need help on power to shed

[mdale]

Hi, I just tore down an old shed and built a new shed in it's place. When tearing down the old shed I found a 10-2 UF romex to the shed that I did not know about and traced it back to the garage where it is coiled up on the corner and not hooked up, this made me happy because I was wanting power to the shed but was not looking forward to trenching in the wire. My plan is to have 2 lights in the shed, a motion light outside, and few outlets. I bought a seimmen general purpose enclosed switch to sever as my disconnect and panel at the shed. My question is the ground in the romex fine or do I need a ground rod at the shed?

Thanks

 

[mrb]

if you supply the shed with one circuit (which is all you can do with the 10/2 UF) then you dont need a grounding electrode (ground rod) or disconnect. Supply the UF with a 20 amp breaker, transition to 12/2 romex in the shed, wire up your lights and receptacles and youre done.

 

[mdale]

Thanks for the reply. I wanting to use the disconnect out there just so I can kill the power out there or in the garage at the breaker. The disconnect switch has 2 screw in fuse spots so I figured I run the 10-2 into it then run a 20 amp circuit with 12-2 for outlets and a 15amp circuit for the lights. Will the neutral and ground wires all go into the to the same buss bar in the shed panel or do I need to get a ground bar kit for it?

 

[Norcal]

Thanks for the reply. I wanting to use the disconnect out there just so I can kill the power out there or in the garage at the breaker. The disconnect switch has 2 screw in fuse spots so I figured I run the 10-2 into it then run a 20 amp circuit with 12-2 for outlets and a 15amp circuit for the lights. Will the neutral and ground wires all go into the to the same buss bar in the shed panel or do I need to get a ground bar kit for it?

Return the switch because you will have to install type S adapters* to comply w/ the NEC, buy a 2 circuit loadcenter & install a circuit breaker...

*Edison base fuses are only allowed in existing installations so type S tamperproof adapters are required.

 

[Aceman]

The very first thing I'd do is cap the wires off in the shed. Then I'd land the other end in the panel, then turn it on and test it. UF is **** IMO, so it wouldn't surprise me if the wires had a nick/short in them after being buried in the ground for who knows how long.

 

[mdale]

the switch was the closest thing I could find for a 2 circuit load center at the big box stores. Could anyone post a link to one? I tested the wire by connecting the black and white together and checking continuity at the other end and the black/ground and so on, but have not put power to it yet.

 

[mrb]

when testing, after powering it up put a clamp on ammeter on the hot. A hot wire stuck in the soil can pull around 7 amps. Want to make sure youre not leaking current into the soil.

All the big box stores have 2 circuit loadcenters. You would need a ground rod and seperate neutral and ground in the panel. With 10/2 you can only feed it with a single 30 amp breaker.

 

[rlitman]

Another option (the least expensive way, and the way I do it, IF you're happy with a 20A circuit):
Run a 20A circuit from the garage panel to a box with a GFI (a GFI outlet is MUCH cheaper than a breaker). Then connect the UF to the "load" side of the GFI. That way, if you have any leakage to ground, you're safe (no need to worry about using a clamp meter, and missing a small leak).

 

[mdale]

I looked at lowes, and menards for a 2 circuit panel, but i'll go back ask for one maybe I was over looking them. I have an amp clamp and spare GFI's so I can test both ways. So if I just run the 10-2 into the shed and start running circuits off of it no ground rod is needed, but if I put a panel out there I will need a ground rod, if so do I not hook up the 10-2 ground in the panel?

Thanks

 

[theoldwizard1]

Having a disconnect in the shed is a good idea. I don't know if code requires a fuse/breaker in the shed because you are protected up stream by a breaker.

If code does not require a breaker in the shed, what you really want is a 1 circuit 20-30 amp non-fused "safety switch". It is just a switch inside a metal spark proof box with the handle on the outside. Some safety switches can be mounted outside. The box simply give you a place where you can safely make all of the junctions and provides you with the require disconnect feature.

Most safety switches are designed with 2 or 3 poles which correspond to the number of "hot" wires that are to be switched. You only have one hot so you can ignore the other contact. Do not hook the neutral up to the other set of contacts.

Check Craig's List or eBay for a used one and save a bunch of money.