How many plug ins is too many

[deere755]

I also used 12 gauge wire on every thing. I went with 2 plugs per circuit. I am going to put in 2 220 outlets for the welder. I have made up my mind I would rather have over kill than not enough. Let them laugh!!!

 

[5030]

100 amp is the minimum. Remember, most people when they power their outbuildings don't run the proper hookup. For 220/1phase you need 4 cables. 1 cable hot, 1 cable hot 1 cable ground and 1 cable safety ground. You also have to size the cable for the draw. I used double 00 for all 4 runs with a 100 split on the main service panel.

 

[kossetx]

I once wired my garage with an outlet ON EVERY STUD! Overkill? Never. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[_RaT_]

Hi Daryl. I find these questions often misunderstood. There is no mandate that says you can only have 6 plugs for example on a circuit. Since a 20 amp 120V circuit can provide 2400 watts of power which would be its maximmum although it would be unlikely that the breaker could hold this much power for a long duration, you could have 20 outlets each using 100 watts and be good. If your desire was to simply have a dedicated light at each outlet, you would be doing fine. Add 1 microwave oven to the picture and your in trouble. Often we determine the number of outlets by the applianace it feeds. A microwave gets a dedicated 120V 15 or 20 amp circuit. In a bedroom with an unknown device load we will generally have as many as 10 outlets per circuit. A bathroom will get its own simply because 1 hair dryer is about the limit before a breaker will trip. The number of outlets you have, how often you space them in a barn or shop is entirely dependent on your needs and desires. Putting 3 outlets on 1 circuit that runs 3 large decives like a 120V table saw, a router and a small air compressor simaltaneously and your quickly going to overload the breaker. In this case, you need dedicated circuits. 120V air compressors, table saws etc need their own outlet. Welders are not so straight forward. First, the amp rating is based on its maximum. For some of us, that would eat up the better part of a 100 amp service. But wait, duty cycle plays a part in this so before you go out and buy massive conductors, check into this first. The size of your feeder wires is determined by several things. The overcurrent protection device or circuit breaker, the length of the run and the wire type both material, insulating covering, whether its direct burial, in the air or in a conduit and how many conductors are in the conduit. The simple answer is, for most of us, running wires to a barn etc that are sized and protected by a 100 amp breaker will be quite sufficient. I would also run 20 amp 120V circuits as opposed to 15 amp circuits as the types of devices encountered and used in a barn enviroment often need as much as 15 amps to run and sometimes more. Rat

 

[Jimbrown]

I vote you can not have too many. when I built my new house I had the electrician put 1 plug every 4 ft inthe garage and put them 5 ft off the floor instead of down low. he thought I was crazy untill he saw the finshed project and how much sense it made.

 

[Jagmandave]

I'll jump in with the others and say "not crazy", in most home shops only one guy is working at a time, so only one machine is drawing current...........you'll be happy you did this down the road, and so will whoever owns this proerty next!

I have them every 4 feet in my shop, plus a few strip outlets mounted to the front of the workbench, so you don't have to reach all the way across the bench to plug something in......

 

[63DH8]

Anyone who says you have too many plugs and that your service is too big is jelous! More and bigger is better! It's the American way!

 

[Birdhunter1]

15 duplex receps. on your workbench is great. If you are working on somethgin and you have to drill, grind, drill, charge a battery, plug in a fan, use a 110v welder, run your bench grinder, and have a work light plugged in you don't have to unlpug your drill to plug your grinder in and vice versa.

Next time someone says you've gone overboard mention to them you never have to unplug one thing to plug in another!

Lights: Too much can be overkill, but if you have the ability to turn them off in banks as you please and turn others on then you've done great! I hate dragging around a trouble light just to work on somethign in the middle of the garage where you everythgin is completely open and nothing is covered.

 

[rlcowder]

I agree with the above positions. I built my shop a couple years ago and put in a 200 amp service with a 40 breaker panel. I have already used 30 of the locations because I like a lot of conrol and a lot of outlets. I always complained that I never had enough light before so in this new wood shop part that is 25x30 I put 10 8 foot high output cold start flourscent fixtures on 2 seperate switches and 2 breakers. Its blinding bright! But exactly what I wanted. Good luck.

 

[bgoodman]

I have one outlet every other stud in the garage (12 total), one in the ceiling with plans for 2 more. It's enough for me, but generally I'm working outside on the drive at the end of an extension cord anyhow.