Running New Elec – Conduit or No Conduit
Background: 40 yr old colonial, 2 story w/ garage & basement, 200A electric service.
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I’m in the process of converting my garage to a woodshop and need to run new electric lines to power all the equipment. I’ve drilled a hole in the corner wall of the garage to allow me to run the new 12/2 to the existing panel in the basement. I want the new outlets (2-220V and 1 circuit of 20A outlets) to be mounted to the drywall about waist high.
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My question is: Dose all the new 12/2 wires have to be in metal or PVC conduit?
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There is a slight ledge around the perimeter of the garage (where the stud wall meets the concrete block) that the wire could be run along and be out of harms way. Then I would run the wire in conduit, from the ledge to the new outlet. See attached drawing (hopefully it came through ok).
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Would this be acceptable?
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Thanks for the help!
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Trevor
Replies
You need a sub panel the garage. Put a double pole 60amp breaker in the main panel and run wire to garage to power box (not sure of the distance/gauge). From that sub panel, you can run 12-2 (12-3 for 220v) romex inside walls or conduit outside of walls.
You get out of life what you put into it......minus taxes.
Marv
I agree that adding a sub-panel might be a good idea. But it all depends on the length of run, how hard it is to fish in the wires, etc, etc.
As to you question. The code allows NM to be exposed if it follow thes the surface of the construction, which yours scheme does - UNLESS IT IS EXPOSED TO PHYISICAL DAMAGE.
What is "exposed to phyisical damage" is really up to the local inspector. And where it is exposed you need to run it in metalic conduit, sch 80 (and not the more common sch 40) PVC, or mount it wood or metal protection strip next to it.
Now my personal opion that with the ledge that the only the NM is protected enough. But I ain't the inspector.
BTW, you might want to run the receptacles about 50". That way they won't be blocked by sheet of plywood against the wall.
I figured it would be OK, but thought I’d check with the experts first! J
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Thanks for the help!
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Trevor
"I figured it would be OK, but thought I’d check with the experts first!"That is not what I said.I am not the code inspector in your area (or another area).Some will allow NM in a garage just as long is it not run across open studs where it could be used as a "clothes line".Others will only allow conduit reguardless of how well the wiring would be protected by the design.
Edited 8/29/2005 10:17 am ET by BillHartmann
It wouldn't be acceptable for me. You really should put in a subpanel, put a 60-amp 2-pole breaker in a free slot in your main panel, and run a single cable (size depending on length and load) to the garage and into a subpanel. I would not bother with conduit unless you are exposing it to weather or burying it, then definitely use conduit.
Once you get 60 amps of service to the garage, you can put in a couple 220 circuits for machines, a couple 15 amp circuits for lights, and a few 20 amp circuits for outlets. You will be surprised at what your power needs will be for a mechanized shop.
So is conduit an mystery? An ordeal? A lost art? Surface mount EMT is ideal for a shop. Run a ring of big stuff, like 1", all the way around about 5 ft. above the floor, with big boxes every 5 ft. or so. With that in place, you'll be able to pull in new circuits for just about anything you get in the future. It's really not that much harder than running romex.
-- J.S.
Yep, and don't forget to leave an extra pull wire or string in each time you pull in a new circuit.
I bought two new pieces of equipment after I finished my shop, both 240v/30amp loads. Every thing else was 240v/20amp. That pull string I left in the attic to the panel sure made life easy. Schdl 40 pvc conduite down the wall and I was up and running with the new equipment in under two hours.
Dave