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Electrical

Painting Outdoor Circuit Breaker Panels & Meter Boxes

Question: I would like to paint the outside of my circuit breaker panel and the box that holds my electrical meter.

Answer: You are not impressed with the standard electrical panel grey color? I don’t understand why! You own the load center (circuit breaker panel) so you can paint it what-ever color you want. As far as the meter box is concerned, in some jurisdictions you own the meter box; in others the meter box is deemed to be the property of your electrical utility. I would call them and ask, before I painted it. I wouldn’t paint any part of the meter itself as it is definitely the property of the utility.

Do not paint the inside of the box and ensure that the paint does not freeze up the hinges or latching mechanism of the cover. I would apply some Vaseline or mask the heads of the panel screws and the key lock (if your load center has one), before I painted. You don’t want to be fighting with screws or locks that have paint covering them if you ever have to gain entry to the load center in order to perform maintenance.

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