# Running power to my garage



## Pallet Pete (Apr 20, 2013)

Well I screwed up again lol. I aquired a 70 ft roll of 14/3 burial wire and was elated so without further thought I used it the other day. I took the dangerously low power line down from the garage roof and installed the 14/3 all went well until it dawned on me the lights got really bright when I used anything else and then it hit me it is way to small of a cord. I have 6/3 wire in a roll in the garage which should be fine for 220 on my welder with a 50 amp breaker right ? If so can I use conduit to burry in the ground to run that to the garage ?

Thanks 
Pete


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## heat seeker (Apr 20, 2013)

14 gauge wire is good for 15 amps. I hope you have the appropriate breaker/fuse for it. I'm not sure what the #6 is good for amperage-wise.


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 20, 2013)

heat seeker said:


> 14 gauge wire is good for 15 amps. I hope you have the appropriate breaker/fuse for it. I'm not sure what the #6 is good for amperage-wise.


#6 is 50 amps it is going to replace the 14/3 wire completely and yes the 14/3 is on a 15amp breaker in the garage right now. All I am running now is lights and a radio until I fix my screw up. 

Pete


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## heat seeker (Apr 20, 2013)

Good man! We don't want to read or hear about any disasters! I used #6 to my shed, and am glad I did. You can't have too much power available out there, I say. Mine is, I think, MTW wire in PVC conduit. You might want to run a phone line in the conduit, and maybe an airline if your only compressor is at the house. At least you might run a strong string so you can pull something through in the future...


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 20, 2013)

heat seeker said:


> Good man! We don't want to read or hear about any disasters! I used #6 to my shed, and am glad I did. You can't have too much power available out there, I say. Mine is, I think, MTW wire in PVC conduit. You might want to run a phone line in the conduit, and maybe an airline if your only compressor is at the house. At least you might run a strong string so you can pull something through in the future...


I like that idea I might just run 2 strands of yellow cord with it for the future. Really good idea ! 

Pete


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## heat seeker (Apr 20, 2013)

No charge


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## nate379 (Apr 20, 2013)

It downed on you as in the connections you made didn't hold and it fell to the ground? Your poor grammar is making your post very confusing!


A phone line?  Do people actually still use land lines?


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## EatenByLimestone (Apr 20, 2013)

Make that line 18ga and use it for speakers instead!  Hook it up to the house stereo.

Matt


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## firefighterjake (Apr 21, 2013)

nate379 said:


> It downed on you as in the connections you made didn't hold and it fell to the ground? Your poor grammar is making your post very confusing!
> 
> 
> *A phone line? Do people actually still use land lines?*


 
Yeah, some of us Luddites do . . . we have one cell phone (Tracfone) that my wife uses for emergencies since she works strange hours . . . and I couldn't tell you the number if my wife's life depended on it since we rarely use it. For us it's cheaper to go with the local land line and internet service vs. paying for a traditional cell phone plan.


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 21, 2013)

nate379 said:


> It downed on you as in the connections you made didn't hold and it fell to the ground? Your poor grammar is making your post very confusing!
> 
> 
> A phone line?  Do people actually still use land lines?


Funny my poor grammar is a product of Apples advanced spell checking as usual. Fixed it for ya Nate ! Lol

Pete


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## nate379 (Apr 21, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> Well I screwed up again lol. I aquired a 70 ft roll of 14/3 burial wire.  I was elated so without further thought I used it the other day. I took the dangerously low power line down from the garage roof and installed the 14/3.
> It went well until it dawned on me the lights got really bright when I used anything else.  It hit me it is way too small of a cord. I have 6/3 wire in a roll in the garage which should be fine for 240v on my welder with a 50 amp breaker right ? If so can I use conduit to bury in the ground to run that to the garage ?
> 
> Thanks
> Pete



Why would the lights get bright?  If the wire is too small it would cause a high voltage drop which would result in the lights dimming.

