Anyone install an subpanel in their workshop?

[Tim Dorcas]

I have 1 15 amp circuit that powers the entire garage. Yes. I have tripped the circuit. Too many times in fact. It will cost me $800 to $1200 to get someone to run a line for the subpanel and a couple of circuits. OR I could do it myself. It looks like a fairly straight shot to the garage without digging up anything or destroying multiple walls.

Is it doable? Is it reasonable to think a "Handy" man can do it?

Tim

[Don Baer]

I have 1 15 amp circuit that powers the entire garage. Yes. I have tripped the circuit. Too many times in fact. It will cost me $800 to $1200 to get someone to run a line for the subpanel and a couple of circuits. OR I could do it myself. It looks like a fairly straight shot to the garage without digging up anything or destroying multiple walls.

Is it doable? Is it reasonable to think a "Handy" man can do it?

Tim

yes you can do it. Not that hard as long as you plan it our or maybe all you need to do is install a few more circuits from you main panel. In order to advise you we need more information. What panel space is avaible in your existing main. What laods/tools are you planning to connect? You might be fine with running a couple of 220V runs and a couple of 11V circuit or you might neeeed a sub panel or you might need to upgrade your service. To quote an older movie we need "Input"

[Alex Shanku]

I was in the same boat. I pulled the existing wire, ran 4 pieces of 8ga to a subpanel, and then wired a 220v outlet and a bunch of 110v

[Cecil Arnold]

Another thing you might consider, if you are not comfortable doing wiring. You might rough in all the circuits, stick the sub panel in, and do everything you feel okay with, then find an electrician who might be interested in making a couple of extra $$ to cut it all in for you.

[Tim Dorcas]

To answer some earlier questions....

I have a 125 Amp panel with 6 slots available.

The biggest thing I have at the moment is my table saw. While it's running at 110 now, I want to switch to 220. I need to be able to run my dust control unit at the same time. Then I have the normal assortment of power tools.

The run to the garage is about 25 feet.

I don't necessarily think I absolutely need a subpanel. Just trying to think ahead.

Any and all advice is welcome.

Tim

[Don Baer]

OK time,
Thinking ahead. You are a one mane shop so you will only be running one machine at a time (Except for the DC) right? Not knowing the size of the DC I'd look at two alternative, keeping in mind with a 125 AMP service you still need to supply the house.
Option one
2 - 220 Volt circuits (20 amp)for DC and any other bog loads + 2 110 Volts circuits for recepticles (15 amps each)
Or Option two
1 new 60 amp sub panel and repeat step one for your loads. I opt for option 1

There are some benefits for option 1 but since your gonna be maxed out the only benefit I can see is more space in the main for additonal circuit should you plan on adding them later.

[Andy Hoyt]

Whatever you do - include a subpanel in the shop.

Makes life really easy down the road when you want to change something.

[Brad Olson]

I did it myself, pretty easy, just make sure you read up and get a permit.

Note that copper wire prices are wicked expensive. I don't know if prices will come down or not, but you feeder wire will probably set you back a lot of $$ depending on how long the run is. Probably $3 per foot if you use copper.

["Gary Brewer"]

Hello Tim: Fine Homebuilding No. 154 ( April, 2003 ) has an excellent article on wiring subpanels. The article starts on page 96. Take a look at it. It will help prevent mistakes.
Gary

[Norman Hitt]

IMHO any space used for a shop should have it's OWN subpanel, then you can wire anything in there anywhere anytime the need arises and with very little hassle. Another advantage is that you can leave your current ceiling light on it's present circuit with it's breaker in the house panel, and then wire any other lights off the subpanel, then should for some reason you trip the subpanel breaker with a tool running, the one ceiling light that is on the house panel will still be on and not leave you in the dark with a tool/blade running. It will also leave more spaces free in the house panel. The last advantage is that you only have to pull the three subpanel cables + bare ground wire from the house panel to the sub panel instead of all those wires for the different circuits from the house panel to the shop. It just seems like a much better setup IMHO.

Note: The bare ground wire between the house panel and the sub panel may or may not be required where you are, but the local folks here require it to eliminate something I think they call a looped ground, (or something like that).

[Alan DuBoff]

IMHO any space used for a shop should have it's OWN subpanel, then you can wire anything in there anywhere anytime the need arises and with very little hassle.

I don't get this. Tim stated that he has 6 slots available. He didn't state how much amps total on the breakers in the panel already. With 6 slots, and especially if the panel is in the garage, what is the advantage of running a seperate panel, it will go to the same 125A panel he has. Since he has 6 slots, he can do quite a bit in that panel.

I would think better would be to install a new breaker, run wire to spec, and add a disconnect with slo-blo fuses so that the circuit is protected. That's what I did in my shop, and I only have 1 slot left, which actually has a breaker and outlet on it, I just don't use it that I know of.

I do have another panel running off of it, for my office in my backyard, and it has 3 breakers in it. I can't do anything much more, other than the 1 circuit that isn't used (was for the washer/dryer, and it is 240v), so that will turn into a new circuit in the garage. I could remove that breaker and add to the other panel, but my 125A is pretty much max'd out per amount of amps on it. I'll need to pull another 125A if I ever want to have more power.

Best advice is to get someone that knows what they're doing as far as electrical. If that is a friend that you trust, that works, or if that is a contractor, that works also. Just make sure it's wired correctly.

If 6 slots won't take care of his shop, well, sure get another panel...but I'm not sure I see the advantage other than spending more $$$s, when there's 6 slots available. Tim must have more amps he can use if there's 6 slots available. Unless he has some mammoth panel to begin with.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

It is really, Really easy.

[Robert MacKinnon]

I'm also wiring my shop (attached garage) with a small 60A subbpanel. The circuit capacity is currently fixed at 40A because I am using an existing house circuit currently terminating in a 40A breaker. The main panel is 125A and is 2/3 loaded. I can punch through the wall at the dryer socket to the interior of the garage and install the subpanel at that point.

All my machines are 240V. My machine complement is (1) 2HP tablesaw, (1) 2HP bandsaw, (1) 0.5HP dust collector, (1) 1HP drill press and (1) 4HP RPC for a planer/thicknesser. There is an existing house circuit for lights and convenience outlets so 120V off the sub panel is not envisioned. I am a single-person shop so I will never (in the forseeable future) run more than one machine and the dust collector symultaneously.

My plan is to run two circuits. One 20A for the RPC terminating in a NEMA 14-30R receptical and another 20A terminating in two NEMA 6-20R recepticals for all other machines and the dust collector. Is this a reasonable plan or am I missing something? Thanks.