You cannot cover any junction box that still has live wires in it. Your best bet is to either remove the box all together or just put a cover plate on it. If there are live wires in the box, sooner or later you will need to get to the box again, which you can't do if you've covered it over!
Innovative ways to hide a circuit breaker box
- Incorporate colourful paints.
- Hang a picture or a painting.
- Design a storage cabinet.
- Make it a vanity corner.
- Turn it into a message board.
You may not paint it, and any landscaping that you plant around the box has to allow a clear path of access for workers. There are no current plans to remove these relics, because, as Yergey put it, “these boxes house the cable/wiring that provide dial tone and broadband services.
Circuit breaker boxes are often unpleasant to look at and costly to move. Fortunately, you can decorate over the box to blend it in with the rest of the room. For a quick fix, try hanging a painting or covered frame over it. A circuit breaker can also be hidden inside a cabinet as long as you keep it accessible.
Breaker boxes and electrical panels are necessary items and it's a bummer when they stick out like a sore thumb in a space you've worked hard on to look nice. Strategically placed artwork, framed message boards, or a weaving or tapestry are all viable options for covering up obtrusive electrical eyesores.
If you put it outside, the box needs to be rated for that. Be aware that breakers are really thermal devices. So make sure you put it in the shade. Ideally, not on the southern or western exposures.
These regulations require accessibility to the front of electrical panels to have a minimum of three feet of clearance and a minimum width to be the width of the equipment or 2.5 feet, whichever is greater.
There is no specific code requirement for the minimum distance from a plumbing fixture to an electric panel, but nothing—including a sink—is allowed to be installed in a working space 2'-6” wide by 3'-0” deep by 6'-6” high in front of an electric panel.
Rooms. Circuit breaker boxes may not be installed in bathrooms, powder rooms, clothes closets or in any room where there is insufficient space for a worker to access and work on the box. The space immediately in front of the box must be clear, and the box must be accessible.
National Electrical code does not require a door to cover breaker handles. It does require a cover that prevents access to electrified parts, which must have all openings closed. A panel without a door is not a violation, but a panel without a cover is.
While every home is different, circuit breakers are generally located in low-traffic areas of the home, such as a basement, garage, or utility closet. If you live in an apartment, your circuit breaker may be in a more central location, such as a hallway or laundry area.
Another way to hide utility boxes in your front yard, especially those huge electrical transformer boxes, is to add a corner fence and plant bushes and flowers around the fence.
You may have a green metal box near or in front of your home. These are called padmounted transformers and are a key part of the electrical system that delivers power to your home. They are only found in areas where electric service is buried underground.
Safety precautions when painting a meter boxFire retardant paints can be a viable option to paint meter boxes. Be sure to identify any safety requirements before initiating the painting process fully. For gas meter boxes special care should be taken to make sure not to block vents on the unit with drying paint.
Install a gas meter cover. Screw the back of the cover, or box, into the studs behind your home's exterior stucco or siding, or ask the gas company to install the box if your house's exterior is brick or stone. Paint the box to match your house's exterior. This method helps camouflage the gas meter and its pipes.
What is it and why is it on my front lawn? Just like power poles, these domes, also known as a green electrical box or pillar, help provide electricity by connecting homes to the grid. You'll usually find them on front verges or in parks where there is underground power.