As far as running the 6/3 in a conduit underground it all depends on what type the wire is.  It needs to be rated for burial.


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 21, 2013)

That has happened to me a few times over the years with standard incandescent bulbs. I had an Electrician explain it to me but I didnt undrstand much ( My father among other trades ) lol. The wire is 14/3 rated at 600V my bulbs where 120V a peice 100W bulbs and there where 5 in the garage. I changed them to 23W energy bulbs yesturday so that fixed the problem there. Then I proceeded to install a 15amp breaker in the garage and house to remedy the wire size issue until I can install the new wire and breakers. The 6/3 wire I have is sheathed and insulated but not UF cable. When I talked to the county they said as long as it is protected in something it is fine to use underground. I simply want to be sure thats ok and that others have gone this route without issues. 

Pete


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## ChipTam (Apr 21, 2013)

nate379 said:


> Why would the lights get bright? If the wire is too small it would cause a high voltage drop which would result in the lights dimming.
> 
> As far as running the 6/3 in a conduit underground it all depends on what type the wire is. It needs to be rated for burial.


 
Yes, to my understanding, whatever wire you burry needs to be rated for burial.  Whether you use rigid conduit, flexible conduit, or no conduit depends on how deep you're burying it.  Where the wire enters and exits the ground always needs to be protected.  Also, phone wire needs to be rated for burial and cannot be buried in the same conduit as the electrical wire.  Now, I did bury phone wire in the same conduit as the electrical 30 years ago and it hasn't been a problem but I don't think it's code.  Best to check all this with an electrician.

I'm with firefighterjake regarding land lines (i.e. real phones).  I wanted to be the last person in North America not to have a cell phone.  But, we gave in last year for my wife who's sometimes out on the road by herself and for me when I'm out in my boat.  Actually, I've got nothing against cell phones.  Just wish you couldn't buy one without also purchasing a phone booth.


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 21, 2013)

ChipTam said:


> Yes, to my understanding, whatever wire you burry needs to be rated for burial.  Whether you use rigid conduit, flexible conduit, or no conduit depends on how deep you're burying it.  Where the wire enters and exits the ground always needs to be protected.  Also, phone wire needs to be rated for burial and cannot be buried in the same conduit as the electrical wire.  Now, I did bury phone wire in the same conduit as the electrical 30 years ago and it hasn't been a problem but I don't think it's code.  Best to check all this with an electrician.
> 
> I'm with firefighterjake regarding land lines (i.e. real phones).  I wanted to be the last person in North America not to have a cell phone.  But, we gave in last year for my wife who's sometimes out on the road by herself and for me when I'm out in my boat.  Actually, I've got nothing against cell phones.  Just wish you couldn't buy one without also purchasing a phone booth.



I have no interest in a phone line at all but I might run an ethernet cable. I was under the impression that would need to be separate as well ? 

Pete


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## raybonz (Apr 21, 2013)

heat seeker said:


> Good man! We don't want to read or hear about any disasters! I used #6 to my shed, and am glad I did. You can't have too much power available out there, I say. Mine is, I think, MTW wire in PVC conduit. You might want to run a phone line in the conduit, and maybe an airline if your only compressor is at the house. At least you might run a strong string so you can pull something through in the future...


Don't run phone wire in the same conduit all wires in the conduit must be rated for the highest voltage so it must be in a seperate conduit..

Ray


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## raybonz (Apr 21, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> Well I screwed up again lol. I aquired a 70 ft roll of 14/3 burial wire and was elated so without further thought I used it the other day. I took the dangerously low power line down from the garage roof and installed the 14/3 all went well until it dawned on me the lights got really bright when I used anything else and then it hit me it is way to small of a cord. I have 6/3 wire in a roll in the garage which should be fine for 220 on my welder with a 50 amp breaker right ? If so can I use conduit to burry in the ground to run that to the garage ?
> 
> Thanks
> Pete


I don't understand the lights getting bright when you used anything else???

