Can you lock a breaker Box?

I work in apartments and we were having the same problem. You can not put a pad lock on the box . What I did was get some large electrical ties and put on the boxes. You or the power company can get in the box if needed. This discourages kid from playing with the breakers because they don't know how to get the ties off. It worked for me. Try it.

Use large ties about the size of the hole

It is not unsafe to lock a breaker box. As long as the tenant has a key to get into it, it is okay. Many electrical panel covers come with a lock and key in it. Ask the electricians if they can order you a panel cover for that box. If not you can have a carpenter build you a box over it as long as it is the proper dimensions and an electrician can get into the panel to service it.

They have to do this on the local reservations were the wild yahoos like to wreck things. It is allowed where there are problem children.

Electrical Panel Lock

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RE:

Can you lock a breaker Box?

We have a rental house and the tenant kept complaining that her breaker would "trip" and cause all the electricity to go out. This would only happen at night when both of her granddaughters were home. We have sent 2 electricians to do a complete check up on the wiring (it was re-wired 3...

It is easy to tell if the breaker has been tripped or turned off manually. If tripped, it will be on sort of a 'middle' position and will need to be pushed off first, then on. If it is already on the off position it did not trip but was switched off by hand.

Oh, and yes locking panel covers are available, go to your local electrical supply house with the part number and manufacturer of the box.

Most higher dollar electrical panels come with a lock. Even some cheaper panels do.

I personally don't recommend locking a residential panel for obvious reasons. But it would only cost you like $10 bucks to purchase a cheap padlock and lock hasp. Its your discretion if you want to take it that far.

Miketyson26

No, for the sake of emergency/safety, you should leave the breaker box unlocked.

The tenants should be responsible for re-setting the breaker, in the event of accidental 'overload'.

no it is unsafe to lock a breaker panel,tell tenant it is the girls and if it happens again you are going to charge her a fine plus service calls chrgs,and call the police to report them for vandalism and attempted murder this a safety matter.this should scar them enough to get them to stop if it don't back charge the grandmother this should wake her are the parents up once they have to come out of their pockets