Wiring tecniques - questions

[katit]

Got few questions about routing wires. I just had garage framed and ready to wire.

1. Some wires best to be pulled up and above ceiling and then down to the opposite wall. Is that the best or pulling throught the wall around perimeter preferred? I'm talking about dedicated 220 outlets for example. If I go above - it will be 30ft run, if I go around - 50-60ft run. I need to run at least 3 of those.

If I do run above - can I drill members just like joists or not? I read somewhere that roofing members cannot be drilled. Should I just staple them on top?

2. For those wires (outlets) that go around perimeter - what is the technique to pull through the corners?

3. I will have panel between 2 joists. Main will come in from a bottom (feed off main panel in basement). Can I use top AND bottom for branch circuits? How do I arange wires nicely? How many wires can I staple to the same stud on a side?

4. Out of Siemens, SquareD, GE 100Amp bigger panels in Lowes - which one is the best in your opinion?

5. How do I properly torque #2 aluminum wire to the feeder braker and to the subpanel braker? Do I use de-ox on lines of feed wire. In subpanel and main panel?

6. For 110 branch circuits - I plan on having 2 and alternate outlets. So, I will be pulling 2 wires. Does code allow 2 wires to be pulled through the same hole or I should route them separately?

Thanks a lot!
Ivan

 

[z28snksknr]

I will add my $0.02, but I'm not an electrician or even consider myself good at wiring:

1. I would say that the shorter the run the better, from a cost standpoint and resistence / voltage drop standpoint. In your case, it's going to be MUCH easier to route through the attic than making 2 90° bends with that thick wire to get it around the room.

2. I have only done 12-2 and 14-2 wire around corners so far, but I have had success with just bending the wire in a U shape so you can feed the wire in and it will make the bend in the corner and (hopefully) pop out the other hole. Have the holes predrilled and as close as possible to each other (obviously). Takes some finesse, but you can grab the wire end with some needlenose pliers if it's fighting you. You can calso just use fish tape, but you'll still have to get that routed through first.

3,4,&5 I'll defer to more knowedgeable sources.

 

[rburke65]

First let me say that I am an electrician....have done my share of new houses but have been out of "houses" fo 30 years...work for GM now, but......Up and over is ok....Will you have access to the attic for storage? If so, we normially would run the wire back in the corners of the roof near the eves where you were not going to be storing stuff on top of the wires.......no access then I think you can run the shortest route......IMO. Big holes in the corners help. I'm partial to Sq. D. You will have a panel between 2 joists or between 2 studs? Studs I think. You can do 2 wires in one hole. For torqueing #2 aluminum wire....tighten the wire and try to wiggle it back and forth a few times and retighten....wiggle.and tighten...etc. At the end of the day after the wire has been "Seated", wiggle it and tighten...and check it again before you put the power to it. De-ox is a good idea. Others will chime in here for ya. Good luck!

 

[katit]

I will not use attic for storage but I got your point. I will just run it on a side where wires will not be stepped on even if I get up.

Yes, I meant panel between 2 studs.

How do I use deox? Cover wire end and then stick wire in and tighten?

 

[Falcon67]

FWIW from having wired a couple
1) Run a length of 2" PVC from near the load center to the other end. Pull your wires through that. It'll protect the runs and is big enough that you'll not likely get close to any NEC conduit fill limits. It's cheap. No ends required, just a run across the rafters or joists from one end to the other. You can fill the attic with **** and still have a easy way to add a circuit or two later.

2) finish the walls and run outlet feeds across/along rafters as needed, then use conduit drops and surface mount boxes and conduit. You can put them in the wall - then you'll soon figure out that over there was nice, now I need one over here and that one needs to be a double and ....etc. Surface mount boxes and conduit are easy to extend or move.

3) you can use any knockout AFAIK, if it looks nice to the eye it's decent IMHO. Leave plenty of extra wire in the load center for final patch in, lets you run the wires neater. Usual custom is to have the individual wires hug the box walls and turn straight in to their termination points. Neatness counts - so don't come and look at mine since I had to move it a bit.

4) I like GE - lots of options for breakers, other parts handy, not expensive.

5) you'd have to look that up, see the instructions included with your load center first.

6) I'm sure theres a rule, but a 1" hole with 2 romex runs is probably just fine. I usually punch a 1/2 hole for a single and a 3/4 or 1" for a double drop in the house. I try not to make a hole in a top plate too big, easier to fill the excess with caulk to stop air circulation in the wall.

 

[katit]

Chris, thanks for input. I may take that PVC trick into consideration.

Regarding conduits: It's my 2nd garage and first one was decent experience on what I like/don't like. So, everything will be inside a wall. I like it that way better. If I really need another outlet - I will make holes in drywall and patch it

 

[Falcon67]

I have 1/4" OSB instead of rock and walls filled with fiberglass batt, runs stapled near the boxs, etc - if you have that, yousa gonna be sorry! I put all mine in the wall here, never again. Fishing a new run or extending one is a biotch. When I move one now, I cut and abandon, then either pull a new run or add a junction. An accessible junction, don't be gettin' all Holmes on me now. But then again, I hate drywall. We (me and sheetrock) don't get along very well.