Ray


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## raybonz (Apr 21, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> Well I screwed up again lol. I aquired a 70 ft roll of 14/3 burial wire and was elated so without further thought I used it the other day. I took the dangerously low power line down from the garage roof and installed the 14/3 all went well until it dawned on me the lights got really bright when I used anything else and then it hit me it is way to small of a cord. I have 6/3 wire in a roll in the garage which should be fine for 220 on my welder with a 50 amp breaker right ? If so can I use conduit to burry in the ground to run that to the garage ?
> 
> Thanks
> Pete


What is the specs on the 6/3 wire Pete?


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## raybonz (Apr 21, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> I have no interest in a phone line at all but I might run an ethernet cable. I was under the impression that would need to be separate as well ?
> 
> Pete


Cat5 cable must be run in a separate conduit along with any other wire not rated to handle the highest voltage in the conduit..

Ray


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 21, 2013)

Use for indoor residential wiring NM-B
May be installed in exposed and concealed dry locations
Can be used in air voids of masonry block or tile walls that are not subject to excessive moisture or dampness
600 volts
50 ft. length
6 gauge
PVC jacket
Packaged in shrink wrap
Copper conductor material
UL listed
MFG Model # : 147-4203B
MFG Part # : 147-4203B

However according to code we can use any NM wire in a protectice cover outdoors. Thats the county saying this I cant find much online about it though.

Pete


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 21, 2013)

raybonz said:


> Cat5 cable must be run in a separate conduit along with any other wire not rated to handle the highest voltage in the conduit..
> 
> Ray



Thanks Ray I thought as much.

Pete


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## raybonz (Apr 21, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> Thanks Ray I thought as much.
> 
> Pete


OK tell me about the 6/3 you have..


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 21, 2013)

Its the same as listed above post 19.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cerrowire-50-ft-6-3-NM-B-Wire-147-4203B/202206572#.UXPV1xG9KSM


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## raybonz (Apr 21, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> Its the same as listed above post 19.
> 
> http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cerrowire-50-ft-6-3-NM-B-Wire-147-4203B/202206572#.UXPV1xG9KSM


http://www.electriciantalk.com/f2/nm-b-conduit-underground-21190/ because I don't feel like typing.. I guarantee water will get into this conduit and romex is no good in water.. I would consider this a wet location no matter how good you glue the conduit! You could use UF cable as it is rated for direct burial or wet I would run separate THHN or equivalent rated for this purpose.. Just my 2 cents..
http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=139188

Ray


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## raybonz (Apr 21, 2013)

http://ecmweb.com/qampa/code-quandaries-august-2008

Ray


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 21, 2013)

raybonz said:


> http://www.electriciantalk.com/f2/nm-b-conduit-underground-21190/ because I don't feel like typing.. I guarantee water will get into this conduit and romex is no good in water.. I would consider this a wet location no matter how good you glue the conduit! You could use UF cable as it is rated for direct burial or wet I would run separate THHN or equivalent rated for this purpose.. Just my 2 cents..
> http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=139188
> 
> Ray



well phooey I thought I might need to buy a 500ft roll. O well I dont want to do it twice so I suppose I guess I am going to buy the right stuff. Home Depot has THHN and THWN so I better go look.

Thanks Ray
Pete


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## raybonz (Apr 21, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> well phooey I thought I might need to buy a 500ft roll. O well I dont want to do it twice so I suppose I guess I am going to buy the right stuff. Home Depot has THHN and THWN so I better go look.
> 
> Thanks Ray
> Pete


Usually you can buy it by the foot.. I suggest you also pull in a pull string made out of plastic for future adding of wires.. Good idea to oversize the conduit for future and ease of pulling too.. This is my professional advice 

Ray


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## raybonz (Apr 21, 2013)

http://www.ecmag.com/section/codes-standards/residential-wiring


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 21, 2013)

raybonz said:


> Usually you can buy it by the foot.. I suggest you also pull in a pull string made out of plastic for future adding of wires.. Good idea to oversize the conduit for future and ease of pulling too.. This is my professional advice
> 
> Ray


I am probably going to buy the 1.5" conduit which is really big for THHN. On the bright side I just need a little tube for the Ethernet !

