Extra 14ga Wires To Garage Panel?

[madosta]

Good morning!

I just recently purchased my first home and it came with a "junky" 3-car detached block garage. It needs some renovation, but I'll talk more about that in a different thread. The garage has a new blank 8 circuit panel fed off of a 60amp in the house, I'm guessing it's #6, didn't look too closely.

Also in the panel are three 14ga wires, (Red, Black, White). They are run with the feed from the house in the same conduit and were just looped back down the conduit, so I pulled the ends out and tested for hots.

What the heck are they for?

I went in the house and turned the outside lights on, but didn't get any voltage. I don't have any inside switches that don't do anything...

I might have to look in the house panel for loose ends there?

 

[sberry]

They likely were intended as a switch loop for outside lights.

 

[madosta]

They likely were intended as a switch loop for outside lights.

That's what I was thinking. I don't know where to look though. Maybe I'll have to dig out my tone generator.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Yeah, it sounds like it was intended as a switch loop. I would check the panel feeding the garage first and if no luck then get the toner out!

 

[6768rogues]

I put in some extra 12 gauge wires with the wire to my barn with the intent of switching outside barn lights from the house or maybe feeding the generator in the barn back to an outlet in the house basement. Almost 20 years later the wires are still unused. Maybe I will get around to using them if I live long enough.

 

[madosta]

Haha! I have the same feelings.

I found them terminate loosely in the house panel. So, kinda useless unless I want to put in a switch somewhere convenient, which would be a bit of rework. Maybe I'll find some panel relays or something like the old WattStopper stuff I've seen mention of here.

Woot!