Electrical question

   / Electrical question #11  
Not saving anything running 10/2. You will dislike the lights going dim and bright when tools start.
Run 10/4 out to the building and a 30amp breaker panel.
Ground rod at the panel and float the neutral . No bond between neutral and ground.
The difference in $$$ is minimal.
I'm tired of listening to cheapskates later crying they wish the job had not been overly economized.
 
   / Electrical question #12  
I am not an electrician or electrical engineer and will not claim to be up-to-date with all the current codes ... what I will share is that our well pump, a 4" submersible 1 HP, has been down there running fine for nearly 40 years connected to a 400' run of UF Buriable 10/2 with ground.

During this time we have had to replace the pump twice. Once when it was struck by lightning and another time when the foot valve went bad an sent pieces of metal into the pump. Neither of these problems had anything to do with the 400' wire run.
 
   / Electrical question #13  
Electric motor engineers know where pumps are often installed. Somewhere that 175V while starting and 200V while running can be expected. The well motors are designed to run at voltages that would smoke a shop air compressor motor.
 
   / Electrical question #14  
For the pole building I just had built, I am running 4 #6 AWG copper wires in 1-1/4" PVC conduit to a 8 circuit sub-panel with a 50A main. It is not cheap, but it should meet anything I might want to run in the building in the future. I would consider the 30A sub-panel the minimum. :2cents:
 
   / Electrical question #15  
back to original thread....what you are planing to do is 100% legal. With only 1 (or 2) circuits going to an outbuilding you dont need a subpanel. But you do need a toggle switch as the first box after it enters the new shed as a disconnecting means.

good luck and have fun. The GFCI breaker will protect the new shop/storage area
 
   / Electrical question
  • Thread Starter
#16  
back to original thread....what you are planing to do is 100% legal. With only 1 (or 2) circuits going to an outbuilding you dont need a subpanel. But you do need a toggle switch as the first box after it enters the new shed as a disconnecting means.

good luck and have fun. The GFCI breaker will protect the new shop/storage area

Thank you. I have planned to include the simple switch right after power enters the new building. I can completely understand anyone suggesting that I put a sub panel out there for future expansion. I am actually one of those guys who likes to overdo things because I just like high-end things and projects. The quality construction of the garage is testament to that attitude. That being said, my vision for this building involves little more than storing everything that used to be in my attached garage and doing some minor maintenance on all my equipment. Beyond the fluorescent lights, bench grinder and garage door opener, I don't see the receptacles getting much of a workout. Once again thanks for the feedback.
 
   / Electrical question #17  
   / Electrical question #18  
Aaron has it right.

Why work so hard to just get by and work around the code?

I think you can pull three insulated #8s out to this sub panel, drive a ground rod and be all set with a 15 amp lighting circuit and a 20 amp plug. Simple, safe, provides two disconnects and you could have 220v if you wanted it later. You could also have two plug circuits if needed. You can work on the plug circuit with your lights turned on and you'll have the lights on a proper circuit. Plus the circuits would be out of phase to help prevent dimming when a motor starts.

If you plan to use 10-2 romex and strip it first, you'll still be buying a third wire you don't need, the ground wire in the romex. The grounding should be done with a ground rod. #8 is a better choice with over 200' of run and three insulated conductors will give you options.

Or you could go with the absolute simplest method, as you've described. 10-2 with ground and a switch at the entry point.
 
   / Electrical question
  • Thread Starter
#19  
Figured I'd update my original post in case anyone out there is tackling a similar project -

I went with my original plan, ran 10-2 Romex from a 20 amp GFCI breaker at the house panel to the outside, then changed over to #10 stranded wire in conduit to the detached garage, then changed to 12-2 Romex inside the detached garage. I'm glad I went with 10 wire because I didn't want more than minimal voltage drop. Where it entered the building I used a heavier duty single pole switch as the disconnect as code requires and then installed 4-foot T8 lights, a ceiling fan, and 8 receptacles, including one for the garage door opener and one for an overhead cord reel. The lights are great and work very well even in very cold NY temperatures. Haven't had any problems with dimming or tripping the breaker but I rarely come anywhere close to putting the circuit to the test, mostly running a little space heater to take the chill out and maybe occasional use of a compound miter saw or bench grinder. There's not a lot of simultaneous device use other than lights and one plug at a time so the single circuit suits my needs. My biggest complaint is the T8 ballasts destroy the music coming out of my FM radio but I knew that going into it so not a big deal. It's worth it because they're better in the cold and much quieter than the T12 high outputs I used to have in my attached garage years ago.

The building is basically a large storage shed that I also use for short periods of equipment maintenance so this works for me. I do agree with the other posters however, for anyone considering using a building like mine for extended periods during colder months, install a larger circuit with a small panel and if using electric heat install a 240 volt heater to take the chill out faster. I installed a Dayton model in my insulated attached garage because I still change my own oil and that thing raises the temperature about one degree per minute during even the coldest months of the year. It also makes my electric meter spin three times faster when it's running.

Thanks for the advice. Lots of good information on this site.
 
   / Electrical question #20  
You might consider LED replacement bulbs for the T8s. I used FEIT T4819-LEDIF-41K, which are direct wire to 120v (bulb has pigtail) and do away with the ballast. Much more output and no interference.
 
 
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