Ok...New guy here!!!

[Rickster55]

Like most questions here, I am wiring an unattached garage. The garage is roughly 75-100 feet away from the house. I will be running the wire underground. The sub-panel in the garage will likely be a small one (60 amp). It will basically be used for lighting and small power tools. My questions (to start with):

1.What gauge wire do I run to the garage?

2.How deep should the wire be buried? (Will not be driven over)

3.Is there a D-I-Y book that covers this in decent detail?

I'm sure I'll have a few more questions but this will get me started. Thanks!

 

[hobie1dog]

#6 wire is what the calculator says to use.

Local codes differ on the burial depth, but 18" would be safe...

There are plenty of books on the DIY home electrician....go to a Barnes & Noble, etc. book store for starters.

and Welcome to the forum

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Rickster,

If you EVER think you will use something other than small power tools in that garage, put in a larger service wire. If the sickness hits you, I can see air compressors, welders, plasma cutters and large power hungry machines being used there. If you have a large enough service cable buried, you will only need to change things inside the garage and at the point you are taking power from your house if you ever decide to upgrade.

That way you are only putting cable in the ground one time. If you are married, just tell her that you are saving money by doing it now instead of wasting cash.

 

[Rickster55]

Thanks guys! I'm actually doing the (re)wiring for a buddy of mine and he insists that it will never be put into a high demand use of electricity. He's been there for 11 years and hasn't needed more yet. So......

I'm kinda surprised the garage hasn't burned down yet. Every splice is exposed and taped together. Hardly any boxes in the garage at all. And a lot of extension cords. BTW, it's a 3 1/2 bay garage.

I'm sure I'll be back with a couple more questions at some point.

 

[mrb]

make sure you run 4 wires to supply the subpanel at the garage.

 

[65Stang]

I had similar questions and contacted the local L&I or supervising inspection agency and asked them these questions, very helpful. Assuming a subpanel, #6 wire as noted above, 4 wires must be run, my inpsector gave me all the sizes for the individual wires. Running the wires in conduit versus direct burial cable makes a difference as well I believe.

 

[Falcon67]

I ran #6 to my shop but it's only about 10' from the house and the total run including overhead is about 35'. I would pull #4 if it was me because of the length and voltage drop.

I wired mine with three service entrance wires and pulled the extra 60 amp feed (#4 cable) right off the meter box to a single 60A disconnect, then overhead to the shop (#6) with a regular panel inside with no main. The inside panel is grounded with it's own grounding rod - the building is treated just like the house since it's a separate service feed. With the building 100' away I would think you'd need to do the same grounding but I'm not that familiar with the current NEC and separate buildings. I consulted with a licensed electrician that I know before I did the wiring.

Also take a good look at the panel you buy for the shop - make sure you can add 220 breaker(s) without chewing up all your panel space. He will likely add more stuff, LOL. I used a GE 8/16 panel I got on sale for $20 - you can use thin breakers to get the 16 circuits and they don't cost very much, about $4 for a 15A piece. But that far away, I'd want the panel to have a main and be easy to get to on the way out the door. Or a disconnect on the outside near the service entrance. Emergency planning and such.