# Adding new electrical circuits to the shop



## nwbusa (Feb 21, 2012)

I have my new cabinet saw set up in my garage/shop, with no power to run it! Of course I knew that when I bought it, and the plan was to add a couple of 240V 30A circuits (plenty of room in the panel). When I called the city to inquire about a permit, I found out that as a homeowner I'm not allowed to perform this work because we rent out a basement suite. Anyway, the long and short of it is that I have to hire a licensed contractor to add the circuits.

Which gets to the substance of my post. I have two existing 120V 15A circuits in the garage now that run the lights, freezer, and central vac. I was thinking of adding two 240V 30A circuits and two 120V 20A circuits which would be dedicated to my tools. Does that sound about right for a single man hobby shop? So far, the only 240V machine I have is the TS (3 hp) but I will be adding more machines (bandsaw, bigger d/c, and maybe a jointer). All of my other equipment runs on 120V right now.

I'm a bit choked that I have to pay someone to do this work but that's the way the cookie crumbles. I don't want to risk doing it myself without a permit and have it bite me down the road.


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## rum (Apr 28, 2011)

only on the 240v side.

Consider that a licensed electrician is unlikely to run multiple outlets for 240V circuits so you may need to unplug/replug machines. Depending on what your panel looks like it might be easier to run one extension circuit and a sub panel and then add a handful of circuits while you're there just so

The main machine you would want a dedicated circuit for would be the dust collector, so I'd budget for at least one dedicated plug for that.

The rest depends on how much you want to shuffle plugs on machines.


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## nwbusa (Feb 21, 2012)

Yeah, I did want a couple of outlets on each circuit. It's a 400 sq ft garage, and the panel is right there. I have the electrician coming by tomorrow, so I'll see what he is willing to do.


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## lumberjoe (Mar 30, 2012)

Electric is next on the list for me. My garage is detached so I only want to do this once. Fortunately I have some experience pulling cable to code, so I will be doing that part. I will have an electrician terminate the wire and "bless" it to satisfy homeowners insurance. I am going to be doing the following:

Sub-pannel in garage.
120v for overhead lighting and 2 outlets
Dedicated 120v - 2 outlets
Dedicated 120v - 4 outlets
Dedicated 240v on one side
Dedicated 240v on the other side

I am going to color code the 120V outlets to ensure I don't use the same one on two tools. It is rare I will run more than 2 tools at the same time - a tool and dust collection of some sort. If so I have the lighting circuit which will only have 3 double tube fluorescent on it. A hand sander or other low amperage power tool will run fine. Actually any one of my power tools should run fine considering my garage is currently all on ONE circuit that is shared with the entire second floor of my house. The only tool that gives me trouble is my air compressor. It will kick the breaker if it cycles. I have to fill it, then run it til empty before filling again.

Other than my table saw, I don't have any 240v tools. I don't plan on buying any more stationary tools either. I am adding the outlet in case I change my shop around, or in case I get a big electric heater


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## MonteCristo (May 29, 2012)

Your 3 HP TS should run on a 15A 220V circuit. I used 20A just to be safe, but I would say 30A is overkill unless you figure on a big planer or similar.


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## nwbusa (Feb 21, 2012)

If the electrician won't install multiple outlets for the 240V circuits then I'll probably go with 20A instead of 30A. I don't think I'll end up with any 5 HP machines. I need to upgrade my lighting to, but I thin I can switch out the existing 4' T8 fixtures for 8 footers and it will be sufficient.


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## TheCaptain (Feb 3, 2013)

Lumberjoe is right on track - pull all the circuits yourself. Just verify the wire sizes first. Even wire the receptacles but leave them exposed so that your electrician can give that his blessing before you put them into the boxes.


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## nwbusa (Feb 21, 2012)

I guess I wasn't clear enough in my original post. I can't pull the wire myself because in my city, they won't issue an electrical permit to homeowners who have a rental suite in their house. Maybe it's different in other municipalities, but here you need a permit before any of the work is commenced. I could do the entire job myself if I wasn't concerned about the permit.


