wire on wall or in wall

[Skindoo]

Starting to plan my circut layout etc. Interior 24 X 32 is virgin studs. I'll be insulating and covering. Steel for ceiling. Undecided for walls( plywood,osb or steel. not drywall)
Question- will it be better to wire behind the wall through the studs or on top of wall after finishing through conduit? I was thinking on top of wall would leave the insulation and wall cover solid keeping a better seal for these cold Canadian winters. vs behind the wall will look neater.

Thanks for any advise.

PS Is 1 -15 AMP breaker to 2- 60 watt outside door lights and 4 recepticles (14-2 wire) on inside wall ok?

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Split your receipts & lights up. Don't put them on the same breaker.

Tommy

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Put your lighting on one breaker, and receptacles on another. For a garage or shop, you should use 20 amp circuits (12 gauge wire) to allow for higher power tool loads.

Four receptacles is not much. I'd probably do at least two 20 amp circuits, and possibly three, with a total of 10 or 12 receptacles.

Charles

 

[e-tek]

Agree with Tommy - put everything on separate breakers.

I'm in Saskatoon and all my wires are in wall. I don't think it much any difference for insulation, however, if you're doing it yourself, or can talk to the lectrician, drill the holes for the wires closer to the inside of the studs. That way you don't have to squeeze the batting behind the wiring, losing batt-loft. I have a 24x40x11 with two huge 16x10 doors and 2x4 construction and don't think my heater over-runs, nor is it that expensive to heat.

Anything outside the wall (like air lines and lights) is a dirt catcher. Try and minimize.

 

[e-tek]

Oh ya - why not drywall? I don't like the look of OSB and it ***** the light and paint up like nothing else!

 

[Skindoo]

Thanks for replys. Ok Keep it minimal sounds right. I never thought about dirt/dust build-up on the pipe. I'll wire through studs.

The 4 Recepticles was just the plan for the north side wall of the garage I wont be using much. Maybe the occasional plug in for shop vac, drill, car wax. My workbench will be on the other side with more than 4.

Not drywall- I know its the cheapest way to go but by reading the forum and seeing other garages with holes/dents in the drywall I think I will stay away from it. Also read on the forum drywall may not be a good idea if heat is on then off through the winter. My plan is to go low heat and turn up in the winter only when I will be using it. If I ever retire and want to go away for a month or more I'll probalby just turn the heat off.

 

[PCO6]

I mounted my electrical and air lines externally after I installed my drywall. I prefer external so I can rearrange areas if I need to. I've never had any problems with drywall damage and if I ever do it's easy to repair.

 

[ambenz]

My outlets are external though I never had the need to move them.
I say, if you want that clean finished look recess them in the wall and use appropriate wire if code allows. Here in my town, everything electrical has to be in conduit. Even so, it I resessed my pipes in the wall, there is still enough space to slide foam in back of the outlet box.

 

[Highlux]

Run them internal. Much cleaner look. Who wants a bunch of conduit all over the walls...getting in the way of shelves etc...

 

[PCO6]

^^^ To each his own. I'd rather be able to easily (relatively) rearrange things if I need to without being tied to fixed switch & socket locations. Besides, I prefer a more "industrial" look in my garage.

 

[KCarGuy]

Each one has its good and bad points to it.
Some like it inside the wall for a clean finished look.
Some like it outside so they can move outlets and switches if needed.

I, used conduit inside the walls.
But, I did not drill holes in the studs. I ran everything up and back down.
This way I can also rearrange if needed (although it would be a little more work)

Both ways work fine.

I arranged my lighting in 3 curcuits...Outside, Left side, right side.
I also set up my Outlets in 5 curcuits...Outside, and one for each wall.
(plus, each door opener is on there own)
1 220 curcuit for my welder.
1 220 curcuit for my Compressor

I also have 6 more curcuits upstairs....For the *Playroom

 

[C96]

^^^ To each his own. I'd rather be able to easily (relatively) rearrange things if I need to without being tied to fixed switch & socket locations. Besides, I prefer a more "industrial" look in my garage.

