# How Many Outlets?



## TheWoodChipper (May 15, 2011)

I'm getting ready to wire my workshop. I already have a sub panel installed with four spots for the 20amp breakers in the garage/shop. I want to make sure i have enough outlets and not end up wishing i had more outlets down the line.


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## bubbyboy (Jan 10, 2011)

In my shop I installed outlets every four feet along the walls maybe a little overkill, but not much money. I would rather have to many than have to run extension cords. Just a thought


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## woodjunkie (Feb 4, 2011)

I recently built a new garage and have a 16×26 foot dedicated woodshop with a 9 foot ceiling in the rear. I put an outlet every 4 foot 4 feet off the floor and every 6 foot 8 foot off the floor. The high ones are for Clocks, Radio, Dust collector, Beer Signs etc. It may seem like a lot but you have to run the wires through the wall anyway and outlets and boxes are cheap. Best part is I dont have to run any extension cords in the shop>


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

In my basement I put in 4 outlets on one breaker (15 amp) and 2 receptacles each with dedicated 20 amp breakers on 12 guage wire - one for the bandsaw and one for the table saw and DC. These dedicated breakers have blanks next to them in the event I need to upgrade to 220 volt in the future.

You need to watch the loads and the what you have where. Depending upon what your future requirements are, you may want to put a few 220 receptacles in for future planers, sanders, tablesaws, bandsaws, etc…

Planning now saves a whole bunch later.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

32" TO 48" centers where over a counter top work area, table, bench, etc. More importantly, have at least 2 different circuits on each group. For example, I have a wall mounted bench/counter where I may use my lathe or miter saw, belt/disk sander, or portable power tools. Its 12 feet long. I have 4 outlets on that wall and those outlets are on 2 breakers. I try to never have more than 2 outlets, side by side, on the same breaker. And, as already mentioned, don't forget to have dedicated outlets for major tools like table saw, band saw, dust collector, planer, jointer etc. Almost any tool that will have a vacuum or dust collector running with it will need two circuits.


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## Cosmicsniper (Oct 2, 2009)

To me, it's less about the overall number and more about their location. I'd just make sure they are regularly spaced throughout the shop, including power run to any centrally-located tool stations/benches. But if I were designing it, I'd try to put double-outlet boxes every 8 feet, or single-outlet boxes every 4 feet, along all my walls…as well as single 220v receptacles at each of those points…even if you don't have all those 220v machines now, you likely might in the future. In the event you need more plugs, like at a workbench for your powered handtools, then you can use a power strip.

I would also try to consider ways to bring in power, either under the floor or overhead, to the center of my shop. The objective being, of course, to avoid always having to jump over extension cords and power cords.

I would also want to consider various amperage requirements for my machines. It isn't smart to run my 110v dust collector on the same 15 amp circuit as my DeWalt planer…but I'm probably stating the obvious there.

Lastly, I would locate the receptacles high off the floor. You don't want to bend over to plug in machines. Plugs are convenient when placed just above the level of the workbench or your stationary tool surfaces.


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## jusfine (May 22, 2010)

Most of it has been covered, but install as many as you can afford, you will never have enough.

It may look like overkill, but it's much better than running cords on the floor you could trip over.

If you can plan out your workspace, put some lower (2' off the floor) and some above counter height, and as suggested, even higher for clocks, cord reels, etc.

All the best!


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

My shop is a stand-alone, and is 2,000 sq.ft. I have 72 wall and ceiling and floor outlets. It has its own meter, and 200 amp service. Wall outlets are every 4 ft. apart, and 4 ft. off the floor. There are 4 outlets in the floor, and the ceiling outlets are all 110. Plenty of 110 and 220 for everything I need. Each one of my big machines like the tablesaws(I have 2 saws), jointer, planer, RAS,chopsaw, dust collector, air compressor…..all are on their own dedicated circuit or wall plugs…..For my shop it is not over-kill….Better to have more than less…...


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

When you start from scratch, the cost of extra outlets is not too bad. Having way too many is always better than not having enough. So go for overkill from the gitgo.


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## dannyfixit (Mar 9, 2011)

Definitely put many in now as its cheaper than doing it later. I really recommend placing a few outlets on the ceiling to cover the center area of the shop. Depending on height, you can leave them as just outlets or put a drop cord in them to bring them into a reachable, but outta the way distance. From there, you can add a short extension if the tool cord is not sufficient.


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## pvwoodcrafts (Aug 31, 2007)

I have a 24×48 shop. 110 outlet every 8 ft and 220 outlet every 8 ft and 15 -120's in the ceiling, one for each 4' florescent light. never wished for an outlet


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## Rick Dennington (Aug 27, 2009)

Just kind of food for thought: You'll probably never have more than one machine plus the dust collector running at the same time. I know I don't, but as an afterthought, if you'll make sure that all your blast gates are closed, except for the one machine you're on, it will save a lot of strain on your d.c, also, and it will work more effeciently. I never run more than one at a time, and it's a good safety factor as well.
Nothing like popping a breaker right in the middle of a cut, or the shop going dark all of a sudden….safety….

And as Barry pointed out, make sure your lights are on a dedicated circuit by themselves, also….mine are..


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## higtron (Jan 26, 2011)

I agree with everyone on as many outlets as you can afford on the walls, I also have two retractable cord reels on the ceiling of my shop, and I love them I hardly ever even roll out a regular extension cord. I bought my retractable cords from Rockler. so think about a couple well placed oulets on the ceiling on the retractable units I bought they come with 30' cords, and the pigtail has three recepticles.


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## agallant (Jul 1, 2010)

There are two thing I have learned from building my own shop.
1. I wish I made the shop bigger
2. I wish I put more outlets in.

I think every 4 feet is a good rule and don't forget the ones on the sealing.

