Junction box

[theoldwizard1]

My son bought a house last year that had some really scary electrical, especially in the garage. I plan on ripping everything out and and started over.

Coming into the garage from the house (about 50') is 10/4 copper. In the house that is connect to a 30A double breaker. The problem is, in the garage there really isn't enough slack to connect it to a breaker panel mounted 48" off the floor.

Can I place a junction box lower than 48" and then run hard conduit to the panel ? What else can I do to be within "the code" ?

 

[electrican]

when you say 10-4 do you mean 10-3 with ground romex? all romex has to be protected above 8 feet, you can splice it in a j-box but you have to have access to the box.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Yes mean 10-3 + ground. (Sorry, thinking cordage.)

What do you mean by "all romex has to be protected above 8 feet".

The garage has bare 2x4 interior walls. The cable come up through the plate and is just stapled to a stud. It goes into an old box that I plan on replacing, but that is just at 48". I would need an additional 24-36" to properly feed a breaker panel.

 

[fefarms]

Yes, you can put in a junction box, then go from there with enough NM cable ("Romex") to get into your new panel. Alternatively, you can run conduit from the junction box to the new panel as you originally proposed. In both cases, the junction box must remain accessible even if the interior walls are later finished off with drywall, OSB, etc.

Since this is a feeder, there aren't any special concerns about "nearest to the point of entry" as there are with service conductors.

 

[CADPoint]

I don't see how you can make this one to one fix and not consider your own statement made in this thread?

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=92018

 

[theoldwizard1]

Yes, you can put in a junction box, then go from there with enough NM cable ("Romex") to get into your new panel.

Thanks.

I was told that you could not have a junction box or outlet below 48" above the floor in a garage.

 

[fefarms]

Thanks.

I was told that you could not have a junction box or outlet below 48" above the floor in a garage.

Unless there is some sort of local code that applies, you were told wrong.

There are a couple of possible reasons for such height limits:

1) below 18" above the floor (not 48 inches) is a "Classified" location in a COMMERCIAL (repair) garage due to the potential accumulation of flammable vapors. See article 511.3 of the NEC. This code provision does not limit junction boxes not containing possible arcing devices, so it wouldn't apply to a box containing only a set of splices to extend an NM cable. Besides which, this is most likely a residential garage, so it doesn't apply for that reason either.

2) Protection from physical damage: There are various provision that limit the use of surface mounted boxes, PVC conduit, and NM wiring in places where it is likely that such items might be struck by errant vehicles. The rules aren't hard and fast and some judgment is applied by the electrician and inspector. I would be very surprised if any inspector had a problem with a junction box mounted to the side of a stud, where it would be for a wall that was to be finished with drywall or OSB, even if the ultimate wall finish was not present at the time of the final inspection.
ment might be an argument that a surface mounted box which could be easily struck by an errant vehicle