Home electrical question - adding a circuit

[m151dave]

My wife wants me to build a screened gazebo. It will be located about 40 feet from my workshop. The breaker panel in the shop has space for additional breakers.

I have 220 in the shop on two separate circuits that are not being used plus the blanks on the panel.

My question is this: Is there any reason why I could not run a circuit out to the gazebo to power a few lights and a ceiling fan? Lights will be led.

Second question: What size wire should be used to make the run from my shop out to the new gazebo?

I do not plan to make the breaker panel connections, but to save cost with the electrician I was going to run the wire from the shop out to the new structure.

Am I asking all of the right questions?

 

[boobag]

no

and 14-2 is whats used for a traditional circuit.

 

[unslow1]

You may want to consider an outlet out there as well. You never know when you will want a TV or radio. I'm sure the electrician will tell you about burying depth and GFCI breaker. He may even want it in a plastic conduit.

 

[Shiftless]

You may want to consider an outlet out there as well. You never know when you will want a TV or radio. I'm sure the electrician will tell you about burying depth and GFCI breaker. He may even want it in a plastic conduit.

Check your local code, but when I had to run a buried line for a 120 volt circuit, the required depth was way less if the wire ran in rigid steel (not EMT) conduit. Plastic needed a much deeper trench. I don't like digging in clay soil!
You don't want to risk someone in the future unknowingly pushing a shovel through a live wire

 

[Cyberbear]

This is a very simple job, even if you are not familiar with doing minor electrical work. Find out what the depth of the conduit needs to be. In some areas they allow you to place a 2 x 4 over the conduit for protection and not need to bury the conduit so deep, I usually always dig at least 12" deep.
Run a 1/2" PVC conduit using 90 degree sweeps at the ends to bring the conduit out of the soil. Once the conduit is placed, pull in a black, white and green #12 copper wire, solid or stranded, type THHN, MTW or such like. Or, you can just do the trench work and lay the electrical gray colored PVC conduit in the open trench and have the electrician do the circuit work. The main reason for using the gray PVC is that it is common knowledge in the trade when seeing a gray conduit, it is an electrical installation. Again, depending on your electrical experience, it can easily be done without any difficulty. Electricians, like most trades and services, will often try to charge whatever the customer will accept. Get a quote for time and material from three electricians to play it safe. Unfortunately, dealing with the trades is often like buying from a used car salesman, keep a hand on your wallet. ;-)>

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

Bury it in pvc pipe,Id run 2 separate 14g wires for the lighting circuit and 2 separate 12g wires and a green 12 ground for some plugs out there.
3/4" pvc should give you plenty of room to pull them through,Id also use stranded wire in the pipe.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

This is a very simple job, even if you are not familiar with doing minor electrical work. Find out what the depth of the conduit needs to be. In some areas they allow you to place a 2 x 4 over the conduit for protection and not need to bury the conduit so deep, I usually always dig at least 12" deep.
Run a 1/2" PVC conduit using 90 degree sweeps at the ends to bring the conduit out of the soil. Once the conduit is placed, pull in a black, white and green #12 copper wire, solid or stranded, type THHN, MTW or such like. Or, you can just do the trench work and lay the electrical gray colored PVC conduit in the open trench and have the electrician do the circuit work. The main reason for using the gray PVC is that it is common knowledge in the trade when seeing a gray conduit, it is an electrical installation. Again, depending on your electrical experience, it can easily be done without any difficulty. Electricians, like most trades and services, will often try to charge whatever the customer will accept. Get a quote for time and material from three electricians to play it safe. Unfortunately, dealing with the trades is often like buying from a used car salesman, keep a hand on your wallet. ;-)>

Damn you just kicked all the electricians who come on here giving free advise right square in the nuts.
That's greatly appreciated,So what kind of work do you do so we can return the favor?

 

[m151dave]

Thanks!

 

[m151dave]

You may want to consider an outlet out there as well. You never know when you will want a TV or radio. I'm sure the electrician will tell you about burying depth and GFCI breaker. He may even want it in a plastic conduit.

that is a great idea. Any more there is always a tablet or laptop or something. Heck a radio for those romantic mood setting needs!

 

[m151dave]

This is a very simple job, even if you are not familiar with doing minor electrical work. Find out what the depth of the conduit needs to be. In some areas they allow you to place a 2 x 4 over the conduit for protection and not need to bury the conduit so deep, I usually always dig at least 12" deep.
Run a 1/2" PVC conduit using 90 degree sweeps at the ends to bring the conduit out of the soil. Once the conduit is placed, pull in a black, white and green #12 copper wire, solid or stranded, type THHN, MTW or such like. Or, you can just do the trench work and lay the electrical gray colored PVC conduit in the open trench and have the electrician do the circuit work. The main reason for using the gray PVC is that it is common knowledge in the trade when seeing a gray conduit, it is an electrical installation. Again, depending on your electrical experience, it can easily be done without any difficulty. Electricians, like most trades and services, will often try to charge whatever the customer will accept. Get a quote for time and material from three electricians to play it safe. Unfortunately, dealing with the trades is often like buying from a used car salesman, keep a hand on your wallet. ;-)>

This is great info! Thank you very much for the detailed response.

 

[pattenp]

You can run #12/2 UF to get a 20 amp circuit. The UF needs to be buried 12 inches with the circuit GFCI protected back at the source. That will be plenty for what you want. If the circuit is not GFCI protected at the source then the wire needs to be buried 24", ln PVC conduit it can be 18".