-AG


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## rustfever (May 3, 2009)

'Amen' to the automatic retracting cord reels on the ceiling. I have only two and wish I had at least two more. Another item not talked about is air. Yes, air out lets. A regular air compressor can be located anyplace and patched into a hard plumbed air system. Several ceiling [or wall] mounted air hose reels are very important. An air hose is terrible to trip over and very hard to roll up.


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

Outlets are like clamps…*You Can Never Have Too Many*.


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## jhawkinnc (May 13, 2009)

You should definitely get at least one retractable reel on the ceiling. I purchased one from Home Depot (around $35-$45 I think) and it is the most used outlet in my shop - particularly if you have equipment in the center of the floor plan and not near a wall. Just be careful not to anchor it near a ceiling fan ;-)


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## Gregn (Mar 26, 2010)

I put double outlets every 4' for 120 volt and have 14 single outets on the ceiling and 6 240 volt outets every 8'. It may be over kill but I don't have far to reach to plug something in. I also have a retractable cord reel on the ceiling should there be a need for an extension cord. Its not like you will use them all at once but sure is nice not to have to change plugs around all the time.


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## JamesVavra (Apr 27, 2009)

I built (and wired) my own shop a couple of years ago. It's 20' x 22'. On the three walls without a garage door, I have 3 quad outlets evenly spaced (5-6 feet from the corners/each other). Each of the quads has two separate 20-amp circuits, so the two on the left side of the box are circuit A while the two on the right side are circuit B. Each wall has its own pair of circuits, so there are 6 total. This way, if I need to run multiple large loads from the same outlet (like a tablesaw and dust collector), I can just plug them in next to each other - instead of over/under - and not worry about it.

I also have a quad outlet in the ceiling - one for a garage door opener, one for a retractable 12-gauge extension cord, and one (one a timer switch) for a hanging dust filter. This circuit also has a couple of duplex outlets on the garage door wall, as well as the exterior floodlights.

I have 2 separate lighting circuits (10 incandescent can lights and 8 fluorescents on separate switches) and a separate circuit for the A/C.

All of my receptacle circuits are 12 guage (20 Amp) wire while the lights are 14 (15 Amp).

At this point, I have nothing wired for 220V (except the A/C), but I left the drywall unfinished (just screwed, no tape/mud) so I can get back into it later if I need to.

The retractable extension cord in the ceiling is a must have - makes it the easiest place to plug in anything temporarily, without having to move that stack of lumber/tools/projects that's invariably leaned up against the wall covering the only other wall outlet I need right now.


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

I have a FOURPLEX every 4 feet. Just barely enough.


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## RKW (Dec 17, 2008)

put in as many as you can. I installed 14 in my new shop, and my load center will accomodate alot more if i want to add in the future. The thing to think about is what machines your going to run on each breaker. If your going to install a dust collector i would have it on its own circuit. I ran 3 to 4 outlets per circuit but made sure that any two tools that would run at the same time were on different circuits. If you run any 220 outlets i would not run anything additional on that circuit. 
And like others have said, make sure you keep your lights on a different circuit. If something happens, you dont want to find yourself in the dark. 
If you are only installing 110 outlets, i would use one breaker for my lights, and i would install 4 outlets on the remaing 3 for a total of 12.


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

My grandfather always said, "Little bit good, a whole lot a d### sight better."


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## DamnYankee (May 21, 2011)

My shop is 12' x 20' with a 12' pitch. I have outlets about every 4', but more importantly strategically placed. Along the wall where my workbench is I have about 16' of those outlet strips. Wherever I've put outlets I put four-gain outlets (never have enough outlets). I also have a 30' self-retracting extension cord mounted to the center of the ceiling so I can reachout to anywhere in the shop. I particularly find this helpful when using my ROS and jigsaw as it keeps the cord up and out of the wayy


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## sras (Oct 31, 2009)

A couple other ideas are to place one or two below the bench top. This can allow for built in tools with power from below. If it is an option, consider running a conduit under the floor for routing power to a tool in the middle of your shop.


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## DanSurveyor (Nov 9, 2008)

I love the idea of keeping the lights on a separate circuit and would also keep one or two lights on your "tool" circuit so that if your "light" circuit trips and you are cutting something then you have some light in shop to handle the cut safely. I know not a likely scenario but a possible one (I know its possible….from experience and fortunately it wasnt too dark out so I could still see). Lots of good ideas here guys, my shop needs a power overhaul soon and I will be adopting a lot of your ideas.


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## DamnYankee (May 21, 2011)

I have my major tools (TS, DP, RAS, BS) on one circuit - as I'm the only one that uses my shop, I never have more than one running at a time so no "brown out" (on top of that a buddy of mine is an electrian and has his own shop so he helped me make sure I have plenty of power)
I have my lights on one circuit.
I have my "open" outlets (those waiting to be used such as the continuous outlet strips along the top of my work bench.
I have my "closed" outlets (those continuously in use by battery chargers, intercom system, small refigerator, etc) on one circuit (this way I can turn off all the circuit breakers except the one that runs the chargers and frige).
And then I have a seperate circuit for my A/C, heater, and fan.


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## DamnYankee (May 21, 2011)

I always found I had/have more than enough of them, just not in the right place.

Actually very similar analogy to clams - while generally true you can never have to many, the complete statement about clamps is you can never have to many of the right kind.


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

Keep them high, you want them above whatever cabinets you build so you have power where you need it, not behind the cabinet. Air can be run now before you close the walls up as well. I build shop space with plywood on its side all around and then pegboard (the good 1/4 kind not the thin stuff 1/8) above the plywood. This lets you use all those pegboard hooks the stores throw away all the time.  One man's junk is another man's treasure.

Enjoy your shop.


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