Electrical Help

[DaveT]

I need to upgrade the electrical service to my shop. I currently have a single 20amp circuit running to my shop from the house main, which I have wired a light fixture to and a couple of receptacles just to get started. I have seriously outgrown this setup and need some more juice. I would like to put a sub-panel in the shop to run 3 - 4 additional circuits (i.e. dedicated light circuit, dust collector circuit, etc.) I have browsed through the electrical sections at Lowe's, HD, etc. and am not sure exactly what I need, or what I have to do to get the sub-panel tied into the main.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated!!

Dave

[NCPete]

Dave, I have some customers that are electricians, that could probably help, I know that I have made arrangements with one for future work in my shop, I should see him today, and I will ask what he would charge to 'git er done'. I think you could get away with one of the 60 or 100 amp subpanels, they often come with five 110v breakers (15 amp) so you may need to get a few 20's and some 220v breakers for any higher draw tools. call me at work with your number, as I can't find it now, 910-307-7368

[Ray Martin]

Dave,

I'm sure you've already figured this part out, but do think in terms of an electrician for this kind of work, unless you're really comfortable with wiring. We don't want to hear anything shocking about your shop upgrades.

Ray

[Travis Porter]

Unless you read up a lot and are comfortable, an electrician is the way to go.

If you really want to do it yourself, I found the Murray panel and breakers to be pretty cheap from the BORG. Personally, I ran 100 amps from my main. I put a 100 amp breaker in my panel and ran 3 strands of number 4 copper in 1 1/2" PVC from the main panel to the new panel. That way you have 2 110 volt legs (220V) and a neutral. You can save some bucks doing everything but tying it into the main panel and hiring an electrician to do that part and checking out what you have done already. For the new panel, you will need to drive an 8 foot ground rod and run a number 6 copper wire from the panel to the ground rod. What size panel you get depends on how much current you are planning to pull. For 100 amps I am able to have a heat pump, 220V tablesaw, 220v planer, 220v dust collector, and all of my lights on without any problems at all. If your main panel is full, you may have to add some of the breakers for 110V that put two into the size of one normal.

I did all of my own wiring, and even got a permit and had it inspected. I had one minor thing the inspector wanted me to change (add a board to support a wire), but I could have fought it and won, but it wasn't worth p*ssing the inspector off so I did it.

[Travis]

Dave,

I was somewhat familiar with electrical principles but by no means an expert. With the advice of folks on this site and a little research I was able to wire my shop with no problems. Sounds like you might already be at this point since you have already wired your shop once. One other thing that you might want to consider is having an additional meter set at your shop by the power company. Depending on the power company and your situation they might require a meter fee and small minimum monthly charge.

[Ray Martin]

Originally Posted by Travis

Dave,

I was somewhat familiar with electrical principles but by no means an expert. With the advice of folks on this site and a little research I was able to wire my shop with no problems. Sounds like you might already be at this point since you have already wired your shop once. One other thing that you might want to consider is having an additional meter set at your shop by the power company. Depending on the power company and your situation they might require a meter fee and small minimum monthly charge.

I might have the wrong picture here, but I assumed that the shop was on home property. If this isn't a business / tax paying entity, what is the benefit of the extra meter?

Ray

[michaelgarner]

I had a 100amp sub put in my garage this year before I deployed. I called an electritian and he did a "sidejob" for a couple hundred dollars. He put it in fast and I wired all the plugs. There is lots of room for expansion as well. I had researched doing it myself for about 2 months before I decided that it would be better to spend a couple hundred in labor and a couple hundred more in materials than have my house burn down becouse I did something wrong. Dont get me wrong, I know a couple people that did it on their own. I just tought it better to have it done fast so I could get back in the shop and get the ball rolling again. Be blessed friend.

[Travis]

Really the only advantages that I can think of is if he is running out of amp capacity in his service panel and the cost of running the service cable from the house to the shop as opposed to the power company.

The load can be determined by calculating the load for the house and the shop. In my case my shop is in the basement and I had enough capacity to run my small shop with out another service panel. Although I had an licensed electrician suggest that I place a second meter in addition to two 200 amp panels.

[DaveT]

Thanks for all the feedback. I have spoken to a guy at work, and he is going to come to house and have a look at what I have and will help me wire it. He does all of our facilities electrical work.