Hi. I have a garage that's about 100' from the house. It has power with a 100 amp box with 12 single pole spaces that's wired underground to the breaker box in the basement of the house.
The garage was somewhat renovated with(what I think is excessive) 13 wall outlets, 3 ceiling outlets with one that shares a light switch for the attic space above. It has a double wall switch that controls 8 overhead 2 bulb 4' flourescent lights and another wall switch that controls the two outside sensor lights. I can't seem to run more than the lights and a shop vac ( or any combination of a couple items especially skill saws or heaters) at the same time without popping the breaker, which pops in the basement of the house.
How can I get more power to the garage? The breaker for the garage thats in the box in the basement is a single slot 120/240v breaker. There's plenty of spots open on the basement breaker box if that matters. I've done simple electrical work successfully before via Google lol... but I can't pay the $$$ most electricians would charge for either an estimate or the work. Any info or help would be appreciated. And I know all about the dangers so don't bother lecturing
Can you remove the covers from both breaker boxes and post pictures?
What we need to see is the wiring going from your basement panel to the panel in the garage.
Side note....done't stress about the number of outlets....when it comes to a garage, you can't have enough. The reality is you only use 1 or 2 at a time.
Now, with that said. It's obvious you don't have money....and not a whole lot of experience or knowledge in this area. That's ok....most of us were there at one time. What is important is that you have a 'can do' attitude and your willing to listen and learn.
There might be a few posts that say "Higher a professional". Don't stress....we can help you.
But, if you can't get the covers off and get us pictures....then "Higher a Professional".
Ok guys..keep in mind.. I have no idea how to speak electrical shorthand. Don't know what #2AL is or what #6 is. Somebody cone over and hold my hand and give me lessons
What's the amperage on the breaker feeding the garage?
What size wire, and how many wires where ran to the garage?
Single or double pole breaker?
Just because someone installed a 100 amp. panel in the garage does not mean there's 100 amp. available.
That incoming wire sure looks way to small to run anything but light loads.
How much do you enjoy digging ditches......... say about 100' long? That's the first thing you're going to have to do, because you definitely need larger wire(s) run to the garage.
Another thing (I think I'm seeing) is that the garage box isn't wired correctly as a sub-panel when it comes to neutrals and grounds.
Just guessing, but the voltage drop on the garage must be fairly large if anything other than a few lights are on at one time. I wouldn't run anything with a motor in it on any circuit out there unless you aren't really fond of it and were thinking of buying a new one anyhow.
It certainly looks like whoever did the original installation in the garage was more interested in putting in a lot of receptacles instead of worrying about getting power to them! Running a 120 V feed instead of a 240 V feed was certainly foolish and then jumping across the 2 phases like that certainly proves he didn't know what he was doing. Stirring up the ground/neutrals in a subpanel is a common mistake but the rest of it is just plain stupidity. It looks like the feed is only 12/2 wire which obviously needs to be replaced with something much larger depending on how much power he figures he is going to need in the garage. I would probably go up to at least 8/3.
Yeah..I'm no electrician but when I first seen all that I was like wtf...I'm converting my garage into a pool room and I'm going to need enough power to run climate control (ac/heaters) lights , tv, stereo, mini fridge and such. Just basic pool room amenities. So what if I unhook the wire from the garage and tie too it a heavier guage wire and hope like hell I can feed new wire through whatever conduit that was used. Supposing I can do that what's the next step breaker wise? And if that doesnt work cant i just run a line up in the air with a cable and anchor mounted to the garage and house and then feed it through the heavy duty conduit thats attached to the house going down into the basement..or does it have to be buried?
Yeah..I'm no electrician but when I first seen all that I was like wtf...I'm converting my garage into a pool room and I'm going to need enough power to run climate control (ac/heaters) lights , tv, stereo, mini fridge and such. Just basic pool room amenities. So what if I unhook the wire from the garage and tie too it a heavier guage wire and hope like hell I can feed new wire through whatever conduit that was used. Supposing I can do that what's the next step breaker wise? And if that doesnt work cant i just run a line up in the air with a cable and anchor mounted to the garage and house and then feed it through the heavy duty conduit thats attached to the house going down into the basement..or does it have to be buried?
So what if I unhook the wire from the garage and tie too it a heavier guage wire and hope like hell I can feed new wire through whatever conduit that was used.
But it is highly unlikely that the conduit will be big enough. If you were to dig down next to the garage I 'm guessing you would find a 3/4 conduit at best.
I would be thinking a 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 conduit, just based on the general description of what you want in there.
Your breaker should be a two pole (240V), not the single pole (120V) you currently have. But the good news is you have a lot of space in the house panel.
(You also need to close up all the unused open slots in the deadfront of that panel.)
Can you run a wire and a cable thru the air from the garage to the house...can't dig currently and probably won't be able to for a while considering the grounds pretty much a rock
abouttocrash, I think PVC underground is the way to go. Since you already have the 100A panel in the garage, you might as well figure on that being the size feeders you'll need. You'll also have to measure how far the wires will have to go into the house (to the main) and into the garage. Add that to the total measured distance for the feeders. You'll have to determine how much voltage you'll lose in that long of a run. Like Oso said, the breaker in the main panel for the garage should be 100A 240V. You'll also need to do more research about correctly wiring a sub panel (garage). If you don't feel completely comfortable tying the wires into the main panel, get a licensed guy for that. Putting in a couple of outlets and working in a live main panel are two different ball games. No sense in putting your life at risk to save a couple of bucks. Oh yeah, you might also want cable and maybe a phone line (I'm old school) in as well.
Just about time to start prepping for the Super Bowl...:drink:
Didn't see your last post. If you go overhead, you'll probably need to set a least one pole.
Also, check with a local inspector about requirements for any of the work.
I would disagree on the 100 amp feeders, unless they are needed. People often buy oversized panels just to get more slots. Why spend money for too much unneeded capacity ?
A load calc will tell what sized feeder is for the current plan. Then you think about how much additional sizing you might have need for in the future.
Yes, it is possible to go overhead. But that can cause a lot of problems if not done correctly. Even done correctly, it can add irritations from balls hitting it, to birds pooping on a car you park under it.
As far as the frozen ground, you can either wait until the ground thaws, or hire an excavation company with the proper equipment to git er done.
I would disagree on the 100 amp feeders, unless they are needed. People often buy oversized panels just to get more slots. Why spend money for too much unneeded capacity ?
All else being equal (and it pretty much is -trench work, pipe, fittings, etc) the only practical issue is the INCREMENTAL cost to use #2AL and have that 100A capacity vs using #6 and being limited to 60A.
-The lugs at the top of the panel are only listed for one wire, not two.
-The neutrals and grounds have to be isolated in a sub-panel.
-No ground bar installed.
-NM (romex) installed underground.
-The panel is wired for 120v, not 240v.
-I'm guessing there's no ground rods or grounding electrode conductor at the garage.
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