Client's panel was in a hot closet, now false alarms every night

Did a swap at a condo over in Fairfax last month, replaced their old panel with a new one but they insisted on keeping it in the same closet. That closet hits like 90 degrees by 3pm, and now the motion detector trips every night around 2am. I told them to move it but they dont want to pay for the relocation. Has anyone else dealt with a panel overheating issue like this, or is it just the sensor being too close to the vent?

2 comments

2 Comments

wood.uma19d ago

Strapped a small USB fan to the inside of that closet wall and aimed it right at the panel. Took maybe ten minutes with some zip ties and it dropped the temp enough to stop the false trips. Sensor was also picking up heat from the vent, so I moved the sensor to a corner shelf nearby instead of relocating the whole panel. Told the client it was a cheap temp fix but the real answer is airflow or moving it eventually. They were happy because it cost them like twenty bucks and no drywall work. Might be worth trying something similar before you fight them on the relocation cost.

tessaperry19d ago

Zip ties and a USB fan, that's my whole tool kit lately. I once fixed a tripping breaker with a binder clip and a prayer because I forgot my meter. Client was thrilled, I was terrified it'd burn down the next week. Airflow saves lives and my reputation, apparently.