Home Electric Question

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

I built a garage that is not attached to the house and ran underground electric from my house to it using 10/2 wire.<br /><br />I just have it hooked up to a 110 breaker in the house.<br /><br />The question is, what would I have to do in order to have 220 to the garage?<br /><br />I have a breaker box in the garage also.<br /><br />Could I hook up to a 220 breaker in the house and then put in a 220 breaker in the box in the garage?

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: Home Electric Question

Not an electrician but know enough to get us both in trouble. You would need to run at LEAST a 8/3 wire. This should be hooked onto the main box in the house, however you could get away with hooking it to a double 50 or double 60 breaker.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Home Electric Question

Thanks KB.<br />I don't intend to run another wire underground.<br /><br />The only reason I was going to get 220 to it anyway was so I could have my compressor down there instead of in the garage at the house.<br /><br />I also have my air hose run underground to the garage also.

 

[ajyanka]

Re: Home Electric Question

I am currently adding a sub-panel to my garage for the same reasons. This website outlines the electric codes really well.<br /><br />Good Luck!<br /><br />AJY<br /><br /> http://www.homewiringandmore.com/homewiringusa/1999/accessory/detgarage/detgarage.html

 

[lakeman1999]

Re: Home Electric Question

If you have a 10/2 w ground, you can run up to 30 amps by just hooling your 10/2 w/ground to a 30 amp breaker in the house. When you ran it underground, did you use underground cable? All you need for 220 is two hot wires (from different power leads to house) and a ground, then in the garage, to get 110 just use either one of the hot wires, and a ground. For low amperage use (30 amps) 10/2 wire is enough, increase wire size, for heavier loads.

 

[lakeman1999]

Re: Home Electric Question

thats hooking, not hooling

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Home Electric Question

Thanks all, and yes lakeman, it is underground cable, but at the time I did not plan on using any 220, but now I want to move my air compressor down there and need a 220 circuit for it.<br /><br />So can I hook up to a 220 breaker in the house and then split it at the breaker box in the garage?

 

[ndemge]

Re: Home Electric Question

how many amps does your compressor draw?... and how far is the run of wire? <br /><br />You need to make sure your wire is heavy enough to handle the load before it melts.

 

[ebbtide176]

Re: Home Electric Question

SBN, you need x/3 underground wire for 220v. and IF you re-dig, you should put it in a conduit or sched40 big enough to add whatever else you want - later

 

[magster65]

Re: Home Electric Question

I did the same upgrade at my place. I took the 100 amp panel out of the house and put it in the shop, then added a new 200 amp in the house. 220 in the shop can be accomplished by running the second 'hot' wire out. I buried a 2" conduit to the garage to keep things tidy and ran cable and phone out there too. It's been a few years but I seem to remember the building inspection office had all the info. on the wiring detail... wire sizing, clamping sizes, do's and don'ts... etc. It was fairly easy.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Home Electric Question

Thanks guys.<br />I have my air hose run thru there now and was just thinking about moving the compressor to the garage and I might just tie on some wire to the air hose and pull it thru that way if I can.

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: Home Electric Question

SBN, how far of a run is it to the garage?<br />the electric co. up here ran a new line overhead<br />to my garage (barn) for free. just had to have<br />everything ready/inspected prior to install.<br />and if'n it don't work, they'll fix it for free.<br />just another option to consider.<br />good luck,<br />M.Y.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Home Electric Question

Thanks MY, it is about 35 feet or so to the breaker box in the garage from the breaker box in the house(garage).

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: Home Electric Question

my fault here... meant from the "pole"...<br />mine was 200 feet.

 

[flashback]

Re: Home Electric Question

spinner, don't know what you used to run air underground, but if you need another wire, you could possibly use the air line as conduit......just a thought......good luck.....

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Home Electric Question

Thanks flashback, that's a good idea.<br /><br />I have 1/2" air line so I know the wire would go thru it.<br /><br />I may just tie into my existing 220 and run it to the garage.

 

[pmueller]

Re: Home Electric Question

SBN, you may want to check at "doityourself.com", go to the electrical forum. Several good electricians on that board who can answer all your questions.

 

[crab bait]

Re: Home Electric Question

you GOT TO have 3 wires & a ground.. HAVE TO..!!! 2 hot ..1 neutral.. 1 ground..<br /><br />also must drive a ground rod outside the garage .. must run a # 8 wire from rod (via acorn clamp ) to the ground block of the garage panel... this panel is a SUB-panel ,, an must have a separate ground terminal strip.( grounds & neutrals{whites} must be separate & insulatated from one another ..) so neutral block bonding screw must be eliminated/not used.. <br /><br />if panel is not a SUB-PANEL...a grounding block can be bought an added/screwed in for a few bucks...

 

[SlowlySinking]

Re: Home Electric Question

SBN, one point to keep in mind, I added lots of electric to my house over the last 30 years, not being totally stupid it was done to code at the time, but, unfortunately most was not was inspected and the codes have changed, now my local town law requires that all wiring meet TODAYS code to allow issuance of a Certificate of Compliance, it's too late for a Certificate of Occupancy, I need this for house sale purposes, now this should be lots of fun$$$. By the way; a Certificate of Compliance means that if it hasn't fallen down or burned down it must have been done fairly right.

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: Home Electric Question

Crab Bait- While I agree that you have to have 3 conductors and a ground its not "really" right. Think about it for a moment. Where does the ground go to? Where does the common go to? Same place huh? In the more foolish days i wired an outside light that had to go underground with 12/2 wire. The problem was I needed 12/3 due to my switching requirements. Yep, it worked, its still working today, almost 4 years later. I still don't think its right but it is working. PLEASE DON"T CUT CORNERS LIKE THIS, I AIN'T SUGGESTING THAT ANYONE DO IT!