Adding outlets: in wall vs. external conduit?

[Firstram]

Exposed here too, the only thing I'd do differently is move them up 1" so I had room to put 2x cribbing under plywood tipped against the wall. At least they were higher than Florence!



I have made changes over the years and the EMT made it easy.

 

[964haus]

Thanks for all the helpful advice everyone. The one thing that this shows me is there is really no concensus!

I have one outlet in the roof already (also currently unfinished) that the garage door unit plugs into. Maybe a roof reel would be a good idea given what everyone has said here. I'll then line the 18' wall with 4 additional outlets at 48-50" high, bringing me up to 5 along that wall. The back wall has a dualplug outlet which is fine. The other wall has 2 outlets + the 220V, so I think I'll have the outlets covered.

Next question will be lighting!!

As always, thanks for all the help here.

M.

 

[jdepiero]

I Like the industrial look so I ran conduit over the drywall. With proper offsets, it will lay flat against the wall. Ran my hard piped air line directly below it (painted blue)

 

[coljar]

In the display part of my garage, they are in the wall with MC cable. In the working part of my garage, it is all exposed conduit, which as others have said, offers you more flexibility. Also, the ones in the working part of the garage are 68" off the floor so they don't hide behind anything. I am so glad I done that.

 

[yeldogt]

This is a problem nobody had ever, too many outlets....

I'm talking about the guys that think about it before hand -- I have been in so many .. it looks like they are planning on a prodcution facility. With a ring of outlets 4' apart all around a 3 car garage ... IMO more in not better ... they get in the way. Smart placement is better

 

[yeldogt]

Thanks for all the helpful advice everyone. The one thing that this shows me is there is really no concensus!

I have one outlet in the roof already (also currently unfinished) that the garage door unit plugs into. Maybe a roof reel would be a good idea given what everyone has said here. I'll then line the 18' wall with 4 additional outlets at 48-50" high, bringing me up to 5 along that wall. The back wall has a dualplug outlet which is fine. The other wall has 2 outlets + the 220V, so I think I'll have the outlets covered.

Next question will be lighting!!

As always, thanks for all the help here.

M.

A pull down for electric and air is really nice .. use mine all the time. Make sure you place an outlet on each side of the garage by the door .. one by the man door. I use mine all the time for a shop vac. And watch the high outlets -- too high and you can't place upper cabinets. You need them kitchen height if you plan on a counter. I like the door outlets lower so I can keep the vac pluged in under the counter. Also my benches that move have a wiremoulds -- with cords the plugged in lower on the wall. A fixed bench needs outlets ... but you can use wiremould there as well.

 

[Jackfre]

As I knew the lay-out/use of my space would change I alternated high/low outlets around the place and it has worked out well. If I put a table or bench against the wall I will likely cover the lower outlets, but there will be one above the surface too. In my 30x34 space I also placed a 50 amp plug at each of the doors for the welder and I have other 220 plugs for the table saw, dust collector, band saw, etc.

 

[GrayFlattop]

If I could do it again I would have run conduit and wire under my slab and had flush outlets available in my main work area.

I have a few reels and i use them most of the time but then it's in the way and I can't stand electrical cord(s) on the ground to all the machines

In ground would have been so nice. And not that difficult either.

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That's exactly what I did in the woodshop half of the garage. I ran 3/4 EMT from the panel to roughly the center of the slab and stubbed it up for the table saw. Also put in a 30A twist-lock receptacle for the Jointer when I elect to roll that out. Also well as two duplex receptacles for 120V as the outfeed table for the saw tends to turn into an assembly bench in my small shop. Of course, now that most of the hand tools are cordless, that is rarely used.

Glad I did it - the table saw had a nice 30A disconnect on the side so I can be certain that the saw is powered off when changing the blade.