Pete


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## raybonz (Apr 21, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> I am probably going to buy the 1.5" conduit which is really big for THHN. On the bright side I just need a little tube for the Ethernet !
> 
> Pete


I would not go smaller than 3/4" price difference is negligible.. Sch. 80 conduit much tougher than 40 too.. Sunlight resistant is a very good thing .. You get lots of frost there and also may need expansion joint which is good for hot and cold as plastic expands and contracts a lot..


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## nate379 (Apr 21, 2013)

raybonz said:


> http://www.electriciantalk.com/f2/nm-b-conduit-underground-21190/ because I don't feel like typing.. I guarantee water will get into this conduit and romex is no good in water.. I would consider this a wet location no matter how good you glue the conduit! You could use UF cable as it is rated for direct burial or wet I would run separate THHN or equivalent rated for this purpose.. Just my 2 cents..
> http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=139188
> 
> Ray



Exactly!  Regular "Romex" is not to be used outdoors.


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## heat seeker (Apr 21, 2013)

nate379 said:


> Why would the lights get bright? If the wire is too small it would cause a high voltage drop which would result in the lights dimming.


On a 220 circuit, if one leg is loaded heavily, and the other is not, the unloaded side's voltage will rise, causing the lights on that leg to get brighter. Used to happen to my dad's house all the time - when the 115 volt well pump started, the kitchen lights would really brighten for a second or two.

Could also be a bad neutral connection.


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## heat seeker (Apr 21, 2013)

raybonz said:


> Don't run phone wire in the same conduit all wires in the conduit must be rated for the highest voltage so it must be in a seperate conduit..
> 
> Ray


That makes sense, although it was a licensed electrician who suggested that to me. I didn't do it, anyway.


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 21, 2013)

We ended up at Home Depot today from what i can tell code won't allow me to run 6-3 MNB although the county says I can and I have read a few horror stories on it . I bought THHN/THWN to run because its got a higher amp rating and it will be easier to pull one at a time.  DBC cable was insane 4.95 a foot so forget that. I will save the 6 NM-b for the garage inside to the welder.

Pete


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## raybonz (Apr 21, 2013)

heat seeker said:


> That makes sense, although it was a licensed electrician who suggested that to me. I didn't do it, anyway.


I am a licensed electrician and all wires in the conduit must be rated to the highest voltage in the conduit.. Good practice to run a separate 3/4" for comm and other low voltage wires.. The NEC is the minimum standard so it's always better to do more than this..

Ray


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## raybonz (Apr 21, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> We ended up at Home Depot today from what i can tell code won't allow me to run 6-3 MNB although the county says I can and I have read a few horror stories on it . I bought THHN/THWN to run because its got a higher amp rating and it will be easier to pull one at a time. DBC cable was insane 4.95 a foot so forget that. I will save the 6 NM-b for the garage inside to the welder.
> 
> Pete


Good move Exlax 

Ray


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## jharkin (Apr 23, 2013)

I see you got the advice on what wire to use for the underground run, I assume you are running this to a sub panel inside the garage?

My detached garage has a 10/3 w/G UF-B feeder line run from a double pole 30amp in the main panel to a small sub panel in my garage running a few light and outlet circuits.  Its what was there when I bought the place, I havea feeling that someday I'm going to be digging it up to put in a higher amp line.......

Ray can probably also advise us on whether or not the garage needs its own ground rod in addition to tying into the main panel ground back at the house, this is one I have received conflicting info on.


