I am finishing out about 900 sq ft of my second floor that is currently being used as attic. The framing is complete. I will have a 18.5'x30' theater with a wet bar and a bedroom in this space. I currently only have a 20 amp GFCI outlet and some keyless lights that are on a shared circuit with my second floor lights. I would like to run a 90 amp sub panel into an unfinished storage space adjacent to the theater. My plan is to run the wire up from the subpanel to the ceiling joist, down that to the edge of the house, out of the soffit and straight down the side of the house, then punch into the crawl space and come out right under the existing 200 amp service panel. The section from the soffit to the crawl space would be run inside of 1 1/2 PVC conduit. Do I need a J box at the soffit and at the bottom when it goes into the crawl? My big question is what size and type of wire do I need for this? I might only wire up 80 amps but I would like to leave myself some headroom so just pretend it'll be 90 amps now.
Attic subpanel
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90 amps thats stupid go with 100 amps or u might get away with 60
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What do u mean by enough space did u do a load calculation . Just because u put a 100 amp breaker in panel doesnt mean it draws 100 amps it only draws what it needswraunch said:
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They need to do a load calculation, they cant go off the top of their head. You could put in a 200 amp sub panel in a 60 amp main if u wanted to as long as the loads dont exceed 60wraunch said:
As eastcoastsparky said, you gotta do a load calc to know absolutely, but you should be fine with a 100A sub on a 200A service.
#2AWG/3 conductor Alum will be super. NMD if inside, use Tech 90 if you are heading outside. Copper if you are very comfortable spending more than you need to.
a big negative on the JBs, ghostrider. Keep it whole.
#2AWG/3 conductor Alum will be super. NMD if inside, use Tech 90 if you are heading outside. Copper if you are very comfortable spending more than you need to.
a big negative on the JBs, ghostrider. Keep it whole.
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Thats true if a customer had a 200 amp service i wouldnt even think of doing a load calc but if its a 100 amp service i would highly recommend it. Now the ultimate question is what size service does the OP haveMCB said:
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Oops he does have a 200 amp service. Doh!!!!! Should of went back and read
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From what you are planning to use it's unlikely you require more than a 70 or perhaps 80 amp sub for that space. 6 or 8 circuits will be plenty for you and give you room for some expansion. Use conduit for the complete run and pull ells if you need to keep it continuous. #6 copper for 60 amp and #4 for 80 will work. Are you having the electricians do this or are you going to do it yourself? Some grounding issues will have to be done but your electrician will know how to bond the sub and isolate the neutral buss.:yes:
How many amps will I need for this space? I calculate 23 6"cans, 14 3" cans, 2 fluorescent fixtures, 7 keyless fixtures, a counter height refrigerator, a countertop microwave, a 20 amp dedicated circuit for my av equipment, whatever I need for the wall outlets, and outlet in the tray ceiling for my led rope light. Based off that I calculate approx 3500 watts of lighting, plus say 15 amp for fridge, 20 amp for av rack. I'm thinking I'll need 80 amps. Thoughts?
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