Need power, but how?

[T56 Impala]

Okay I'm sure something like this has been discussed but I have no luck getting the silly search function to work. I never get any posts returned, so....

I have a very small 2 car garage. I'm working on making it a decent place to work AND put two of my cars. My biggest problem right now is power. There is 1 outlet in the whole garage! I take that back there are two now. I pulled a line from my dining room (back wall of garage is dining room wall) and put in a double outlet. However, this outlet is simply in the wrong place.

As I said, the garage is small. I have to lay out where my tools, bench and compressor are going to be located. The logical location for the compressor is in an unusable corner near one of the doors. The floor slopes slightly and its just wide enough for the compressor to fit. The problem is.... both walls are outside walls.

The Master BR is above the garage. However, there are no outlets anywhere near this corner of the house, plus I can't get into an Attic space because a storage room (closet) was built on this corner. (No Attic) I am absolutely horrible with chasing wire through an existing wall.

Does anyone have an idea for getting power to a remote location like this and making it look good? I have read that using an extension cord with a compressor is a no-no.

 

[timgr]

Can you get the power into the garage? if so, you can run EMT (metal tube) on the surface to where you need it. There are fancy surface-mount raceways for buildings, but the EMT will be cheaper. Not pretty, but it has an industrial look that seems fitting in a garage.

 

[T56 Impala]

Forgive my ignorance, but how is running wire (romex?) from an outlet via a raceway any different than running an extension cord? I would like the install to be a clean one but I do like the idea of the EMT tubing. I could run the copper air lines parallel to it. Could be an interesting touch. Is there a rule of thumb as to the installed height of this stuff? I have 2 72" inch high windows that I would need to navigate around (or under/over).

FWIW, My compressor is on only when I need it and it isn't that big. It runs on 110v. It says it can be run on 220v but I really see no reason for me to switch it over.

 

[Hatman52]

If you're going to start turning your garage into a workspace, the first thing I'd do is run a subpanel (60 amp or 100 amp) to the garage. If you're not 100% comfortable doing that, then hire that out. In most locales, the electrician will have to install one GFI outlet (they usually just surface mount it right next to the subpanel) to pass inspection.

Once the subpanel is in place and the inspection complete, you can then run circuits for lights, outlets, compressor, etc. From you post it sounds like your garage walls and ceiling are finished? If that's the case, then follow Timgr's advice and use surface mounted electrical conduit. I like to mount garage outlets about 42" above the ground; you can run the coduit around the garage at that level. I also like to put outlets in (in your case, on) the ceiling, as they come in very handy for drop-down trouble lights, extension cords, etc. If you have or want electric door openers, you'll want outlets for those as well. You can buy a conduit bender pretty cheaply at the big box stores which will let you route the conduit around windows, etc.

Your outlets should be on 20 amp circuits. I'd put at least two circuits for the outlets, and put heavy items (like your compressor) on their own circuit. The outlets should be GFI protected. You can use GFI breakers, but I find it much better in practice to use GFI outlets. Each GFI outlet can protect two downstream outlets -- in other words, you install one 20 amp GFI outlet, then the next two downstream in that circuit can be regular 20 amp duplex outlets.

If your compressor can be wired for 220, go ahead and run a 220 circuit. The extra cost is minimal (double-pole breaker versus a single-throw) and your compressor will run more effeciently.

For lights, I like a combination of incandecent and florescent on separate switches. I like to put a couple of incadecents between the bays, then hang florescents over the bays and benches. I usually just buy the cheaper 4-foot plug-in fixtures from the big box stores and throw them away when the ballasts go bad. Usually four over each bay works well, so you can generally run one two-gang box over each bay and plug all four lights into the one receptical. Install and one or two-gang box where the lights will hang over your bench(es). Switch that furn separately from the incandecent lights. That allows you to just flick on the incancents when you're just going out to the garage to get in the car or grab something, then you can swich on the florescents when it's time to work. You can put all the lights on one single 15 amp circuit.

I should point out I'm *not* an electrician, although my Dad is and I grew up doing this stuff. There are lots of good books available, and what I've described above is well within the scope of someone with average skills. Still, if you're not confident in doing it, please hire an electrician. Do not put you and/or your family's life at risk to save a few bucks.

I know a lot of people will scoff, but I'm also a big proponent of pulling permits for work. Every municipality is different, but many will allow homeowners to do work "after the panel." You'll also hear a lot of horror stories about inspectors, but my experience as a homeowner doing the work has been very positive and I've found the inspectors very helpful. Well worth the $50 or so for the permit cost. YMMV. Keep in mind that more and more insurance companies are denying claims from losses due to uninspected work, and it's also becoming more difficult to sell a home with uninspected work.

If you have the electrician do the subpanel, let him pull the permit for that and get that work inspected. When that's completed, then pull the permit yourself for the circuit work and have that inspected when complete. Most permits are valid for at least six months.