Safely mounting television or shelves above breaker box

Question

I am looking to wall mount a television above the breaker box in my garage. It would either be this or storage shelving. Either way, I would like to have an idea of whether this can be done safely and up to code. From what I gather, I need:

• to turn off the main switch to the panel
• to be dead sure of the stud locations and make sure I am drilling wood all the way
• still be wary of the main line coming in to the panel
• the television to be 6 1/2 feet off of the ground

Am I missing anything? Should I just accept that this is dead space on my wall?

Answer 1

Code isn't really relevant unless you were to block access to the panel (within 3 feet in front). Just don't hit any wires. Use screws that penetrate no more than about 1-1/4" into the lumber. All wires should be deeper than that.

To respond to the hand-wringing about mount integrity...

• A 5/16" screw (properly piloted) into framing an inch will hold hundreds of lbs. of force without issue.
• Four of them will hold a horse. If you're still worried, use six. Most mounts have extra space where you can drill more holes.
• Mount manufacturers over-spec their kits for liability (damage and injury) and to protect their reputations. That doesn't mean you need to go so deep.

Answer 2

The required working space around the panel is 6-6" (6-1/2 feet) high, so you can't infringe on that from above. 30 inches wide (need not be centered, but doors need to be able to open fully) and 3 feet in front.

Answer 3

OK, first, fix your working space. That fan, vamonos. The 30" space, as illustrated, doesn't need to be centered on the panel.

What you have there is a flush-mount panel, which is the bane of anyone who's ever tried to add a circuit. Lately it's been the fashion to destroy all "utility spaces" in the home. Utilities are important. Utilities place us above the animals.

The Victorians had a simple cure for this contradiction. They would fit a tasteful cabinet door anywhere they needed to access utility spaces. For instance, changing out my tub faucet is utter simplicity, there's a tasteful door there!

So, for long term maintainability, I would advise installing a cabinet door with trim spanning the joist directly above the panel. Then, open the door and very carefully use an appropriate depth-controlled tool to remove the drywall behind the cabinet door. Now you have in-wall access, permanently. I would also back the cabinet door itself with drywall itself to retain the firestop characteristics of that wall.

Now you have permanent and easy access to that wall cavity. Adding a receptacle for the TV is simplicity itself.

You might do the same thing below the panel.

And then, you can put a cabinet door over the panel itself. However it would need to extend beyond the joists. It would need to be sufficiently large that it doesn't interfere with the door opening all the way OR removal of the panel deadfront. And it needs to be thin enough (when open) that the AHJ won't claim it invades the working space.

It's legal to have electrical junction box lids and equipment behind a panel with a latch. If you need to fetch a tool to reach the panel/box, that's a violation.

(you know where the joists are, since the panel is specifically sized to just fit inside a standard 16"-on-center joist bay).

Answer 4

I believe most TV mounts have a minimum depth for their lag bolts.

From Rocketfish™ - Tilting TV Wall Mount for Most 32"-70" TVs

Drill pilot holes to a depth of 3 in. (75 mm) using a 7/32 in. (5.5 mm) diameter drill bit.

I really hope you don't hit any wires with the pilot hole nor the 2 3/4" lag bolts they supply.