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## TheCaptain (Feb 3, 2013)

Is there anything against collaborating with your electrician after the permit is issued?


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## nwbusa (Feb 21, 2012)

That's a good question. I'll ask the contractor when he comes by tomorrow. Maybe I can save a few bucks by doing the grunt work myself. I know some electricians don't want to do half the job, they want to control the quality (and price) for the whole thing. It won't hurt to ask, though. Thanks for the advice!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

*I know some electricians don't want to do half the job, they want to control the quality (and price) for the whole thing.* ......... AND THEIR LIABILITY EXPOSURES.


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## nwbusa (Feb 21, 2012)

True enough, Topa. And I don't have a problem with that at all. If I was in their shoes and my butt was on the line, I'd probably have the same policy.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

I had an insurance company try to collect $100,000 from me to cover their loss on a fire. Fortunately, the fire marshal did a good job of investigation and documentation. Someone put a penny behind a fuse after I was done and inspected. That was an interesting eye opening experience!


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## Knothead62 (Apr 17, 2010)

"Someone put a penny behind a fuse after I was done and inspected" 
Who did that?
Ditch the fuse box and install breakers. I did this in a house many years ago. The box was only for 90 amps! We kept blowing the cartridge fuses because we have more appliances that the original residents. A friend and I installed a 150 amp box and divided up some of the circuits.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Probably one of the tenants. Slum-lords don't spend money on new electrical panels. All available funds are appropriated to a new Cadillac, Hawaiian vacations, ect.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

I just inspected a home being bought by a slum lord. They had actually installed a new panel (I believe it was done by a professional too!) but they didn't spend anything on the plumbing. The top half of the cast iron waste line was broken out and it appeared to overflow…..often.


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## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

Hmmm. Questions for those of you in the know.

When I moved I pulled the 220v circuit from the fusebox that ran to my dual phase Delta Uni. I took LOTS of picture when I did it. It's the kind of breaker that just snaps in and out on the blades.

QUESTION. Can I install this again myself? I took detailed pictures to make sure I know where teach wire needed to be attached and in what order. Seriously, it didn't seem like that big a deal. I tried to be very careful in the detail, NOT being electrically inclined.

Am I missing something I really should know?

Thanks!

Milo


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## teejk (Jan 19, 2011)

if the wiring wasn't touched the breakers do literally "snap in and out". Turn the breaker to the off position first and avoid touching anything that looks like metal! If you are uncomfortable and don't mind resetting all the clocks and other electronic devices in your house, take a flashlight, shut off the main breaker and then snap it in.

as for the OP, you are most likely going to get a "trip charge" from your sparky. if you are confident in your wiring size and placement, seems to me that no permit is required to simply run a few wires on your own if you don't connect them to anything. if you get any hassle, tell them that it's art!


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## nwbusa (Feb 21, 2012)

Just had the electrician out. He's going to run two dedicated 240V 20A circuits for me, as well as two additional 120V 20A circuits with multiple outlets. He's only charging me $40/hr and materials cost +10% which is more than fair. He's off to get the permit and the materials. So I should be up and running soon!


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## teejk (Jan 19, 2011)

nwbusa…not a bad deal if you don't keep an inventory of electrical stuff (I do). A few trips to the hardware store at $3.50/gallon and retail prices can add up! plus you get the permit (my experience has been that even if you did everything the same you'll get a sign-off with a licensed pro). that's not to say you can't offer to help him though to cut down his time.


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## toolie (Mar 16, 2011)

*When I moved I pulled the 220v circuit from the fusebox that ran to my dual phase Delta Uni.*

what is a "dual phase delta uni"?

as far as the single phase 220v breaker is concerned, it can be reinstalled, provided it is the same style/brand as the new panel and that it's mounting clips are consistent with the new panel.


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## Milo (Apr 24, 2009)

Eh Toolie, sometimes my mind wanders and I get things confused…..


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## kdc68 (Mar 2, 2012)

*Milo*..I've read your post and you "signature" so perhaps a cold one is in order for you….lol
-Beer, Beer, Thank God for Beer. It's my way of keeping my mind fresh and clear…


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