Working in an old barn and need to bring power to an outdoor chicken coop. Problem is i need to run 40 amps across the barn and down to a new sub-panel. There is an existing AWG #8/2 cable feeding a 30 AMP outlet that I can use I just need to run a third #8 wire for a ground. Is this ok. The existing 8/2 is new and in good shape. Running the new third wire will be easy and save replacing the entire existing cable. Just want to make sure this is Ok. Thanks for any input.
Adding a wire to an existing 8/2 AWG making it a 8/3 wire.
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It's perfectly fine to retrofit a ground wire in the way you describe. On a 40A circuit, you only need a #10 ground.
It's also possible to feed a subpanel with /2 cable, depending on what circuits will be in the subpanel (they have to be 120V-only, or 240V-only; you can't have both 120V and 240V loads in a subpanel fed by /2 cable).
However... you say the /2 is new. New /2 already has a ground wire in it. Why do you need another?
It's also possible to feed a subpanel with /2 cable, depending on what circuits will be in the subpanel (they have to be 120V-only, or 240V-only; you can't have both 120V and 240V loads in a subpanel fed by /2 cable).
However... you say the /2 is new. New /2 already has a ground wire in it. Why do you need another?
The 8/2 does have a ground I need two hot wires and the 8/2 has a white, black and ground. To get the power to the new sub panel I need a third number 6 wire to be used as a non load carrying back to the main panel. I was planning on zip tying the additional wire to the cable carrying the other three.
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With the existing 8/2 cable with ground, what you have is a hot, neutral and ground. You are missing the second hot. You need a total of 4 conductors: 2 hots, neutral and ground. You cannot run a single conductor with your existing cable to supply the second hot.
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What is the load going to be? Do you need 240 volts or can you get by with 1- 40 amp 130 volts service?
OK... consider neutral vs ground.
Neutral is the normal current carrying conductor. As you may know, electricity flows in loops. 240V electricity goes out hot1 and comes back on hot2. 120V electricity flows from a hot and comes back on Neutral.
If you want to have both 120V and 240V loads served out of the same box, you must have a Neutral wire. Neutral wires must be white or gray, always.
Equipment Safety Ground is nothing but a safety shield. No current flows on it normally. It is there to be a "fault catcher" so that current is carried back to the panel (and hopefully causes a breaker trip) instead of electrocuting someone or starting a fire. Grounds must be bare or green.
Modern electrical codes require a totally separate neutral vs ground going to a subpanel. They used to allow them to be combined, but a trivial loose connection on neutral would electrify all the grounds, meaning people touching grounded things would get shocked. They considered that "bad".
So, can you state more clearly what you are trying to do? Also several of us would appreciate if you could describe exactly what your loads actually are. We're trying to find a way to pull this off safely.
Also, what are the distances involved?
Neutral is the normal current carrying conductor. As you may know, electricity flows in loops. 240V electricity goes out hot1 and comes back on hot2. 120V electricity flows from a hot and comes back on Neutral.
If you want to have both 120V and 240V loads served out of the same box, you must have a Neutral wire. Neutral wires must be white or gray, always.
Equipment Safety Ground is nothing but a safety shield. No current flows on it normally. It is there to be a "fault catcher" so that current is carried back to the panel (and hopefully causes a breaker trip) instead of electrocuting someone or starting a fire. Grounds must be bare or green.
Modern electrical codes require a totally separate neutral vs ground going to a subpanel. They used to allow them to be combined, but a trivial loose connection on neutral would electrify all the grounds, meaning people touching grounded things would get shocked. They considered that "bad".
So, can you state more clearly what you are trying to do? Also several of us would appreciate if you could describe exactly what your loads actually are. We're trying to find a way to pull this off safely.
Also, what are the distances involved?
Thanks for the input and sorry if I was not clear. I am attempting to run a 20 AMP GFCI outlet to an old well so we can pump water out of the well for a garden. I also want to run a second 15 AMP outlet to a chicken coop for security lights. I installed a 70 AMP two slot sub-panel that is 95 feet away from the sub-panel that powers a 150 Ft by 50 Ft pole barn. The existing 8/2 wire runs up 12 feet from the sub-panel that feeds the pole barn and 54 feet across the barn to the second, 70 AMP, sub-panel. I have with the existing 8/2 a ground, which I can use as ground and a black that I can use as a hot and a white that I can use as a second hot. I want to run, a #8 wire to be used as the neutral. The #8 wire will run along and zip tied to the existing 8/2 cable. Hope this is clear. Thanks
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You cannot run a single conductor to use as a hot or a neutral to supplement a 2 wire cable.
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As has already been stated, you can't run an external current carrying conductor outside of a cable that contains its related conductors.
If you had a 120/240 volt well pump that can be adapted to high voltage then there are plenty of 240 volt lights available. Otherwise you'll need to change out the wiring so you have 3 line conductors and a ground.
sorry.
If you had a 120/240 volt well pump that can be adapted to high voltage then there are plenty of 240 volt lights available. Otherwise you'll need to change out the wiring so you have 3 line conductors and a ground.
sorry.
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It's a wise decision. The cost will be forgotten but the safety will last.
All the best, SD2
All the best, SD2
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