If the next owner of the property doesn't like the stub up there, they can always saw it off after pulling the wires out.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Could you guys place some pics up of your setups, stubs, reels etc that you have placed.
My garage is nearing this point once it warms up. As I mentioned before mine will be conduit stubs in wall with BX cabling. But with my open truss roof set up have to allow for everything from electric, lights, fans, speakers, cameras, data, and copper air runs. Thanks

 

[brownbagg]

electrical simple, just remember two rapper, flavor fav and vanilla ice
flavor fav the guy with the gold chain and clock
vanillia ice, always wore silver jewelry.

here the tip
black wire always go on gold screw
white wire on silver

no matter what you doing, lights, plugs, switches, fuse box, that all you need to know

 

[machsnell]

That's exactly what I did in the woodshop half of the garage. I ran 3/4 EMT from the panel to roughly the center of the slab and stubbed it up for the table saw. Also put in a 30A twist-lock receptacle for the Jointer when I elect to roll that out. Also well as two duplex receptacles for 120V as the outfeed table for the saw tends to turn into an assembly bench in my small shop. Of course, now that most of the hand tools are cordless, that is rarely used.



Glad I did it - the table saw had a nice 30A disconnect on the side so I can be certain that the saw is powered off when changing the blade.



If the next owner of the property doesn't like the stub up there, they can always saw it off after pulling the wires out.

Man I so wish I had done it. I cant believe I dont see it recommended more often. I will certainly start mentioning.

Good for you. Must be so nice not to have ext cords everywhere.

I put plenty in the ceiling but those sick even worse than ext cords. They dont stay up well and are constantly in the way.



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[PoorOwner]

I'm talking about the guys that think about it before hand -- I have been in so many .. it looks like they are planning on a prodcution facility. With a ring of outlets 4' apart all around a 3 car garage ... IMO more in not better ... they get in the way. Smart placement is better

A lot of people don't really care for parking, the goal is setup machines all around the perimeter for woodworking youtube channel or something..

 

[rayra]

OP, just put the conduit and boxes in the wall, with a dead single strand of wire or stout string so your hired electrician can pull wire thru later. Or just learn a few very simple basics and run romex thru your framing and have sufficient excess in the boxes to wire up later, you do a variety of 'rough in' which has no live power involved.

It's really quite easy to do. A 3/4" spade or specialty 'speed bore' bit, you drill your holes thru the centerline of the stud, equidistant from edges to help prevent hitting the wiring with a screw or nail later. On a horizontal line positioned several inches above or below your electrical gang boxes, depending on how they'll be positioned. Leave about a foot of wiring protruding thru each box.
Youtube is overflowing with how-to vids.

 

[machsnell]

Also when setting your boxes use a chalk line. I measured and they arent exactly level w each other.

It was really noticeable when I put up counter and they were with in 6 inches of the top. I have to adjust them now amd drywall is done so it's a pain.

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[BD1]

Sometimes it seems the outlet is never where you need and the extension cord is lost.

I wired a cord directly to the outlet box with a female end on it. You could even use a electrical box with outlets in it. Now the cord is always there and ready and someone can't remove it and relocate.

 

[Ign]

I think it depends upon how your brain works...

for me outlet placement should be sort of like shelving standards or pegboard....ie within ANY given amount of space you can count on X

thus if I move things around there will be equal receptacles available in any given area and my placement of equipment or rearranging is not dictated by electrical.

Happens all the time I get a new belt sander or bench grinder or tool box and want to shift or completely move things across the shop.

I don't understand how you'd ever have too many receptacles. If you're not using them they cost you nothing to sit idle. If you block them w a box or something else they also cost you nothing, but next time you rearrange and roll that box elsewhere you can count on receptacles being behind it.

Ever had a bedroom with minimal receptacles? Then you move your bed and all of sudden you're trying to discretely run extension cords to power things... annoying

 

[PugetDude]

My wife is the second way. It bugs her that the shower head is offset 1 inch from the floor drain in one of our showers. She won't stand 1 inch closer to the wall to use it, it bothers her so much. So, she will not use that shower and wants me to tear down the wall, rebuild it, replumb the shower, to move it over that inch. She used to want me to eliminate all the outlets we didn't use in the house, as it bothered her to see outlets we weren't using. When we remodeled, she wanted to figure out exactly where every lamp and item we were going to use was going to be and just put in outlets there. I've always held firm on the outlet every 4 to 6 feet, everywhere, with some moving them around to areas where it made sense to be closer to the point of use.

I'm fairly certain we married sisters.