[brucehvn2]

I posted another thread on here about my project to install a 240V outlet in my garage for my wife's new EV. I got some good responses to my query. Now I have another issue that i need help with. My circuit breaker box is mounted on the outside wall of the garage. I need to run a NM-B 6/2 cable a very short distance from the top of the box inside the wall about 3' where it will come through the garage inside wall and transition with a JB to the THHN wires I'm running through conduit.

My issue is that I don't see any available space to put this in and still be code compliant. My breaker box has what appear to be 4 1/2" knockouts, each with a single 14/3 NM-B cable. Then in the center of all those is a bigger knockout, maybe 3/4" or 1" and it has 2 14/3 NM-B wires in there. I think there is space for the 6/2 there, but the cable clamp covers about half the hole. It's also possible that the center hole has some concentric knockouts that might allow the hole to be bigger, but I don't know if I could find a cable clamp that would allow one 6/2 and two 14/3 NM-Bs.

The photo below is looking down to the top of the breaker box from a hole I already have in the inside garage wall where this 6/2 is going to run up and through. The right side of the photo where there are no wires is where the meter section of the box is so that's off-limits. I can move wires around but that doesn't seem to help since there's still not an available hole. Any ideas?

 

[chandler48]

One question. MUST you come out the top, or is the bottom equally an option?

 

[brucehvn2]

One question. MUST you come out the top, or is the bottom equally an option?

Well, now that's a good question. Obviously coming through the top makes life much easier for my current plan, but it's possible there's some space behind the panel where I could fish the 6/2 up through. I will investigate that today and see if there are any knockouts in the bottom and if I have a path to get the 6/2 back going upwards. If I can go through the bottom, I might think about moving my junction box to the lower part of the wall. My conduit is already all run to the point where it makes a 90 from the ceiling to the circuit breaker wall, so I could easily extend it down the wall if necessary. That's thinking outside the breaker box chandler48

 

[Jim Port]

That looks like a panel where you drill your own knockouts.

 

[gthomas785]

I would look at the inside of the panel to see where the available knockouts are. If you can drill your own that's even better.

 

[brucehvn2]

Okay, so good news. While I've been in the panel many times recently, it was dark last night and I waited until the light of day to get inside there again. I do have an adequate knockout plug on the top of the box, so I should be good to keep with my original plan. It was just obscured by all the dirt accumulated in there. I've cut into the inside garage wall (very carefully) to gain access to the top of the box. There will be a little drywall patch work to do when I'm done, but it looks like I should be good on that front. I have one other question regarding breakers, but I'll post that in a new thread. Thanks for all the input folks.

 

[chandler48]

Just keep this thread going. You're not really changing the subject and the background information may help others help you.

 

[huesmann]

Too late

 

[seharper]

Honestly if it was me, I really love my conduit. I would drop conduit down that hole and complete the entire run in THHN (since the rest is). I gather the space is too confined to maneuver a full-length stick in there. So I would run it down there like oil well drill pipe, using shorter lengths of EMT that will fit, with couplers between them. EMT for a couple of reasons, first it's real easy to rework, and second it's magnetic so if you drop something you can retrieve it with a magnet. Steel couplers not zinc for that reason.