220 wiring question

[Steve Baumgartner]

Just a note if you're considering a subpanel--when I did my garage it was cheaper to buy a 100A "house" panel package (with main breakers and a mix of circuit breakers) than it was to buy a dedicated "subpanel" with no main breakers.

Check with your local inspector before doing this! Many codes require a feed breaker in the main panel and do not allow a second main breaker in the subpanel.

[David Gutierrez]

The panel is full 6 breakers which is why i recommend a larger panel.

[David Gutierrez]

The heater takes about 17 amps. which i think is the max for a 20 amp circuit. i actually could use a larger heater. My 2 car garage is under the bedrooms, only has two exterior walls and the heater cannot get it above 50 degrees when the temps are in the teens. The saw is 3hp and fills another 20 amp circuit. Poor planning on my part i should have used a 100 amp panel.

[Pete Duffy]

Hire an electrician. Put in a bigger subpanel than you think you will need, with lots of breaker spaces. Also note that the subpanel will need to have an isolated "neutral" bar. I put the quotes around "neutral" because these days it is called the grounded conductor, not to be confused with the equipment groundING conductor (ECG, or green wire.)

Hire an electrician. Get it done right and safely. Sleep well at night.

BTW, I am not an electrician. but I have seen too much DIY electrical work done by unqualified people. I'm sure there are plenty of qualified people in the responses above, but if you have to ask these types of questions, then you need to hire an electrician. Not trying to slam anyone. But electrical is something to be respected.

[Chris Padilla]

Google this: nema plug chart

[Michael Dunn]

I have a 40 amp sub panel in my 2 car attached garage shop. My TS, BS, DC, Planer, A/C, Jointer, and compressor are all wired for 220V. If you have only one man in your shop 40-60 amps should be enough. I wanted 60A, but my electrician friend pointed out that 1. I couldn't fit large enough wire through the conduit with the other existing wires. 2. Didn't need 60A because I'm only one guy.

I'll never have my TS, BS, jointer, and planer on at the same time. Only TS, and DC or BS and DC or jointer and DC. In the summer the A/C will be on. The compressor also comes on intermittently. I do have two separate 220V circuits now though. Anyway, I'm just trying to say that 60A should be enough, especially if you're the only man in the shop.

[Thomas Bank]

If you have only one man in your shop 40-60 amps should be enough.

[clip]

Anyway, I'm just trying to say that 60A should be enough, especially if you're the only man in the shop.

I've got 200amp to my one man workshop...

Of course, I have the potential to have the 5hp compressor, 80amp plasma cutter, CNC computer, lights, and heat all running at once... The TIG is on its own 100amp circuit...

[Michael Dunn]

Touché... However, my comment was directed towards David G and based on what he said he had in his shop. I'm well aware of the high current draw of some one man shops. TWW for instance 200A panel.

[Thomas Bank]

I think that even for what he was describing he could likely use more than 60amps.

Another forum I'm on, any time someone starts asking about how much power to run to their shop there are always the guys who step in saying all anyone would ever need is 60amps (or 100amps) and that there is NO POSSIBLE WAY any single person could possibly need more than that...

So I typically post my setup... Then I get a discussion on how I must be crazy or something...

Thing is, on that forum (like this forum) the people are already doing more in their shops or garages than 90% of their neighbors. I doubt that even a quarter of my neighbors on my block have even a circular saw. A tablesaw? You must be a professional contractor or something!

[David Gutierrez]

I am can get by with the 60 amp panel you are correct. But the DC and TS both require 20 amps. The heater i run is also 20A and was limited to that size because of the cicuit size. i would have preferred a larger heater, ie a 30A, but was limited by the panel size and number of spaces for the breakers. if i had to do it over i would have gotten a 100 amp panel. Just my two cents the 60 amp panel limits flexiblity. The differnce in cost between the two panels is not that much.

[Joseph Tarantino]

whatever happened to the OP?

[Jim Neeley]

Hey guys,

Let's be careful not to mix apples and potatoes (aka apples and oranges) here.

A 60A panel is rated for a feed UP TO 60A. Likewise a 100A panel is rated for UP TO a 100A feed. You can always underfeed a panel as long as your wiring and breakers are sized correctly.

For example, my 4-car shop has a dedicated 100A feed, with wire sized for that load and a 100A main breaker on the meter panel feeding it. I am installing a 225A panel to get the number of breakers I desire. That panel supports 42 breakers and up to 60 circuits. As far as load, I'm a 1-man shop so the max load would be if my 5hp Unisaw and 5hp Cyclone were running and, for somereason, my 5hp compressor kicked on, plus lights. In that unlikely event I could be drawing 60-80 amps, MAX.

I am doing this because I'm running 10/3+gnd home run from each 4-11 receptacle box so at any time in the future I can make any receptacle 240V up to 30A by just changing the breaker and receptacle. This gives me maximum future shop arrangability and supports up to two 120V 20A duplex receptacles, each on its own breaker, to provide plenty of power should I be running my 15A router and 11A shop vac concurrently. It's overkill, no doubt, but it's perfectly OK according to code, at least in my jurisdiction.

My point is that you can run 60A service to a larger panel as long as the main breaker at the meter is 60A and the wire is large enough to supply it. In my first shop I had a little 60A panel installed and, only after it was done did I learn I could have installed a larger panel for a few dollars more.

Jim in Alaska (where the NEC applies) :-)

[Rick Moyer]

whatever happened to the OP?

I know. It's like someone asking a question at a cocktail party, leaving, and everyone left carrying on their own conversations about it. I found your comment regarding this amusing, as I was thinking the same thing.

[David C. Roseman]

Yes, but think of all the wisdom that's been shared on this thread in the meantime.

David

[David Gutierrez]

My apologies I did not intend to hijack the thread, just got carried away with the conversation.