options for electric boxes in the garage

[pst496]

All, After moving into a house with a garage with completed drywall, I primed, panted and striped with my favorite colors and ended up with this.

Nothing special, 2 car attached garage with a bump in the back for my work bench and cabinets. Now, the issue is I have a total of three outlets on the garage walls, only one where my bench is. Also, I need some 220 sockets for a welder/plasma cutter and compressor. Soooooooo, I need to run some electric. Now, its finished so I was planning to run metal boxes exterior to the wall connected with conduit along my green stripe. Easy plan is to run a standars box like this.

Not too bad, cheap but I am fond of these weather boxes.

I think it would be a much cleaner install and would paint up much better. The problem is I want to run my conduit with the stripe thus the sockets would run side to side as well, not up and down.

I am not a master electrician but I am confident in this kind of wiring, problem is I get tripped up on these kind of details.
Is it an issue running sockets side to side instead of up and down?
Are these boxes intended to be used this way? am I missing something?
Should I just forget about it and use the standard boxes?
What about a 220 socket, can I use this type (weather) of box for that?

I am sure someone is going to ask why I do not just retrofit into the wall, well, I do not want to have to patch a bunch of drywall were I had to cut holes into the studs, these are outside walls and I donot want to fight with the installation, and I don't want to waste a bunch of wire running up the wall, into the attic space and back down another wall cavity to another plug.

All that being said, I am looking for many to part wisdom on me. Can you all take a stab at the question I had. Can you give an opinion on the best/right way to add additional sockets?

Paul

 

[Spudland_Dave]

Have you checked or looked at other brands?... I put some round boxes in for my outdoor fixtures...a couple came from HD, and a couple came from Lowes...both were the same but different, LOL...and the Electric Supply house had yet another design...LOL.

 

[Norcal]

Weather proof boxes are avail. w/ hubs in the side of the box so no need for mounting them sideways for surface mounting they look decent when combined with stainless steel plates.

Big Box Stores are not the place to get any electrical material that is slightly out of the ordinary.......,

 

[pst496]

Norcal, you have a supply house in mind? I agree with you but when I was looking around grainger's website, I was not finding what I was looking for

 

[ishiboo]

I know what you mean, I wanted to do the same with PVC boxes/conduit in my basement but I haven't been able to find any PVC boxes fed from the side. May have to hit the supply house.

There used to be Decora outlets whose outlets were oriented 90 degrees... not sure if they are still around.

A lot of things depend on the proper (vertical) orientation of the outlets, and with ground down. (Those silly "ground up" years!) Wall warts, right angle plugs, etc. all are safer and make a better connection when the outlet is oriented correctly. My lighting outlets in the barn are installed with PVC horizontally and if you plug something else in and leave it hang for a bit, the plug/blades/etc get a nice curve to it.

 

[c4cruiser]

Where is the panel located? You're going to have to get wires from the panel to at least a stating location for the conduit runs. And for the 220v equipment, I would think you will need separate circuits of appropriate amperage for each piece of equipment.

 

[pst496]

ishiboo, I was actually looking at the alum versions. I'll look up the Decora outlets though, thanks.

c4cruiser, There is a 100amp sub pannel in the basement under the mud room (right under that main door in the first picture). The only thing in the box is the electric drier and the three outlets in the garage so I have plenty of room in the box and very good access from the garage to the top of the box. I plan to run conduit directly to the box. Yes, I plan to have seperate runs for the 220........let me explain. I plan to sepperate the 110 and the 220 in seperate conduit. The 110 will be one 20A braker, maybe more but I am not expecting to install no more than 6 outlets. I want to install 2 seperate 220 sockets, one 50A and one 30A, each will have its own conduit and breaker. Total of three new conduits comming out of the sub pannel. The 220v runs will be short and will not run the same path of the 110 run.

 

[dipper]

could just get plastic boxes with no holes in them at all, then drill your own where you want them and put conduit ******* in.

 

[pst496]

So again, sometimes i get tripped up on the details. You can get plastic boxes with no holes? Further, there is enough material to thread in *******? What about the alum ones, do they come like that?

 

[vartz04]

I would run 2 - 20 amp circuits for the 110.

If you ever use 2 tools at once you will appreciate having outlets on separate circuits. Plenty of circular saws and miter saws are 15 amp saws. Lets say you have someone helping you on a project and you have 2 high draw tools going at once. That breaker could trip quite often.

Otherwise sounds like a good plan.

 

[Shootingblanks]

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=174658

I went with the standard boxes and conduit. Few weeks ago installed external bell box for the outside and will be installing a 220 for a welder this spring.

 

[pst496]

Thanks shootingblanks, you have the same idea that i had, including running the air along the same route. I have options here as well as i have some reels hanging from the ceiling.

All, no more opinionson the type of box to use? I was hoping to hear more options on what may be available and from where i may be able to source it from

 

[Norcal]

I looked at the local HD's selection of WP boxes, they have a 2 gang die cast Bell Box w/ 1/2" hubs in the side, since most folks will be going to a big box store for supplies, the final result of using them will depend on the skill of the conduit work, but the WP boxes look pretty good w/ stainless steel plates.

 

[nwav8tor]

You might look for a mud ring that mounts to the plastic box and position it so the outlets would be vertical...

Paul

 

[Aceman]

It would be considerably easier for you to use readily available 4 square deeps and paint them up.

 

[Norcal]

It would be considerably easier for you to use readily available 4 square deeps and paint them up.

With a raised cover, that is the most economical way to do it, & the least trouble.

 

[pst496]

So an update on planning this upgrade. Find out there is no insulation in the outer walls where i want to run the electric. Makes it easier to fish in the walls but now, what options do i have to insulate while the walls are finished?

 

[nwav8tor]

Either rip down the sheetrock or OSB or whatever, insulate and re-finish walls or drill holes in each stud bay and blow in insulation and then re-finish the holes.

Paul

 

[pst496]

Hmmm, well, blowing in insulation would be a pain but redrywalling would be worse. Any one done this? The blowing in insulation in a finished cavity bit. I guess you only need a hole the size of the pipe. i think the fact it is not insulated today would make it easier to run the electric behind the drywall. I am thinking that i really need to insulate only if i want to heat the space, maybe a future project

 

[nwav8tor]

If you'll be wiring behind the drywall you definately want that done before you blow in insulation. That's what I did. Have the insulation but still waiting to blow it in until I'm done with the lighting and the final inspection is done...

Paul