Electrical chase code question

Users who are viewing this thread

Jeff2016

New Member
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
California
Hello everyone, I will start out and say I am not a pro by the trade, but electricity and I have mutual respect.

I live in California, where the load centers are on the outside of the house. When I redid the electrical in my garage a few years ago, I pulled out all the drywall and added OSB sheathing over the chase and then drywalled over that. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Fast forward a few years and I'd like to make the chase accessible. I was thinking about pulling the drywall off, and then painting the OSB (And securing it with screws). This way if I needed to get into the chase, I would be able to without a bunch of drywall work.

I suppose one would say there would be no need, so long as the house was wired properly. Unfortunately mine's not. I have about 40 devices on a single 15A circuit and about 30 on another. I'm sure that was not the case when new, but the house has had a few owners between that person and me. I have really good reason to believe they converted the garage into living space, and somehow cut a circuit of some sort. So ultimately, I want to at the minimum, take some of the load off the other 2 circuits by adding one or two more. I know where the chase leads to, and I know there is a straight shot from the garage ceiling into the attic (Covered by the chase...Basically it is roughly a 12x12 cavity that only has a 7" insulated HVAC duct going through it) so this rewiring task is easier than it sounds, with the added benefit that I won't have conduit fastened to the outside of my house.

I want to check with this and see if removing the drywall, and just leaving the OSB is within NEC or fire code. It is on the inside of the exterior wall (Think parallel to a vehicle parked in the garage). There is living space above the garage, but it is centered on top of the garage and not directly connected to the wall where the chase is (Garage is 30' wide, living space above is 15' wide, centered above the garage). I know in my area, I had to use 3/4 drywall for the ceiling and for the wall that is shared between the house and the garage (e.g. where the door goes into the house).

Thank you for your thoughts!
 

WorthFlorida

Clinical Trail on a Cancer Drug Started 1/31/24. ☹
Messages
5,727
Solutions
1
Reaction score
982
Points
113
Location
Orlando, Florida
5/8” drywall is usually required between the garage and the home interior and the ceilings if a second floor exist. Any door between the garage and home must be fire rated, usually 20 minutes, with self closing hinges or door closer. Any opening may need a fire rated foam for wire or conduit runs, however, locals codes could be more stringent.

It does sound like your electrical needs need to be reviewed and can your existing panel can handle the load?
 
Top
Hey, wait a minute.

This is awkward, but...

It looks like you're using an ad blocker. We get it, but (1) terrylove.com can't live without ads, and (2) ad blockers can cause issues with videos and comments. If you'd like to support the site, please allow ads.

If any particular ad is your REASON for blocking ads, please let us know. We might be able to do something about it. Thanks.
I've Disabled AdBlock    No Thanks