When a new house is being built, the electric panel is usually in place in the wall, but with no cover (dead front) installed yet, when the painters start spray painting of the interior. The front of the box is supposed to be covered, preferably tape-sealed, but often a piece of cardboard is just laid loose against the it and spray paint ends up inside the box. If there is not even any cardboard, then the whole panel interior gets a  dusting of paint.

    We usually see a situation like the one shown above, where the breakers were more-or-less covered, but the open area of the bus bars below and around them receives what is considered “paint contamination.” Sometimes the breakers were not installed, and the whole bus bar gets sprayed. The same problem can happen at neutral and ground bars.

    Even a light coat of spray paint creates enough of a non-conductive barrier to make circuit breakers lose a good connection to the bus bar. When there is not a solid contact, overheating of breakers or arcing at the bus bar connections can occur.  

    Any attempt to reclaim that painted surfaces by scraping or using solvents is prohibited by the National Electric Code (NEC), which states that the internal components of electrical equipment “shall not be damaged or contaminated by foreign materials such as paint, plaster, cleaners, abrasives or corrosive residues” [(NEC110.12(B)]. So scraping or using a solvent to remove the paint contamination is considered another illegal contamination of the panel. The only acceptable repair is replacement of bus bars or other contaminated panel components.

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Here’s links to a collection of our other blog posts about ELECTRIC PANELS:

• What causes copper wires to turn green or black in an electric panel?  

• What is the maximum number of circuit breakers allowed in an electric panel?

• When should a corroded or damaged electric panel cabinet or disconnect box be replaced? 

• What is a tandem circuit breaker? 

• When did arc fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) breakers first become required?

• Can an electric panel be located in a closet? 

• Can an electric panel be located in a bathroom? 

• Can you add circuit breakers by different manufacturers to an electric panel if they fit?

• My circuit breaker won't reset. What's wrong?  

• What is a split bus electric panel?

• How do I identify a combination AFCI (CAFCI) circuit breaker? 

• What does a circuit breaker with a yellow or white test button indicate? 

• What is the maximum gap allowed between the front of a recessed electric panel box and the wall surface surrounding it? 

• What are the requirements for NM-cables entering an electric panel box?

• Why is a fuse box/panel an insurance problem for homebuyers? 

• Why is bundled wiring in an electric panel a defect?

• What is the difference between GFCI and AFCI circuit breakers? 

• What does it mean when a wire is "overstripped" at a circuit breaker?

• Why is an old fuse panel dangerous?  

• Who is the manufacturer of those "bad" electric panels?

• Why is the circuit breaker stuck in the middle? 

• What is a double tap at a circuit breaker?

• What is the right electric wire size for a circuit breaker in an electric panel?

• What is the life expectancy of a circuit breaker? 

• My circuit breaker won't reset. What's wrong? 

• Why do some breakers in my electric panel have a "TEST" button on them?

• What is the right size electric panel for a house? 

   Visit our ELECTRIC PANELS page for other related blog posts on this subject, or go to the INDEX for a complete listing of all our articles.