Yes, exposed piping looks awesome when done correctly and neatly. You always have the option for upgrades and relocating. Best way to go in my opinion.

I never thought about dirt/dust build-up on the pipe

LOL! WTF, Who cares about a little frickin dust on the pipes!

 

[zappman]

Starting to plan my circuit layout etc. Interior 24 X 32 is virgin studs. I'll be insulating and covering.

I am in the process of wiring the same 24 X 32 size shop. I opted for in wall romex for several reasons, but mainly I end up utilizing every bit of wall space so don't want conduit in the way.
Below is a couple of images from my build to possibly give some in-wall inspiration.

Best of luck in your wiring project.

 

[cagullett1]

I prefer in wall with the accessibility to easily add circuits when I want. I added a 14"x14" access panel above my breaker box so that I can easily run new wire to the recessed panel when needed. I have not ever had the need to move switches and outlets around. If anything, I just add more!

 

[600SL]

I will be doing my basic outlets in the wall. Everything else will go external. It's a real PIA with no studs to mount stuff to but it will keep the majority of conduit out of the way.

John

 

[2ManyProjects]

Starting to plan my circut layout etc. Interior 24 X 32 is virgin studs. I'll be insulating and covering. Steel for ceiling. Undecided for walls( plywood,osb or steel. not drywall)

I presume that your distaste for drywall is related to its less-than-stellar impact resistance? If so, then why steel on the ceiling? That is obviously not an impact-prone area; and I would guess that steel would be a larger maintenance issue than drywall, particularly after it starts to rust.

In any event, whatever material you use for the walls, do count on painting it some light color (preferably white or a VERY light grey)

Question- will it be better to wire behind the wall through the studs or on top of wall after finishing through conduit? I was thinking on top of wall would leave the insulation and wall cover solid keeping a better seal for these cold Canadian winters. vs behind the wall will look neater.

Presuming you have studs, I prefer to keep the wiring hidden behind the wall. This not only produces a "cleaner" less-cluttered appearance, it also provides good protection for the wiring. The insulation is not an issue, as long as it is installed correctly.

PS Is 1 -15 AMP breaker to 2- 60 watt outside door lights and 4 recepticles (14-2 wire) on inside wall ok?

First, as others have mentioned, you should NEVER mix lighting and outlets on the same circuit. But beyond that, I would strongly suggest using at least TWO circuits for each of these applications: Two 15A breakers feeding (at least) AWG 14-2 NM-B, then splitting the total lighting load more-or-less evenly between them, will allow you to maintain SOME lighting even if/when one breaker trips and/or must be shut down for maintenance. Two 20A breakers feeding (at least) AWG 12-2 NM-B for the outlets will permit you to put pairs of duplexes in double-gang boxes at convenient intervals all around the space (6-8 feet is usually good), with each duplex in those boxes fed from a different circuit. If you have a lot of 120V machinery (bench grinder drill press, etc.) in the vicinity of your workbench, you MIGHT want to run a third circuit to that area.

 

[Joebob37]

Lots of good info, guys. The thing that scares me most is mice. They can burn your house/garage down eating wires, & they can get in anywhere. If I ever do it again, it'll be conduit for sure. As far as walls & ceil, I would go drywall, painted white, it's bright & cheerful. I thought the OSB had a very gloomy look possibly affecting ones mood.

 

[coldh2o]

I presume that your distaste for drywall is related to its less-than-stellar impact resistance? If so, then why steel on the ceiling? That is obviously not an impact-prone area; and I would guess that steel would be a larger maintenance issue than drywall, particularly after it starts to rust.

We're getting off topic here but rust shouldn't be an issue in a well sealed, insulated shop. Even if there is some incidental moisture (very unlikely) deterioration and mold concerns with drywall are more serious than wet steel. Note I didn't say rust - steel panels for walls are ceilings are typically prepainted (or even better galvanized) and are very rust-resistant, usually warranteed for many more years than you can expect to get out of painted drywall.