 

[Syberia]

Even though it's not "required," I always use conduit regardless. It's very cheap, provides extra protection, and if the wire ever needs replacing, it's much easier to pull the old one out of the conduit and pull a new one in than digging the whole trench back up again.

 

[Zeke]

I'd set a low voltage transformer at the garage and use LV lights and fan. There's even a solar powered fan.

 

[The Cobbler]

Even though it's not "required," I always use conduit regardless. It's very cheap, provides extra protection, and if the wire ever needs replacing, it's much easier to pull the old one out of the conduit and pull a new one in than digging the whole trench back up again.

this

 

[theoldwizard1]

Bury it in pvc pipe,Id run 2 separate 14g wires for the lighting circuit and 2 separate 12g wires and a green 12 ground for some plugs out there.

I assume you are suggesting using THWN inside the conduit. THWN does not save you much over UF, but you can use smaller conduit and it is easier to pull.

 

[Syberia]

You can't have more than one circuit to a detached structure, and why would he ever need 2 separate circuits for a gazebo? A single 20-amp circuit (#12 wire) should be plenty for a couple lights and whatever else he wants to use out there, even power tools.

Everything in my yard (multiple light posts, a pool pump, a fountain pump, and various fans/heat lamps for chickens as needed) runs off a single 20 amp circuit and I've never had problems.

Stranded THWN is much easier to work with than UF or even solid THWN when pulling through conduit, I would highly recommend using it.

 

[sprchrgd1]

Damn you just kicked all the electricians who come on here giving free advise right square in the nuts.
That's greatly appreciated,So what kind of work do you do so we can return the favor?

And those of us that are in the Car business!

 

[Andrew LB]

You can't have more than one circuit to a detached structure, and why would he ever need 2 separate circuits for a gazebo?

Yes, you can. A few years ago I rewired a friends entire house and detatched garage because the 4 circuit setup with glass fuses from the 1940's was just not cutting it. We ended up running a total of 16 separate circuits to cover 3 bedrooms, kitchen, living room, dining room, and the garage. Kitchen stove, clothes dryer, water heater, and furnace were all natural gas so the only 240v went in the garage for shop equipment as well as two 20a 120v circuits for lighting, outlets, and the garage door opener. All household wall outlet circuits were 20a 120v 12-gauge but with 15a outlets which is just fine according to California code. The beefier conductor size was the main reason for going with 20a circuitys. All the lighting circuits were 15a 120v 14-gauge.

The entire project was supervised by a friend who had recently retired after 40 years of being an electrician. When the city inspector came out to go over everything so SoCal Edison would hook the mains up... he told me that in 15 years as an inspector, my rewiring job was one of the best he'd ever seen.

 

[Dagny]

Don't lump me in with those awful car salesmen.

 

[pattenp]

Yes, you can.

You may be confusing having multiple circuits in a detached structure vs. the feeder/circuit supplying power to the detached structure. NEC only allows one feeder/circuit to supply power to a detached structure.

 

[CNGsaves]

You may be confusing having multiple circuits in a detached structure vs. the feeder/circuit supplying power to the detached structure. NEC only allows one feeder/circuit to supply power to a detached structure.

^ ^ This.

Depending on what all OP might want to do in gazebo, he might want to put in secondary conduit (for misc stuff) whille you have trench dug to the gazebo. Thus, put your electrical conduit deep in trench at 36" depth, then backfill 12" soil and put in another plastic conduit (like 1" or 1 1/2") that you'll use for low voltage stuff like phone, internet, speaker wires, intercom, etc. Then backfill some more and put in caution tape around 18" deep.

 

[theoldwizard1]

You may be confusing having multiple circuits in a detached structure vs. the feeder/circuit supplying power to the detached structure. NEC only allows one feeder/circuit to supply power to a detached structure.

The exception being for a 3 way light switch.

 

[pattenp]

The exception being for a 3 way light switch.

Any switch circuit is okay as long as the power source for the switch circuit originates from the detached structure.

 

[m151dave]

Thanks for all the great feedback! Talked with the wife and it looks like her plans are for a ceiling fan, some "mood" lighting and an outlet or two for whatever.

 

[teamextreme]

^ ^ This.

Depending on what all OP might want to do in gazebo, he might want to put in secondary conduit (for misc stuff) whille you have trench dug to the gazebo. Thus, put your electrical conduit deep in trench at 36" depth, then backfill 12" soil and put in another plastic conduit (like 1" or 1 1/2") that you'll use for low voltage stuff like phone, internet, speaker wires, intercom, etc. Then backfill some more and put in caution tape around 18" deep.

Holy Bejeezus, 36"?! As Pattenp pointed out, conduit for the 120v circuit only needs to be 18" if non-GFI, and 12" if GFI. Low voltage stuff in a second conduit can be whatever depth you want above that. Why on earth would you go through the brain damage of a 36" trench? I just finished a 24" trench for gas/electric and it was a royal PITA, no way I'd do 36".

 

[CNGsaves]

^ ^ ^ Easy digging from where I live (sandy) . . Do It ONCE and never worry about it again !!

As a kid, I'd shovel a hole in back yard to bury dead chicken at full length of handle of shovel around 4 ft deep !! . .

. . . different soil types and amounts of rocks . . . YMMV !!

 

[sberry]

A single 20A circuit is plenty unless one is cooking from it. Not only is it plenty but simple and safe.

 

[volleyball]

Bury the power deep so you can run some coax and cat cable so you can put a computer, tv and fridge out there and turn her gazebo into a man space.