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## ironpony (Apr 23, 2013)

I am not an electrician, I can only tell you how mine was done by an electrician right or wrong?
400 amp service coming into shop, 200 amps stays in shop 200 amps continues to house.
200 amp disconnect for house
200 amp panel in each, both have ground rods.
1800 dollars worth of copper line buried in conduit between garage and house and a couple thousand more from transformer to shop.
they said they could run aluminum service coming in but there have been issues with buried aluminum.
personally if I was going to do all that work I would figure wire for 100 amp service
30 amps is not very much if you want to do any work out there


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 23, 2013)

jharkin said:


> I see you got the advice on what wire to use for the underground run, I assume you are running this to a sub panel inside the garage?
> 
> My detached garage has a 10/3 w/G UF-B feeder line run from a double pole 30amp in the main panel to a small sub panel in my garage running a few light and outlet circuits.  Its what was there when I bought the place, I havea feeling that someday I'm going to be digging it up to put in a higher amp line.......
> 
> Ray can probably also advise us on whether or not the garage needs its own ground rod in addition to tying into the main panel ground back at the house, this is one I have received conflicting info on.



The plan is to run 60amp service with a ground rod at the garage off the sub pannel. I have to hook up 230 amp for the arc welder and a few other things like the Radial Arm Saw. 

Pete


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## ironpony (Apr 23, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> The plan is to run 60amp service with a ground rod at the garage off the sub pannel. I have to hook up 230 amp for the arc welder and a few other things like the Radial Arm Saw.
> 
> Pete


 


230 volt


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 23, 2013)

ironpony said:


> 230 volt


Oops lol ya I knew that sorry I am a bit distracted at work today. 

Pete


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## lukem (Apr 23, 2013)

My detached garage previously had 2/0 aluminum direct burial from the house panel to the garage panel.  I lost power to the garage over the winter.  I metered the panel in the garage and had 0 volts on one leg and 80 on the other, pulled the cover off the panel in the house to meter the voltage there.  I found that the garage feeder was tied into the main lug on the meter side of the breaker.  So my line from the house to the garage was leaking voltage into the ground and I had no way to turn it off.  Called the PoCo and had them pull the meter so I could disconnect the garage feed.

Since I needed about 80' of wire and wanted the ability to have 100 amp service in the future, I went with what they called mobile home feeder wire.  It is aluminum direct burial, 2 hots, a neutral, and a ground in seperately insulated conductors, king of wound together.  I'm sure it has a proper name but I don't know what it is.  I think it is 2/2/2.  Aluminum conductors.

Since the previous wire was direct burial aluminum and failed I figured I'd put it in a conduit (copper was outrageous $).  I ran it thru some schedule 80 and buried it 18".  Everything now hooked back up and working OK.  In the house I am currently running a 60A breaker to the garage, but I plan to replace that box and will wire it for full 100A service when I do so.  I have no need for 100A now, but wanted to have that option in the future.

I decided to try to figure out what happened with the old wire.  I tied it up to the ATV and pulled.  Turns out is was only buried 6-8" deep and I had got into it with a shovel (without noticing) when I planted something that spring.  If it wasn't for the record drought and lack of moisture in the ground I'm sure it would have failed much sooner.  I found a couple places where it had corroded all the way through, and was most of the way thru in others.  Not good.


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## Black Jaque Janaviac (Apr 25, 2013)

> A phone line? Do people actually still use land lines?


 
Dude - you are on a forum all about people heating with WOOD. 

What would you think if we told you that some of us will still walk across the street and knock on a door if we wish to speak to neighbors?


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## raybonz (Apr 25, 2013)

I still have a land line and I like it.. I switched to Comcast from Verizon and I will say Verizon while more expensive land line always worked! Comcast backup power dies pretty fast.. Sound quality is just as good though.. Cell service works here but signal is marginal..

Ray


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## mikefrommaine (Apr 26, 2013)

EatenByLimestone said:


> Make that line 18ga and use it for speakers instead! Hook it up to the house stereo.


 
Ever heard of apple airport?  Stream music from your computer, phone, ipad etc. wirelessly to any speaker.


