Elect build out (what could be on same circuit)?

[icnsltmfg]

I am just starting my garage build-out project, and love all of the ideas and knowledge everyone has here.

I currently have a 2 car attached garage, that is 19' X 22' x 11'3" high. I am veeeeery limited on power in the house and only have 1 extra breaker avail for the garage if needed. The current garage has a few outlets, one opener, and a few florescent 2 bulb units from HD.

The new setup will have:
2 of Liftmaster's new Jackshaft residential units that only pull 1.0A each
2 of the lights that come with the openers that are each 1.7A
1 Pro Park 9 4 post lift that has a 110v pump pulling 19A

Some nice high output florescent lights (Prob 8 2 bulb 4" units) that can do well in the cold (how many amps do these things pull?)

and prob 4-6 outlets.
At this time I do not have room for a compressor so no issue.

What items would you group together on circuits?
I was thinking the openers, lift, and 2 outlets near the lift (since prob no more than 1 item will be used at once) and then put the lights and outlets on the other circuit.
Thoughts / Suggestions?
Adam

 

[rockwithjason]

with that kind of load you will have to dedicate a 30a cirbuit to the lift. It's nice to have several circuits to feed the recepticle in the garage but most people get by nicely on one 20a circuit for the lights and plugs.

 

[PAToyota]

but most people get by nicely on one 20a circuit for the lights and plugs.

Hmmm... I have a 200amp panel just for my garage. Five separate circuits for lighting, four circuits each floor for "plugs" plus dedicated circuits for openers, compressor, each welder, etc...

If you only have one open position on the breaker box I'd be looking at upgrading things. What amperage do you have coming into the box? 200amp? Or less?

 

[icnsltmfg]

I only have 100amp service into the house. If we do our addition, we will of course have to increase that. Since this is the last project of the house that will require juice, I am trying to put off having that expense now.

 

[SteveU]

I would run at least 2 different circuits for your lighting, that way you won't be stuck in the dark if a circuit blows for some reason holding a still spinning or otherwise dangerous tool. I have 7 of the 8' HO flourescent lights in my shop which draw 9 amps so the 4' would be a bit less than that. It would be a bit more money but you could run 2 different 20 amp circuits for outlets with the outlet boxes next to each other that way you could plug the things you are using into different circuits in the same area & not have to worry about tripping them. I have my kitchen this way, every other plug is a different circuit, one uses black outlets, & the other uses white to keep them straight.

 

[slowtwitch]

My small garage is equipped with a 5hp 220v table saw, a 2hp 220v dust collector, 5- 110v wall outlets, 220v 3 hp air compressor, 5-4 tube fluorescent light fixtures and a millermatic 172 mig welder.

I run my garage thru a sub panel, protected by 40 amp fuses (yes, fuses, great protection). I've had this setup for the past 4 years and never blew a breaker or fuse.

It's not uncommon for me to run the lights, saw and dust collector at the same time. Or, if I'm welding and the compressor kicks in, still no problems.

I'm the only person who works in the garage and I find it very hard to use all the machines and tools at the same time

pete

 

[Tscott]

I only have 100amp service into the house. If we do our addition, we will of course have to increase that. Since this is the last project of the house that will require juice, I am trying to put off having that expense now.

I htink slowtwitch is on to something here. Have you considered a subpanel of some kind? If you went with a sub panel you could use 1 large breaker in the existoing house panel (i.e. 60+ amps ) and then have you smaller breakers in the sub panel. This will cost nowhere near a new panel. Chances are you main panel is not even at 50% of it's rating, most homes are not. Even if you are only 20 or so amps under your rating, be aware that those ratings are very conservative. If your house panel is rated for 100 amps then you could probably go as high as 150 amps with no problems. Just my .02

Tom

 

[DynoDave]

I would run at least 2 different circuits for your lighting, that way you won't be stuck in the dark if a circuit blows for some reason holding a still spinning or otherwise dangerous tool.

I couldn't agree with this more. I currently run a drop light off of an outlet on the far side of the garage that is on a separate circuit from the rest. It's not much, but it's something when the lights go out. If you can, try to get at least one light on a different circuit.

 

[MAD]

If the limitation on the number of circuits is based on the fact that you have only one available space in your service panel there may be half sized breakers available that would allow you to add additional circuits without a sub panel. These breakers resemble the two pole breakers that are used for 220v circuits however they only occupy one space in the panel and the breakers are independent of each other (no common trip). This allows you to remove a single space breaker and replace it with two 120v breakers using only one panel space. This type of breaker is generally allowed unless you have a maxed out 40 space panel since code does not allow more than 40 breakers in a panel.

Here is an example-see link:
http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(x...oductDetails.aspx?Source=GoogleSM&SKU=3049947

 

[rockwithjason]

I doubt that he has the spare capacity to run a heavy circuit, it depends on the types of loads in the house.

 

[icnsltmfg]

Guy's I went through and checked every breaker in the panel, one to see where I could find juice for the garage, but also to mak each one so I am not always guessing which breaker does what (only took 13 years)...and boy was I surprised. I have 1 15amp breaker that does nothing, one 20amp that has 2 outlets that I never use in the dinning room, one 20amp breaker that has 3 outlets, where only one is used for a laptop and cordless phone, 1 half size 15amp that has a 300W low voltage transformer, one 20amp with my alarm and FIOS transformers, and another half size open. BTW, the garage is on a 15amp with the opener, lights, an outlet, and 3 bedrooms. This is a joke! SOOOO, The way some of the breakers are, I have room for 2 full size next to each other, that I can run a sub panel just for the garage. Nothing crazy, but the 19amp lift, the openers with a few outlets, the lights, and a few more outlets.

Quick question I do have, is I am going to do some of the grunt work and run the wires from the main panel to the sub, and from the sub to the drop points. I will have my Elect connect the sub up, and check all of my wiring. What size wire do I need to pull for the sub? And what size sub panel (4 breaker)?
Adam

 

[markb1]

125amp 12 circuit sub panel with a 60 amp breaker at the main panel and at the sub.

3-#6 copper and 1- #10 grd.

At the sub.
15 amp lighting cir. 14 gage wire
20 amp plug cir. 12 "
30 amp lift cir 10 "