Electrical question

[Daryl]

I built a garage and had electric put in it. I have a 200amp box and am using only 80amps. My question is I have a shed abot 125-150 feet away that I would like to put lights in and maybe 1 plug in. Can I hook on to box in garage and run wire to shed? What size wire and if i run it from maybe 60 amp breaker would I lose alot of "juice" by the time it got there? I know I would have to put another box there to go back to 120, or at least I think I would. Anyway any help would be appricated.
Thanks
daryl

 

[biggerten]

One outlet and some lights? Just run 12/2 on a 20A breaker. 60A service for what you describe as a shed seems like hitting a fly with a sledgehammer.

 

[Jimmyp5]

I built a garage and had electric put in it. I have a 200amp box and am using only 80amps. My question is I have a shed abot 125-150 feet away that I would like to put lights in and maybe 1 plug in. Can I hook on to box in garage and run wire to shed? What size wire and if i run it from maybe 60 amp breaker would I lose alot of "juice" by the time it got there? I know I would have to put another box there to go back to 120, or at least I think I would. Anyway any help would be appricated.
Thanks
daryl

If it was me, running ~150 feet, and knowing I always need more power. I would go ahead and run 10/2 burry it (if recall a 12/2 would be a long reach - check the web there are sites to compute this) , put it on a 30 amp breaker, and go ahead and put in a 4 gang outlet box. With a 30 amp and you can start using air compressors, etc... For me I just look at what I think my need is and double it. And if you are going to a metal building, ground it directy or if using a metal box, ground that box. This is all above code in most places, assuming you live rual it is good to go (IMHO). If you live in a area that inspects your connection, you can normally do all the work, and call out a the inspector, fyi leave the breaker off until inspected and the trench open.

I have no trouble doing all my own wiring following advice on Electrical Wiring in the Home - Home Improvement/Repair - Home/Garden - AllExperts.com. These guys are all pros and can answer all our questions.

Good luck with the project.

Jim

 

[Daryl]

Thanks.. This won't be inspected. I just did not want to lose a lot of power in that long of a run. The main yhing will be a motion light. Dogs have been barking a lot in that direction and I want to make sure what is down there.

 

[kenmac]

I built a garage and had electric put in it. I have a 200amp box and am using only 80amps. My question is I have a shed abot 125-150 feet away that I would like to put lights in and maybe 1 plug in. Can I hook on to box in garage and run wire to shed? What size wire and if i run it from maybe 60 amp breaker would I lose alot of "juice" by the time it got there? I know I would have to put another box there to go back to 120, or at least I think I would. Anyway any help would be appricated.
Thanks
daryl

I did the same thing . I only have 100 amp box in my garage. I used 12/2 direct bury wire. 3 plugs & 2 lights in the shed. Probably should have added a box to the shed but, I didn't

 

[lovemytoys]

what are you going to plug in??i would run 10/3 .this way you have two circuits there .if you ever need 220 volt its there,you dont want to do it again.the code states every 100 feet you must go up in size.12 wire 100 feet and under is good for 20 amp .

 

[lovemytoys]

any help ask i been doing it for 27 years in new york city.

 

[Redbug]

Hi Daryl,

First, figure up how many amps you expect to use at your shed. Then use a voltage drop calculator like this:

Voltage Drop Calculator

You can plug in the different factors into the calculator to figure out what is the best and safest size wire to use for the run to your shed. Enjoy!

PS....Yew ain't runnin' no still out thar air yew?

 

[ray66v]

12/2 should give you enough power to run anything reasonable. #10 is going to cost a lot more dough, and in a shed you will likely never need it.
I strongly recommend you bury it in plastic conduit. It won't cost that much and you don't have to worry about the frost heaving a stone through it, (if you get frost there?) and it makes it harder to accidentally put a shovel in it.

 

[5030tinkerer]

You might also consider whether you future shed could become more than you presently envision. Sure, running 10/3 for now seems logical, but won't you just kick yourself later if you need more power over there later? I'd consider using a wire size calculator (Wire Size Calculator is a good one) to see what size wire you'd need over that distance to run the largest load you could possibly see needing and then pricing out that wire size in copper and redoing the calc for aluminum and pricing that wire size out. I'm an overkill kind of guy, no doubt, but it would be cool to have 220 service out there with it's own panel.

For example, a 220volt 30amp circuit at 150' would need 8 gauge copper, but 4 gauge aluminum. Depending on what your 200A panel supports and the costs of material, you could figure out what option made more sense for you. Of course, there's also logic in keeping it simple. I don't know whether code would allow you NOT to have your own disconnect out at the remote building or not. This is something you'd need to look into.

 

[Daryl]

Thanks for all the help. I really will only be using a motion light and maybe a plug in every now and then.

There have been a lot of stealing lately and this is about 75 yds from house and a light would help, I think. I know if theifs want it they will get it but maybe help a little. Thought about a soalr motion light but all I read they are useless.

I have plenty of electric in the garage so if I need 220 or whatever it is there. I want to get by on this as cheap as possibe.

Again Thanks

 

[biggerten]

Thanks for all the help. I really will only be using a motion light and maybe a plug in every now and then.

There have been a lot of stealing lately and this is about 75 yds from house and a light would help, I think. I know if theifs want it they will get it but maybe help a little. Thought about a soalr motion light but all I read they are useless.

I have plenty of electric in the garage so if I need 220 or whatever it is there. I want to get by on this as cheap as possibe.

Again Thanks

Then buy the 12/2 and put it on a 15A breaker. Run the 12/2 from the breaker in your garage to a GFI outlet in the shed, and then run the lights from the GFI outlet.

 

[Daryl]

Thanks Biggerten... That sounds like the simplest..

 

[CurlyDave]

You might want to consider running a spare conduit in the trench while you have it open.

If you can possibly afford it, this allows for future expansion at very minimal cost.

If I had a nickel for every time I said "the biggest possible load I am going to ever put on this circuit is X", and then had to increase it a couple of years later, I would have a few bucks now.

 

[JB4310]

At least run the 12/3 so you can have a manual switch in the house to control the flood light, either a separate light or with the new fangled motion lights, when the switch is toggled you can over ride the settings and manually turn it on even if it's not sensing motion or is past the optional on at dusk to x number of hours time. that way you would have power all the time at the outlet and could leave a programed light powered on all or most of the time with the switch in the house, but still be able to control it from the house. Put the switch somewhere handy to a back window. Get the motion light with all the options like low power on for as long as you want after dusk.

How about a gfi breaker, that way the entire line would be protected in case someone stuck a shovel into it, the only problem is then the light would depend on the gfi, not usually recommended. if you just go with the 12/2 and gfi in the shed, then don't have the light be a load on the GFCI.

I'm kind of a light nut, got about 1800 watts of flood lights around the house that I can control separately in groups, I have one 500 watter that I can control from the kitchen or the 2nd floor hall, just outside all 4 bedrooms looking out over my deep back yard and woods, it's perfect for when someone (hears something in the night). Lights are a great deterrent to mischief.

 

[Redbug]

5030Tinkerer...That wire size calculator is great. Thanks for the link. Something practical.

 

[lovemytoys]

you cant but a gfi breaker on 12/3 unless it a 220 breaker

 

[Daryl]

I measured it and it is 195 ft from garage to shed. 12-2 will not be big enough will it?