Need some wiring advise

[bagged89s10]

Happy New Year to everyone on GJ.

So I'm ready to start wiring outlets and lights in my garage. I had my house upgraded to a 200 amp service panel and I had a sub panel installed in the garage when I bought the house 9 years ago. My garage is finished and this is how the panel looks.





I'm going to install outlets in the ceiling for my lighting. This will allow flexibility if I decide to add more lights or move my lighting layout. I will be installing 7 4ft led double tube lights in the ceiling, and then a few lights above my workbenches. I'll have the ceiling lights on one switch and the workbench lights on their own switches, or just pull strings. I was originally going to just run metal conduit but now I've decided to fish the wiring in the walls for a cleaner install. I have full access to the attic, although I have to crawl from the other end of the house.

Should I just run pvc/non-metallic conduit from my sub panel up to the ceiling to get the romex up to the ceiling?

So far I've only added a 220 outlet and 110 outlet right off the panel.

I also want to add a separate 220 outlet on the opposite corner of my garage. This way I can use my welder or plasma cutter anywhere. I also need to use the 220 outlet for my compressor and heater, obviously I will only run one thing per circuit at a time.

Then I'll be installing outlets with 12ga wire.

This is one wall with my main workbenches.

I'm moving the drill press to the bench where the vacuum on the wall is because I just picked up a different drill press that is too tall for the current space.

I have two 6foot 20amp outlet strips. I'm thinking I will use one for the long workbench , and the other for the opposite wall where my lathe, band saw, and bench grinders are. My drill press might end up in that area too. Who knows. Then maybe a few other outlets on each wall.


Usually only one power tool will be run at one time.


I'm thinking of running two 20amp circuits. One for each side wall. Is that a good idea or too much or too little?

The only other things I can think of that I will be adding are a few exterior lights and outlets off the garage.

Thanks for any advise.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Sounds good to me, I think I would use metal conduit to get the wire up to the ceiling. I think I would use 3/4 in instead of 1/2 just for future space.

 

[bagged89s10]

Sounds good to me, I think I would use metal conduit to get the wire up to the ceiling. I think I would use 3/4 in instead of 1/2 just for future space.

Is there a special fitting for conduit end where it goes into the ceiling?

 

[Shiftless]

I would consider wiring your heater and your compressor with their own dedicated circuits. Those things go on and off automatically when in use. You might regret not doing it that way when you have to go over to turn off your heat just to use compressed air. Or vice versa. Now is the time to plan ahead.
I would also go ahead with the EMT. Looks more business like. With the extra wires I'm suggesting you'll need 2 conduits coming up out of your sub panel.
Good luck with all your upgrades. (Santa brought me a few double tube LED shoplights from Costco but they won't get up on the ceiling for a while.)

Question #2
As far as where it goes into the ceiling, go ahead and put a big metal box there to transition to your various Romex runs.

 

[pattenp]

If running Romex from the panel and using EMT as sleeves from panel to the ceiling you need to use a plastic EMT bushing on the end where the Romex exits the pipe.

 

[zmaxmotorsports]

If you have access to a knock out punch set Id stick a couple pieces of 1 1/4 or 1 1/2" from the panel up through the ceiling myself,I hate fighting wires through small conduit.
Make sure to figure out where the ceiling joists are in relation to where youre wanting to bring the conduit up no matter what kind of pipe you use,dont forget to support the pipe at some point.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

OP- looks like the lower breaker is a GE and u have a Murray panel. U need to go get a Murray breaker and swap it with the GE breaker.

Also, what is the HP rating on the compressor?

 

[bagged89s10]

I would consider wiring your heater and your compressor with their own dedicated circuits. Those things go on and off automatically when in use. You might regret not doing it that way when you have to go over to turn off your heat just to use compressed air. Or vice versa. Now is the time to plan ahead.
I would also go ahead with the EMT. Looks more business like. With the extra wires I'm suggesting you'll need 2 conduits coming up out of your sub panel.
Good luck with all your upgrades. (Santa brought me a few double tube LED shoplights from Costco but they won't get up on the ceiling for a while.)

Question #2
As far as where it goes into the ceiling, go ahead and put a big metal box there to transition to your various Romex runs.

Yes the heater will be to be on a separate breaker from the compressor. Then I can unplug either when I need to plug in my welder.
I also just checked what I have and I have a 10 foot piece of 3/4" Emt so that's perfect. Good idea about a box to transition from the conduit to romex.

 

[bagged89s10]

OP- looks like the lower breaker is a GE and u have a Murray panel. U need to go get a Murray breaker and swap it with the GE breaker.



Also, what is the HP rating on the compressor?

Ok thanks for that info.

The compressor is a 2HP I believe.

 

[bagged89s10]

If running Romex from the panel and using EMT as sleeves from panel to the ceiling you need to use a plastic EMT bushing on the end where the Romex exits the pipe.

Thank you for that info.

 

[Shiftless]

If running Romex from the panel and using EMT as sleeves from panel to the ceiling you need to use a plastic EMT bushing on the end where the Romex exits the pipe.

Bagged:
I don't think you want to run unprotected Romex with 120 and 240 volts up the wall from your sub panel through the ceiling.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Huh?

 

[bagged89s10]

Bagged:
I don't think you want to run unprotected Romex with 120 and 240 volts up the wall from your sub panel through the ceiling.

I thought maybe that picture was the attic side.

 

[Shiftless]

I thought maybe that picture was the attic side.

You're probably right about that. If a guy was to run NM cable through a ceiling, he would want some protection where the cable passed through a rough hole. But as I said earlier, if it were me, I would run two short pieces of EMT from the sub panel up to the ceiling to meet junction boxes screwed into framing. Then you could run your NM cables from there across your attic.

 

[bagged89s10]

You're probably right about that. If a guy was to run NM cable through a ceiling, he would want some protection where the cable passed through a rough hole. But as I said earlier, if it were me, I would run two short pieces of EMT from the sub panel up to the ceiling to meet junction boxes screwed into framing. Then you could run your NM cables from there across your attic.

Yes I'm on the same page as you with running Emt from the panel up to the ceiling.

The picture makes more sense looking at it like this.


Looks like that conduit is coming from an electric panel, up to the ceiling, then a bushing at the end to prevent the nm from being cut.

 

[pattenp]

What was my post talking about? The BUSHING! The picture was to show the bushing, not how to run the pipe. Geezz... you have to spoon feed people.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

No kidding!

 

[bagged89s10]

What was my post talking about? The BUSHING! The picture was to show the bushing, not how to run the pipe. Geezz... you have to spoon feed people.

Haha

 

[Shiftless]

Yeah, the bushing is important if you are running through conduit for protection of the Romex. Also, bushings like that can be installed inside the subpanel box to protect wire going past the clamp.

 

[bagged89s10]

Yeah, the bushing is important if you are running through conduit for protection of the Romex. Also, bushings like that can be installed inside the subpanel box to protect wire going past the clamp.

Definitely agree on using a bushing.

 

[CJ7VFR]

I would use the same type of gray plastic conduit that is already feeding your sub-panel to get the wires that you want to run up to the ceiling. It would match nice, and it would make it look like it was there all along.

You could also use that if you wanted to put any wiring runs back down from the ceiling to add outlets around the walls or to a work area if you ever needed them.

The gray plastic conduit running to gray plastic boxes with black switches/outlets would look good and match your sub-panel.

Just a thought.

Nice shop setup by the way! I have the exact same Craftsman stools in my shop! My wife loves to come into the shop every time I am working on something and sit on the stools and spin around. Why, I have no idea.

She is a nut...

Jim