tempurary power to new building

[laser3kw]

Hi Guys
New building is up, inspected, keys in hand & check was written. Now I have to finish the inside.
I have a 30 x 40 with 12 foot walls. I want to finish the interior during the winter. I will insulate it and apply OSB wall. After that, the electrical will be surface mount emt. I plan on a number of light circuits (3or 4?) to allow "just enough" lighting as needed. I will have a couple of 120 volt outlet circuits as needed as well as a couple of 220 volts for, lift, welder, Bridgeport and lathe.
But, for now, what is the recommended method to pull temporary power from the main box in the house to the detached building approximately 100 feet away? I am competent with electrical, I have done wiring for myself and will call in an expert when the time comes. Can I / should I make a heavy duty extension cord to a dedicated breaker feed in the main box? Plug in to the main box (via receptacle)when working, unplug and store otherwise. On the other end, a load center temporarily mounted in which I can provide simple light and power receptacles from? I am also considering a generator instead of a house hook up. Just getting opinions first, don't want to waste money or time.
Thanks for looking.

 

[wyliesdiesels]

Where are u located?

 

[rkevins]

I would go ahead and mount my main panel box in the building and run my service in.
that way you can mount a few temp recepiticals and move them when needed.

 

[cj7365]

slow down, first, where are the build pics?

I agree with rkevins on mount a main box in the building. can I ask why would you consider running a generator instead of house hook up??? if you are gonna run a welder, lift etc.. your gonna need a pretty big generator

 

[laser3kw]

wow! quick responses!
I filled out my profile to include my location, Rockford, IL.
I hope the pic of my shop uploads correctly. I am exploring my options to have utility power while finishing. My plan is to finish walls, ceiling and storage loft, wire, paint walls and floor then move equipment maybe in June or July. I am in no hurry to move in. I want to do it right without back tracking.
The temporary power is just to run a couple of lights , power saws and what not to finish the interior. Thus the power from the house is to be temporary. I do not want to run half a dozen drop cords from the house, it is just not feasible. It is cold here and I do not want to trench right now. That is why I through out the single oversize temporary cord to a distribution panel as an idea. Unplug from the house when done and store. Or use a generator and a distribution panel to power the tools as needed. The generator is just to run the power tools and lights during finishing.
Once the wall sheathing and ceiling is up, I can layout and apply the permanent electrical up to the subpanel and then trench and connect in the spring.
I hope I am explaining this correctly.

 

[pattenp]

Are you planning on buying a generator either way or do you already have one?

 

[Highbeam]

I was happy with what I did. Run an extension cord to power lights, saws, or whatever you need while you install the permanent power to the shop. Do it now. Don't waste time on a high amperage temporary solution. It is an easy job to run the power once, right, for keeps.

I remember rolling up that frozen extension cord every night as motivation to run the power.

 

[matt151617]

If you already have a generator, then the easiest solution is to use that with a few extension cords. There's no need for a panel, just use the outlets on the generator. The only other option is to run a long extension cord from the house.

 

[Jose G]

you could build some 2x4 stands each 20' or so that could hol the extension cord. (like in the construction bussiness, you should check their "temporary" that sit for months/year) sometime the wire itself hold the 2x4 standing.

 

[kbs2244]

Get a 220VAC RV feed cable.
It is tough enough to leave out all the time and has plenty of capacity for what you are doing.

 

[laser3kw]

Thanks for the replies.
I do not own a generator, but I considered buying one. I figure at least a 30 amp / 3600 watt would do. After the project is done I could use it for back up when the power goes down. We have been fortunate so far that the power has not been off during the winters around here.
I will explore the 220VAC RV feed cable, I never knew such thing existed and sounds like a workable solution.

I remember rolling up that frozen extension cord every night as motivation to run the power.

.
But that statement is food for thought.
Thanks again

 

[Delta74]

the only Issue I see at this time is money spent on a temp solution, when you will be doing underground when it thaws, now if your OK with this, here is my suggestion.

Run a small feed from the main panel to a 30/40/50 amp 120/240 (with ground , amps based on wallet and needs) Receptical near the panel like 2 feet under it kinda thing. so its live and safe to touch, there you go, there is your Plug. from the panel in the garage wire it up with a small cord to the main's with a short cord and plug again 30/40/50 amp whatever you choose. with a MALE end on it. so you Plug in the whole panel and have 240/120 volt available to you.

now just make a big *** extension cord to interconnect the two again sized on your plug/receptical.

it will add to the cost, but would be a safer solution for temp power for now. unless you really want to trench in the winter.

also doing it this way, you could do the electrical in the garage, install plugs or whatever you need and use them or test them, so the bulk of the work is already done for you when you finally do the real install.

 

[laser3kw]

As luck would have it, my brother in law has an electrician(10 year journeymen, res & commercial) as a neighbor. He is coming over tomorrow to look at the job. He already told me that we have to swap out the load center in the house with the load center I have for the shop. I have a 200 amp 20 place load center for the shop and only a 100 amp in the house. So he is going to layout and run the job.
thanks for all the great advice from the GJ members!

 

[theoldwizard1]

As luck would have it, my brother in law has an electrician(10 year journeymen, res & commercial) as a neighbor. He is coming over tomorrow to look at the job. He already told me that we have to swap out the load center in the house with the load center I have for the shop. I have a 200 amp 20 place load center for the shop and only a 100 amp in the house. So he is going to layout and run the job.
thanks for all the great advice from the GJ members!

Swapping in the 200A load centers into the house is the right call, but it is a fair amount of work.

For temporary power, they will probably allow you to run 10/3 or 12/3 NM from a 240V breaker in the house, supported by upright 2x4s so it is not a trip hazard, to the panel in the garage.