Electrical help needed

[Finley]

Ive came to a conslusion that i need more electricity in my garage. its dimly lit ( i painted it white but still isnt as lit up as i had hoped for) has no room for any expansion, and has greatly limited where i can place my power tools/fridge.

what i want to know is more of the detail oriented things i should know about adding exposed conduit style boxes to my garage. it really is the only feasible option i have.

my plans are to have once circuit handle the majority of the wiring and have it "walk" along the cinderblock wall and i could have the outlets spaced out that way, then run a seperate circuit along the ceiling for lighting.

the only thing i found online was this weak helping guide.

http://www.rd.com/familyhandyman/content/17483/


anything you can offer is greatly appreciated.
i will most likely hire someone to do this, i just need to know if my idea is feasible.

any and all pics/suggestions/ideas/experiences are welcome!

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

It sounds like it might work,let your installer double-check your plan.Electricity is dangerous,if you're not sure what you're doing.

 

[Finley]

sorry, maybe i should add that im very familiar with electrical work, just not any actual panel work.

also, how many flourescents would be optimal for a 240 sq ft cave?

 

[sparky1562]

One thing I did not like about that link is that they don't show a separate ground. They are relying on the conduit and metal box for the ground. While it will meet code, there is always the chance that the fitting separates from the conduit, leaving the ground open.

For the amount of light, if your using a stip fixture with a reflector, look at around 1.2 to 1.3 watts/sq. ft. If your using 4ft T8 lamps, 8 to 10 of them will do a good job.

 

[Finley]

any idea of what range of price i would expect to pay if i had this done? im hoping for at least 4 outlet boxes on the main line, and at least 2-outlet boxes on the ceiling

 

[sparky1562]

Good advise. Our code as adopted prohibits use of conduit for grounding, except for threaded conduit and fittings.

Where might that be?

 

[r0yal]

if your running conduit, you should be fine with just running a bond from the plug to the bonding screw in the box.

You wont have to run a seperate bond wire through the whole conduit, unless your using "weatherproof" couplings and connectors

 

[Steve in Mi]

One thing I did not like about that link is that they don't show a separate ground. They are relying on the conduit and metal box for the ground. While it will meet code, there is always the chance that the fitting separates from the conduit, leaving the ground open.

Bingo! That detail immediately got my attention as well.