> </div>
<!-- END /var/www/html/homemadetools/protected/modules/zeus/views/tool/postUpdate.php -->

Somewhere I think I have the outer cover that hides the breakers but it still needed this cover to prevent electrical shock

Ha! At first glance I though it was made out of OSB!

Maybe you should paint it up with one of those rubber pads that make paint look like wood grain. Quite the conversation starter!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by piper184

Ha! At first glance I though it was made out of OSB!

Maybe you should paint it up with one of those rubber pads that make paint look like wood grain. Quite the conversation starter!

---

Preventing accidental electric shock is not the only purpose of the cover. It also keeps any potential fire enclosed within the breaker panel so wood or other flamable mterials in the wall will not ignite.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jerry F

Preventing accidental electric shock is not the only purpose of the cover. It also keeps any potential fire enclosed within the breaker panel so wood or other flamable mterials in the wall will not ignite.

---

Oh I understand that completely. That is why it caught my attention when I first saw the tiny thumbnail photo in the email containing the post from Frank. I also know that Frank always does things properly and wouldn't use wood. Hence my suggestion to make it look like wood, just for the fun of seeing peoples expressions when they see it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by piper184

Oh I understand that completely. That is why it caught my attention when I first saw the tiny thumbnail photo in the email containing the post from Frank. I also know that Frank always does things properly and wouldn't use wood. Hence my suggestion to make it look like wood, just for the fun of seeing peoples expressions when they see it.

---

Frank always does things properly??? If only, LOL. But the idea to paint it so it appeared to be made of wood is something one shouldn't plant into my often warped sense of humor

If you do paint it, use KBS products :rimshot:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by piper184

Ha! At first glance I though it was made out of OSB!

Maybe you should paint it up with one of those rubber pads that make paint look like wood grain. Quite the conversation starter!

---

I used to work at a bunch of OSB mills. One of them was a complete **** show. The electrical super had a cardboard cover on a 575v 3 phase panel, and had a small temporary transformer sitting on the concrete just in front of the panel. He overloaded the crap out of this poor little transformer and it caught on fire. His braindead zombie electricians were standing around the transformer looking at the flames IN AN OSB MILL, and I lost my mind at them. They couldn't even put it together to turn the breaker off and cut power to the transformer. I started screaming at them to do things, and they just waddled around at 0.1 mph because they were told not to run on a job site. They also used to do things like string single conductors in no conduit across the ceiling to energize 277v lighting circuits. I tried to get them kicked off site. Union stepped in and protected them. Good job guys.

My other house (water was hooked up to it in 1901) was in a very old part of town. A multi-story, house across the street owned by one family for over 100 years was sold when the last old batchelor son passed away. It had an electrical box made of wood, and lined with sheet asbestos. It still had the original single 20 Amp fuse wire that was twisted between two screws and tightened-down. There was a small roll of the fuse wire provided. The only thing they had that was electrical was lights in those days.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tlnixon

My other house (water was hooked up to it in 1901) was in a very old part of town. A multi-story, house across the street owned by one family for over 100 years was sold when the last old batchelor son passed away. It had an electrical box made of wood, and lined with sheet asbestos. It still had the original single 20 Amp fuse wire that was twisted between two screws and tightened-down. There was a small roll of the fuse wire provided. The only thing they had that was electrical was lights in those days.

---

If asbestos wasn't such a health hazard, it would still be used for thousands of things. It's a shame that such a wonderful material can be so bad.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tlnixon

My other house (water was hooked up to it in 1901) was in a very old part of town. A multi-story, house across the street owned by one family for over 100 years was sold when the last old batchelor son passed away. It had an electrical box made of wood, and lined with sheet asbestos. It still had the original single 20 Amp fuse wire that was twisted between two screws and tightened-down. There was a small roll of the fuse wire provided. The only thing they had that was electrical was lights in those days.

---

That type of panel predated the light socket type screw in fuses that everyone thought it was such a good idea to place a copper penny under the blown fuse so they could burn their house down.
These ceramic wire fuses were common to be found either encased in a wooden panel or simply mounted on the wall often in a barn as well
Attachment 45723
These panels were safe enough as long as no one put a penny under the blown fuse
Attachment 45724
Knob and tube wiring can still be found in older homes
Attachment 45725

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax1fmLA9iDA

[QUOTE=Frank S;224867]Thes past few days with the temperatures hovering in the triple digits have found me taking advantage of the 24000 BTU AC unit I mounted in the end wall of my machine shop van. After installing a 20Amp 240 plug for it I ran a few pieces of conduit, added several more quadplex 120v outlets a strip plug under the shelf above my Mill table work bench and a light, Then I noticed I had added as many circuit breakers in the service panel as it could hold but I had somehow lost the breaker cover it was a salvaged panel to begin with so I may have never had it. I have been wiring more and more circuits in it for years and never bothered to look for it. So now that I am done with adding more circuits to that panel I made a cover I didn't care if it was fancy just something to prevent someone "ME", from accidently reaching in without thinking and getting shocked. Getting shocked by 120 or 240 usually doesn't bother me too terribly but if I happened to be sweaty or well-grounded that would be a different story.
Here is my cover made out of 20 ga steel
Attachment 45649
Now it just needs a little gray paint which I am out of currently
Attachment 45650 Absolutely brilliant!!!