Electric heat is about as effective (and expensive) as simply setting fire to a stack of dollar bills, plus it will SIGNIFICANTLY increase the current requirements to the point that you may not have sufficient capacity at the main panel to support that plus the house. You need to figure out how much current you need for everything you plan to use, then size the breaker and wiring accordingly. You need to run a sub panel off your main panel at the house. I'm not sure why you think you must run overhead wires, you don't. Less money to go larger in the long run versus changing later or not being able to supply your needs in the future. 100 should be minimum for putting in a new panel but consider 200A. Put in the largest panel you can afford or service. Going to have lights? Heat? Compressor? You already said welder. Because later you expand, add this, add that. That's what most electricians will tell you. Then comes the liability and lawsuit.Īs for 100A service being enough - it's never enough. It can also come up if ever an injury to someone (even after you sell too) and the cause is investigated and found to be not installed with a permit. Not being to code can come up when you sell the property. All that means is your not going to get caught. Whoever said you "don't have to because you are in the county" is not someone I'd hire. Not doing things to code can bite you later. And if it is it might not be much more but it is worth it. It makes their job easier to run new wire down the pole from the transformer to your shop.Īs mentioned above it's best to hire a good knowledgeable electrician to do the hookups.Ī lot of times it is not more $ to do it to code. If you run a new service from the existing transformer -pole be aware that some electrical companies require that your conduit be one size larger than the minimum required by code. Larger breakers and wire connections require the connectors be fastened with a torque wrench.And I always dig the trench deeper than minimum required and then bury an identifier tape about a foot above the wire-conduit. too much load on one set of lugs will damage-burn the contacts. directly across from your added 100 amp shop breaker. You will not want your 50 amp breaker for stove, water heater, ac, etc. Your house electrical panel has specifications on breaker placement. Every since then I run one size larger conduit and at least one size larger wire than minimum. When some one was welding and the air compressor kicked on the lights would Dim. I used the Numbers from the elect code and ran the minimum size wire allowed per code. In the 80's I built a 2 story 24 X 48 Barn-shop. The other end of the cable would connect to a 125 amp breaker panel at the shop. For example, if you put a 100 amp breaker at your house, you would probably want to run at least a 1/0 awg copper cable which has an ampacity of 125 amps. If you use aluminum, the cable size will need to increase and you should use special grease to terminate each end of the cable. You can use copper or aluminum, but copper is easier to terminate at the breaker. If the cable is rated for underground use, you can direct bury it without a conduit. You will probably want to use a cable that is rated for underground use such as type UF. You can find ampacity tables on the web by searching for "ampacity table". I had a compressor and lights in my shop. I think I added a 100 amp breaker and ran an underground feeder with an ampacity greater than the breaker rating. I had a shop several years ago where I did this. The breaker size will depend on how much load you plan to operate at the same time. I would add a 2 pole circuit breaker in the panel at the house to feed the shop. I was stumped and said "Oh shoot! I'll just ask the hotrodders"!!! I would like to do the majority of work myself (trench and lay conduit/wire) and leave the hook up to an electrician. I am planning on running a compressor, maybe a welder ect. I have no clue what size wire is coming in from transformer. From there, I would need to run another 200 ft run to shop. I have a pole with a transformer on it about 50 feet away from house connecting to my box. They say it's just the same as running above except they'll charge me 1,500 per pole x3 poles. So I have elect company come out and they say since we are out in the country, there is no need for code and to run it underground. I have had a master electrician come out and tell me I can run if off the box on the house or have electric company put a new pole and meter. I am trying to run electricity to a barn/shed I'm about to start building.
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