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 26, 2013)

mikefrommaine said:


> Ever heard of apple airport?  Stream music from your computer, phone, ipad etc. wirelessly to any speaker.


Heard of it but I have about 7million feet of 25 year old copper speaker wire on a spool to use. Lol I do however have an Apple TV that streams iTunes from the computer does that count ? 


Back on topic I started digging the trench yesterday and tomorrow a buddy is coming over to help with the remainder ill put up picks for you guys to see ! It is nice and deep in fact I thought I found Jimmy Hoffa but it turned out to be a tree stump lol.

Pete


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## EatenByLimestone (Apr 26, 2013)

Nope... never heard of it.  I'm fairly behind on technology.  I married my tech support.  The better half loves Apple so I'm sure she's heard of it.  

Matt


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## jharkin (Apr 26, 2013)

mikefrommaine said:


> Ever heard of apple airport? Stream music from your computer, phone, ipad etc. wirelessly to any speaker.


 
But to do that every speaker needs its own built in amplifier and power.


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## mikefrommaine (Apr 27, 2013)

jharkin said:


> But to do that every speaker needs its own built in amplifier and power.


You can get receivers and speakers for free or next to nothing on CL. For something like a garage it's great because you can have access to you all your music and control it from anywhere without having to go to a central stereo to turn it on and off.

Airplay or not speakers need to have a power source. But the airplay cuts down on the wiring costs and it's cool to use your ipad as the ultimate remote.


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## Swedishchef (Apr 27, 2013)

For what it's worth, I just built a garage last spring and ran power to it last fall. My garage panel is 60 amps and the wire I used is 4 gauge 4 wire aluminum. The distance between panels is about 85 feet and it cost me $200 or so for the wire. I burried it straight underground, it was rated to do so. It's about 8-10 inches under.

Andrew


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## jharkin (Apr 27, 2013)

My garage is seperated from the house by a 6 ft pathway. We might have that dug up this summer to put in a brick walk, if they do I will replace the buried line with 6/3 to upgrade my garage panel to 60A. Since I put gas in the kitchen I can reroute the existing 6/3 copper range hookup to tie in and only have to replace the buried section.

Might also sting a couple runs of cat5 out there to bring network and phone ( I have a huge spool of it left  from when I wired the whole house)


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 27, 2013)

So begins the digging hopefully finished today. 

Pete


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## bogydave (Apr 27, 2013)

Conduit is a good way to go.
Minimum depths for different areas , if under a driveway I think 18".
Easy repair/replace/upgrade if ever needed.
Conduit is cheap, (ditch digging is hard) I ran an extra to my shop just in case, ditch is open, easy to do it now 
I threw in a water line too. Some day I might need it.

NEC :
*For installations under one- and two-family dwelling driveways and outdoor parking areas, and used only for dwelling-related purposes:*

Direct Burial Cables or Conductors need to be 18 inches (450mm) deep
Rigid Metal Conduit or Intermediate Metal Conduit need to be 18 inches (450mm) deep
 
Glad you got the wire type & size squared away.

Breaker panel good idea, (some areas require 2 ground rods)
Check with your local power company, most give instruction "hand outs" for how to install.

220/230/240 volts is not "High Voltage" Over 600 volts the classification goes to high voltage.

Welders (welder outlet) require a minimum of #10 stranded copper wire. (current rating on welder determines size)
Usually your biggest current device.

Use a shop-vac to pull a small string thru the conduit (piece of foam on the end.)
Use string to pull a small rope then pull the wire thru.

Easy to cut off extra wire, hard to make it longer (not legal to splice wire in conduit )
You can use the string to measure how long the wire needs to be. 

Looks like a good day to dig 
Ground still frozen here , but sunny


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## begreen (Apr 28, 2013)

When we ran power to the garage I specced a 100amp feed. I will probably never use it all, but the cost was not that much higher and it gives me the flexibility to deal with the future. I like the idea of being able to run a welder, compressor and have the car charging at the same time. The high amperage feed should also help resale value when the time comes.


