EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
When I built my house in 2005 I had it in my head that I needed 200 amps for my shop and 200 amps for my house. Over the years it's never been an issue, but it's also something that I've never actually needed.
A few years ago we made some significant changes in what we wanted with the house and I've been working on remodeling it ever since then. The biggest change is converting my 24x30 attached workshop/garage into our new living room. I added on a 30x40 three car garage to replace the shop and I'm currently working on the wiring in the shop.
One thing is that we want a whole house back up generator. For that to work, I want just one panel to power the entire house. So that is the panel that I'm running everything to. It's expensive, but not all that complicated.
The panel in the shop is going away and will be used when I build my new Shop. The wire to that panel is buried under my driveway and staying there. The distance from the panel on my exterior wall to where the new Shop is a lot closer than running from the meter buy a huge margin. My plan is to just run new wire from the old panel to the new Shop when everything else is done.
For now, I need to terminate the existing wire inside a box in my wall that I can then connect the new wire to in the future. This will be on my interior wall, inside my new Living Room. I plan to cover it with a picture of some kind so it's not visible.
With the 200 amp breaker off at the meter, I'm not worried about just wire nutting it and leaving it in a box. But it seems to me that now is the best time to install what I want to be there forever. My first thought was to install a Disconnect Switch like what I have for my HVAC system. It's only 60 amps, but basically, it's a big heavy duty on off switch. I need one for 200 amps, and that seems to be where I'm having issues.
Lowes has this for $210 which should work. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Square-D-S...e-Outdoor-Enclosed-Circuit-Breaker/5001782473
I can install conduit down the bottom of it so I can run my wire to the Shop in the future. I just don't want to spend over $200 for a switch that has a cover and will be hard to hide once it's installed. I could install it on the outside of the house, but it's right next to my new fancy front door, and it will be ugly and obvious.
My thinking for a disconnect is that it would allow me to turn off the power to the entire shop from inside the house in case of a fire. I don't know any other advantage to having a switch. I don't want a breaker. To me, that just adds to where problems could happen. There is already a 200 amp breaker at the meter, and there will be a 200 amp breaker inside the panel that I'll install in the new Shop.
Am I on the wrong path looking for a switch?
My other option is to install a Junction Box. I'm not familiar with what is needed to connect 200 amp lines inside a Box. I've done a couple searches on Lowes.com and Amazon.com without finding something that seems right.
What are my options? What would you do?
Please provide a link or what search words I should be using.
Thank you,
Eddie
A few years ago we made some significant changes in what we wanted with the house and I've been working on remodeling it ever since then. The biggest change is converting my 24x30 attached workshop/garage into our new living room. I added on a 30x40 three car garage to replace the shop and I'm currently working on the wiring in the shop.
One thing is that we want a whole house back up generator. For that to work, I want just one panel to power the entire house. So that is the panel that I'm running everything to. It's expensive, but not all that complicated.
The panel in the shop is going away and will be used when I build my new Shop. The wire to that panel is buried under my driveway and staying there. The distance from the panel on my exterior wall to where the new Shop is a lot closer than running from the meter buy a huge margin. My plan is to just run new wire from the old panel to the new Shop when everything else is done.
For now, I need to terminate the existing wire inside a box in my wall that I can then connect the new wire to in the future. This will be on my interior wall, inside my new Living Room. I plan to cover it with a picture of some kind so it's not visible.
With the 200 amp breaker off at the meter, I'm not worried about just wire nutting it and leaving it in a box. But it seems to me that now is the best time to install what I want to be there forever. My first thought was to install a Disconnect Switch like what I have for my HVAC system. It's only 60 amps, but basically, it's a big heavy duty on off switch. I need one for 200 amps, and that seems to be where I'm having issues.
Lowes has this for $210 which should work. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Square-D-S...e-Outdoor-Enclosed-Circuit-Breaker/5001782473
I can install conduit down the bottom of it so I can run my wire to the Shop in the future. I just don't want to spend over $200 for a switch that has a cover and will be hard to hide once it's installed. I could install it on the outside of the house, but it's right next to my new fancy front door, and it will be ugly and obvious.
My thinking for a disconnect is that it would allow me to turn off the power to the entire shop from inside the house in case of a fire. I don't know any other advantage to having a switch. I don't want a breaker. To me, that just adds to where problems could happen. There is already a 200 amp breaker at the meter, and there will be a 200 amp breaker inside the panel that I'll install in the new Shop.
Am I on the wrong path looking for a switch?
My other option is to install a Junction Box. I'm not familiar with what is needed to connect 200 amp lines inside a Box. I've done a couple searches on Lowes.com and Amazon.com without finding something that seems right.
What are my options? What would you do?
Please provide a link or what search words I should be using.
Thank you,
Eddie
