Philadelphia Panels

The main goal whenever completing a panel installation, is to leave the enclosure in a safe workable condition, so that the system will perfom at it’s best and so that anyone working behind you, can work safely with confidence. Within our industry we practice safe practices and have been trained to be diligent and thorough in the nature of our work, by using a wide range of PPE, Safeguards and Meters in order to Protect, Prevent and determine inefficiencies and safety hazards prior to the commencement of any task. If the job cannot be done Safe then the job cannot be done at all. To this day, I live by that Code, along with the lessons that I have learned through a wide range of safety protocols that served me well while working for numerous firms within the trades. To put an emphasis on safety, we must regard it as a Culture and not just an annoyance enforced by pencil pushers suffering from panic attacks. We must always be careful when working in any enclosure, and in terms of Philadelphia Panels, appearances may warrant different levels of precaution, BUT as a professional, we must treat every instance with the same respect given to live circuitry of any voltage. If there’s Potential Energy, then personal injury is possible and therefore it should be regarded as an imminent danger. Therefore you have to afford yourself a comfort that only methods like LOTO (LOCK OUT TAG OUT) can provide.

Always approach a task well rested with a clear head. Always DON your PPE, and utilize Safeguards to afford protection by maintaining clearances. Always test your multimeter on a live circuit to confirm that it’s working properly, before putting your faith into faulty equipment presenting what could be a false reading. Never take someone’s word, that a device, circuit or enclosure has zero energy without testing the equipment yourself or by having the equipment tested in front of you. When replacing a main panel in a single family dwelling, you should 1st remove the load, by turning off all individual circuits and then the Main Breaker or disconnect. Check both line and load side voltages, after pulling the electric meter, to verify zero voltage on the load side. You’ll need to be certain that the (load side) power feeding the residence has been incapacitated. DO NOT ASSUME that by pulling the electric meter, that you’ve severed all power to the residence. Theft of electricity is very common and can be very fatal. Afterwards, it’s good policy to use a meter cover rated for the amperage of the system and the enclosure housing the potential energy. Use a lock and tag listed with your information in order to secure the enclosure, and get right to work. Folks are working from home more and a power outage means NO WIFI. Its also Daylight Saving Time, you can run out of Daylight and panel installations alone can take up to 4hours depending on the amount of circuits, driving the ground rod and mounting the panel itself. Most of the panels that I have replaced in the City of Philadelphia weren’t grounded properly, the walls were unlevel and both internal and external wiring were of poor quality. BEWARE of #Knob&Tube wiring in these old houses, there’s a ton of unreliable splices made in rickety JB’s (Junction Boxes). FYI, the City of Philadelphia currently operates off of the 2017 NEC, familiarize yourself with Article 394, for concealed knob and tube wiring. Bare in mind that the AHJ (Authority Having Jurisdiction) supersedes the Code, therefore staying in compliance means keeping an open mind, the Vet’s are here to help.

These Blogs are not how to informationals and only serve as awareness for general understanding…