Panel isolators

Ronnie Sullivan · Dec 29, 2021

I'm only throwing this out there for discussion but I have come across a few of these the last few months and I wondered if the regs had changed (they haven't)

I'm talking about side mounted isolators as opposed to front locking isolators.
Don't shoot the messenger - it's just what I came across.

Apart from the regulation safety issues, front mounted can be a pain to fit, especially ones on deep box's where the arm falls down and doesn't engage with the front handle. (who hasn't had to put an implement in the crack of the door to engage it before you can shut the door.)

Not only that - they are so easy to defeat. Everybody on here opens the door and turns on the isolator on by some method.

I sat and thought about it a while when in this last panel.
Everything was well insulated, there were no live parts you could easily touch with fingers and the isolator was easy to turn off and on.

I know the legal ramifications and you have to do it to save your neck but in the real world everyone opens the panel and then turns it back on.

I always put key lock door handles on - only to find if I go back, the keys hanging on a hook by the door.

jdbrandt · Dec 29, 2021

Ronnie Sullivan said:
I'm only throwing this out there for discussion but I have come across a few of these the last few months and I wondered if the regs had changed (they haven't)

I'm talking about side mounted isolators as opposed to front locking isolators.
Don't shoot the messenger - it's just what I came across.

Apart from the regulation safety issues, front mounted can be a pain to fit, especially ones on deep box's where the arm falls down and doesn't engage with the front handle. (who hasn't had to put an implement in the crack of the door to engage it before you can shut the door.)

Not only that - they are so easy to defeat. Everybody on here opens the door and turns on the isolator on by some method.

I sat and thought about it a while when in this last panel.
Everything was well insulated, there were no live parts you could easily touch with fingers and the isolator was easy to turn off and on.

I know the legal ramifications and you have to do it to save your neck but in the real world everyone opens the panel and then turns it back on.

I always put key lock door handles on - only to find if I go back, the keys hanging on a hook by the door.

It sounds (to this American ear) that you are speaking about internal disconnect devices. Some might hear Panel Isolator and assume you speak of vibration isolators, similar to those used in certain seismic prone areas.\
A MRF and Model Number might clarify things. <?ARMS?>

LadderLogic · Dec 30, 2021

Ron certainly is speaking about the main disconnect switches. Now, having clarified the difference between English and English languages, we can discuss the essence

I was also curious about this. On one hand, the enclosure door must be mechanically interlocked with the main disconnect switch. On the other hand, if opening the door requires a tool (a special key), it does not have to be interlocked.

I see mix and match all over the place and no one seens to have a clear idea what is acceptable. And yes, properly installing a rotary disconnect switch with through-the-door shaft is a pain.

Panel isolators

Ronnie Sullivan

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jdbrandt

Lifetime Supporting Member

LadderLogic

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