Hi everyone this is my first post and I want to improve my garage a lot because all it is now is pretty much storage. So im going to get like 2 or 3 220v machines. But all I have is a single 110v, pathetic right. So my first is to a 220v outlet. We re did our basement about two years ago. So I have like 25 free slots in the panel. The panel is in a little unfinished room sort of under the garage. What I mean by sort is I have to run the wire through some of the kitchen, probably only like 4 feet until the garage. So with my situation do I should try to do all of this? Also would I have to run conduit through the entire thing? Or should I pony up the cash for a electrician. But another thing is I want to add maybe a second 220 and 2 110s. So how much would a electrician cost for that. Or do you think I should just give it a go.
Power to the Garage
- Thread starter The Fry
- Start date
rburke65
Well-known member
Well, first of all, welcome to Garage Journal! As an electrician myself, I would suggest for starters that you call an electrical company that does residential work, and have them come out and give you a bid for the work you want them to do. Not sure exactly what you may want? I'm sure that they will make a suggestion or three for you. You may want to run a feed to the garage for a sub panel and then run your circuits from there. At least this will give you a start. And,you might want to add a location to your profile. It may help us down the road to know from where you hail. Good luck.
Thanks for the assistance. Im looking for both advice if I should or shouldn't. I may get some help from someone else. Im family friends with a retired goverment worker and now he buys and renovates homes, project 8 homes mostly and rents them out. He is not the a skilled electrician but he he has to know the process because he has been doing this for a few years now so I may talk to him and get his help. So if you guys have any tips I would appreciate it. Thanks for the welcome.
Zeke
Well-known member
You say you want a couple of 220v outlets but you don't say 30 A, 40 A, 50 Amp. There are different receptacles for each unlike your typical 120v outlet. If this is unfamiliar to you, hire an electrician and watch and learn a few things.
I've been remodeling and building for 40 years. In the beginning I knew very little even though I didn't know that. Anyway, I would watch someone do a task, got try it myself and come back and watch again. It was the 2nd time watching that I always learned quite a bit because I knew enough about what to watch for.
Everything is a multi-step process and electrical is not one to start out on with little experience. Want to know how I know that? I almost killed my first wife after wiring up a washer wrong. She grabbed the water shut off and got nailed. I had the neutral and hot backwards. Old house, no grounds. That's why we have codes.
BTW, the first wife was a nasty *****, but she didn't deserve to be killed.
Don't play with electricity.
I've been remodeling and building for 40 years. In the beginning I knew very little even though I didn't know that. Anyway, I would watch someone do a task, got try it myself and come back and watch again. It was the 2nd time watching that I always learned quite a bit because I knew enough about what to watch for.
Everything is a multi-step process and electrical is not one to start out on with little experience. Want to know how I know that? I almost killed my first wife after wiring up a washer wrong. She grabbed the water shut off and got nailed. I had the neutral and hot backwards. Old house, no grounds. That's why we have codes.
BTW, the first wife was a nasty *****, but she didn't deserve to be killed.
Don't play with electricity.SiGmA_X
Well-known member
Based on your OP, I think you should hire an electrician to drop a subpanel into your garage, and then a few receptacles after that.
Sorry for not saying the amperage it would we 30 Amps. I dont want to spend a whole lot of money so I may just do the running of the wire myself and get the electrician to wire them up. Because I dont know that much about electricity but so I think just running the wire in conduit my self would cut the cost. I really dont want to add a sub panel because like I said before I have about 23 or 25 open slots because we added it when we renovated the basement.
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pattenp
Well-known member
To even run wire you need to know what you're doing. There are code requirements as to how it needs to be run. If you're using NM cable it doesn't need to be in conduit as long as it's run in the proper manner where it's not subject to damage.
e30bradley
Well-known member
are you in NJ by any chance? My uncle is an electrician, has been for 30+ years and is in desperate need of work. He works cheap ! Lol. If you do want to try it yourself be carful. there are plenty of people here that are willing to help though. Oh, and I forgot to say.. Welcome to the garage journal !