How To Secure Outside Breaker Box? Best Guide

Image source: The Spruce

Are you concerned about the safety of your breaker box? Would you like to know how to secure an outdoor breaker box? Do you know how to place a lock on a circuit breaker panel door in the best and simplest way?

One approach to secure your circuit breaker panel is to lock it. Furthermore, a cabinet lock is the most typical method for locking a breaker box. It is simple to install and needs a few essential tools you probably already have at home.

So, continue reading to find out how to install a cabinet lock for your circuit breaker panel.

Tools You Need

You’ll find a simple way to secure your electrical panel by installing a cabinet lock as the primary breaker lock. Even better, you can accomplish it regardless of the breaker panel type. The equipment required to install outdoor circuit breaker boxes lock is listed below.

• A Cabinet Lock Set For Installing On The Breaker Panel. It doesn’t matter what brand the cabinet door lock is as long as it is small and fits your breaker panel.
• A screwdriver is needed to remove and replace the panel cover and install the cabinet lock set.
• A screw or nut
• A set of pliers for knockout cover removal
• If your panel cover doesn’t have a knockout hole, you can use a hand drill to make one.

Step-by-Step Guide for Securing an Electrical Panel

The highest security is achieved by adding a lock to the outer lid of the breaker box. It is perfect, especially for breaker panels situated outside your home that a burglar could access to cut off the electricity to your home security system.

Here is how you install a breaker box door lock.

Disassemble Panel Cover

By: Family Handyman

Each screw on the panel cover’s sides should be removed individually using your screwdriver. Your installation will be aided by using this technique to remove the panel cover, which also keeps the internal parts of your breaker panel from being harmed.

The cover should not be dropped, and your panel should not be touched. Additionally, to increase safety, turning off your main breaker before beginning work is a good idea.

To the Cover Panel Body, install the Offset Cam

You’ll probably notice a small circular cutout on your panel’s cover when you look at it. With the help of your pliers, remove the knockout component. Next, mount the offset cam using the hex nut and bolt screw.

If there are no knockout components on your panel cover, you can still use your hand drill to cut a little hole for your offset cam installation.

Install the lock on the cover door.

You can also notice the cutout part, which might suit the cabinet lock, on the door within your panel cover around its latch. Similar to how you did with the offset cam installation, you can create a knockout section with your hand drill if you can’t find one on the door of your panel cover.

Afterward, you can put the cabinet door lock in your cover panel’s door. Don’t forget to measure the distance between the offset cam and the door lock. It needs to be installed precisely to use its locking features.

Bring Back on the Cover of Your Panel

After installing the cabinet lock, put the cover back together over the breaker panel. But before you do anything, check the lock to ensure it’s working. Reassembling it to the wall can be done after you’ve ensured it’s operating correctly.

Then, starting with the two center screws, position the cover on the panel while holding it firmly in one hand. Once the next side is in place and the first side is screwed in, you can release your hold. There is a lock presently on your control panel.

Why Would You Install Your Breaker Box on the Exterior of Your Home?

The location of their breaker box outside baffles many folks. Some people even believe their service panel should not be placed in this risky area. If the equipment is maintained and cared for appropriately, outside panels should be protected from the hazards of weather exposure and shouldn’t provide a safety issue. It was customary for residences to have breaker boxes on the inside. Still, starting around 15 years ago, many states and towns started embracing the practice of mounting them on an exterior wall. Placing the electrical panel in a different location made it quick and simple for the neighborhood fire department or other emergency personnel to get to it in the event of a fire or other critical issue.

Tips for Locating Your Breaker Box

If your breaker box is indoors, it is typically positioned in the basement, kitchen, garage, or a less-used hallway, usually hidden behind a metal door or in a box on a wall. If the electrical panel is not to be discovered, though, after thoroughly searching those regions, it might be outside. Your home’s recent construction increases the likelihood that it has an exterior breaker box. Look up at the sky and find the service head on your home’s roof, where the power line enters your property and links it to the surrounding grid. This is where you will find an exterior breaker box. Your house or building’s exterior wall should have the service panel located exactly beneath the service head.

Is My Electrical Panel Lockable?

However, you should be aware that even if there are no electrical laws that forbid or restrict putting a lock system in your electrical panel, it is typically not advised for safety.

It’s because locking an electricity box could cause a delay in first responders in the event of a house fire. It’s also why electrical inspectors advise that the panel breaker never be secured and should always be accessible.

If you don’t want to use an electrical box lock, there is another option to lock a breaker box. You can conceal your breaker panel with a picture frame or create a cover specifically for it. This strategy is only suitable for a panel breaker in your house.

By reading this page, you can find further methods of protecting your panel without creating a lock for the breaker box door.

Conclusion

So, do you know how to lock a cabinet using a breaker box outside? Since installing this lock is simple and only necessitates a few essential tools, it is advised. Your electrical panel is secured against illegal access, giving you more peace of mind.

For more details or to purchase of breaker box, contact us at ICRFQ. We manufacture the best electrical components in China.

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