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## nate379 (Apr 28, 2013)

It's not so much needing 2 ground rods but having the resistance be low enough to meet code often requires two. If you can measure the resistance and it's fine, only need one. Just ground rods are cheap and the equipment to measure the resistance isn't (not as simple as a $9.99 multimeter!)



bogydave said:


> Breaker panel good idea, (some areas require 2 ground rods)


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## bogydave (Apr 28, 2013)

begreen said:


> When we ran power to the garage I specced a 100amp feed. I will probably never use it all, but the cost was not that much higher and it gives me the flexibility to deal with the future. I like the idea of being able to run a welder, compressor and have the car charging at the same time. The high amperage feed should also help resale value when the time comes.


 
+1
I did same. 100 amp.
No welder, but if I want one the power is available.
Installed several 20 amp 120 & 230 V outlets, A few 30 amp 230V outlets .


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 29, 2013)

Well its all under ground now pics tonight ! Thanks for all the help guys. Dave 60 amp is more than enough for my needs given the duty cycle of a welder it never actually draws enough to hit 50 amps anyhow and the bulbs are 23w = 100w energy bulbs. I changed them a few days ago and I must say they are way brighter. Now I am doing the tuck pointing on the garage with high strength mortar which sealed the entrance holes for the conduit beautifully. There is 3 strands of yellow string in the pipe as well for future needs. The cost of going from #6 thhn to #4 thhn was about double so I am happy with the current setup especially with the discount wire and some freebies I received for the project.

Pete


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## bogydave (Apr 29, 2013)

60 Amps is plenty. (lots actually )
I had some #4 copper wire, so no added expense for me.
Copper prices thru the roof now 

Is nice to have power in the shop.
I put  a few outlets in the ceiling for trouble light & retractable extension cords.
 & the wall outlets 4' up from the floor.


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## raybonz (Apr 29, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> Well its all under ground now pics tonight ! Thanks for all the help guys. Dave 60 amp is more than enough for my needs given the duty cycle of a welder it never actually draws enough to hit 50 amps anyhow and the bulbs are 23w = 100w energy bulbs. I changed them a few days ago and I must say they are way brighter. Now I am doing the tuck pointing on the garage with high strength mortar which sealed the entrance holes for the conduit beautifully. There is 3 strands of yellow string in the pipe as well for future needs. The cost of going from #6 thhn to #4 thhn was about double so I am happy with the current setup especially with the discount wire and some freebies I received for the project.
> 
> Pete


Glad it worked out for you Pete! Hope you got all the advice you needed..

Ray


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## Descending sparky (Apr 29, 2013)

Just run a teck cable direct buried  and put a 100 or 60 amp sub panel out there! Electrical is my trade and if your planning on doing anything Other than lighting and general purpose receptacles I wouldn't shoot your self in the foot by skimping out on a smaller wire to save a buck! Big is better sometimes! If the current is not needed at least it's available, if u don't have it and need it you will be a sad camper when u re do it!


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## Pallet Pete (Apr 29, 2013)

raybonz said:


> Glad it worked out for you Pete! Hope you got all the advice you needed..
> 
> Ray


Thanks Ray I can never get enough advice !  Sometimes its better to ask than cook ones goose .

Pete


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## Pallet Pete (May 2, 2013)

Sorry guys I forgot pics ! I will try to remember tonight to get more pics up.

Pete


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## raybonz (May 2, 2013)

Pallet Pete said:


> Sorry guys I forgot pics ! I will try to remember tonight to get more pics up.
> 
> Pete


Digging that ditch should have come easy for an ex-grunt.. Semper Fi!

Ray


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## Pallet Pete (May 2, 2013)

A damaged grunt lol I always thought no pain no gain was a load of hogwash too. The lazy man finds the quickest path  then I realized I'm not lazy 

Pete


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