First of all, this is a terrible photo, but it is clear enough to explain what Equipment Clearance is all about. Residential electrical equipment requires a 36 inch clearance in front of any panel such as this one, so a service person can stand in front, open the door and safely work on it. This particular job failed the electrical inspection and we were called by the homeowner to get the job in order since the pool company vanished with their money – A Very Common Problem These Days! The gas piping was clearly installed after the electrical system piping and control box, which is backwards. The gas pipe should always go in first along with all the plumbing lines. Now the gas piping is directly in front of the panel and there is nothing more than a 12 inch clearance. All of this electrical equipment will need to be moved 36 inches to the left to be far enough away from the gas pipe. WORDS OF WISDOM: Do your homework on pool builders and hire a reputable one. We are being called to clean up electrical messes all over the 24 counties surrounding Dallas, Texas right now, and the homeowners have been skewered by who they hired to build the pool.
