Running Power To Detached Shed ...

I know this has been done to death but, just want to make sure that I headed in the right direction. O.K. I'm building a 12x16 shed and need to know what size wire to use. I plan on having lights, saws, mini fridge, deep freeze, air compressor and maybe a small a/c unit in the summer. I plan on having everything on different circuits like lights on 15A, fridge and freezer on 20A, have plugs on bench on 20A, air compressor on 20A, and mini a/c on 20A. I plan on using romex 14/2 for 15A and 12/2 for 20A. With sub panel http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical-...&storeId=10051 or something like it. My shed is about 30' from the meter loop. So, what size wire do I use from the meter loop 6/2????? Do I need to use a ground rod at the shed? Thanks for looken!!!!!
      

Tearing out a wall cabinet uncovered a hole in the wall which I think I can install an outlet on.  The problem is that the ground wires are to short to pull out far enough to attach to the outlet.



However, the box in the wall is metal, so there should still be an path to the ground from the outlet right?  Or is there something special about the green screw on the outlet which makes that the only safe spot to attach the ground to?



box I uncovered:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-v...s538/photo.jpg



fuzzy picture of the inside of the box showing the ground being attached to metal box:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-B...303_154810.jpg



The outlet I want to install... (although I dont know how to pick the right outlet based on the limited info on the wiring I have, so any help with that would also be appreciated):

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical-...&storeId=10051
      

I am running power about 180 feet to power a 60A subpanel in an outbuilding. I am expecting to use 2-2-2-4 AL. The run is underground for about 150', and the balance through crawlspace and basement to the panel. My question is: can I use a sheathed cable such as SEU in the conduit so I can simply continue (unconduited) under the house, or do I have to run URD in the conduit to a juction box and change to a sheathed cable to run under the building?  Or can i run URD in the conduit under the house to the panel (this would be less preferred). Thanks
      

I raised a shed and disconnected the wiring from the main building to the shed. Now it's a month later and it's time to hook the power back up. From the main building I have power into the shed with a white, black, red and copper wire. Originally the power went into the outside light fixture and then off of that it went to another light and two outlets. The original confiruation allowed of us to turn the shed's outside light on and off, from a switch inside the main building. With the power off to the light, we still had power to the outlets and internal light. The outside light fixture has black and white wires. The wire to the internal light and the outlets has a black, white, and copper wire. So how do I wire this so that the main building switch can control the outside light on the shed, while still having power to the internal light and outlets, regardless of the switch being on or off? (I wired the internal blacks and whites all together, which just ended up with the outside light always being on.)
      

Hi guys. I'm Dan, and I'm in Knoxville, TN. I know running power to a shed is a very common topic here. I've been doing tons of reading and feel pretty comfortable with the requirements, but I have two questions I haven't been able to find a clear answer to.



First, my situation: I'm having a 10x16 shed built in my backyard, to be used primarily as a woodshop. I need more than a single circuit, so I know I need a subpanel and two grounding rods at least 6' apart, bonded to the subpanel with #6 bare copper wire.



My house has 200 amp service, and the main panel is in the garage at the opposite corner of the house from where the shed will go, so it would be pretty inconvenient to run a feeder from, there. But there's an existing 100 amp subpanel in the basement, presumably installed when the previous owner finished the basement. I'll be running a 60 amp feeder from that subpanel to the shed.



My total run will be something like 75', so I'm running #6 THWN for the two hots and neutral, and #10 THWN for the ground. I plan to bury it in 1.25" schedule 40 PVC, buried 18" deep.



My first question relates to how I need to run the wire when it's not underground. The basement is finished with a drop ceiling, so I plan to run the feeder across the drop ceiling, out of the house, down to the ground (it's a walk-out basement), then underground the 26' to the shed. I assume it still needs to be in conduit for at least the part that runs up the wall of the house. But what about inside, when it runs through the drop ceiling to the panel? Does it need to be in conduit for the whole run? Or would I just staple the four wires to the joists or something?



The other question relates to the trench. I've got a rain gutter downspout that discharges right at where the shed will soon be, so I'm running a 40' length of 4" PVC to pipe that water past the shed. It will be buried just about 6-12", just enough to run under the shed. Can I run the power conduit in the same trench (obviously, deeper)? Presumably I'd dig the 18" trench to the shed, lay the schedule 40, then add a few inches of dirt to bring it up to about 12" deep, and extend the trench past the shed at that depth, then lay the 4" drain pipe and backfill. Or do I need to dig two separate trenches? Is there a rule about how far apart they need to be if so?



If anyone sees any other flaws or concerns with my plan, please do speak up, I want to do this right. Thanks!



Dan
      

Okay, I am fairly new to wiring but its not the wiring I am wondering about.  It is running the wires.  I have 2 rooms in my house, 2 story and an attic, on the main floor that doesn't have any overhead lighting, only can use floor or table lamps right now.  The ceilings are about 10 feet tall.  There are outlets in the room so I do have power I can tap into for the lighting, but how do I go about running the wires up into the ceiling?  I do know I have to cut the hole for the lighting but will i have to put cut flaps in the drywall where ever there is a brace to drill holes to run the wires.  I am going to go from the middle of the ceiling straight back to the wall and then down to the switch that I will put in and then down to the outlet to tap into for the power.  I am just trying to do this the easiest way to minimize any drywall repair that will be needed.  Any help or suggestions from anyone is greatly appreciated and if you have questions please ask and I willl try to answer them.
      

I am installing a new shed and redirecting an existing electrical line from an old shed to the new shed.  There is a GFI receptical (non-outlet type) in a weather-proof metal box attached to the house that is fed by a dedicated line from the circuit breaker box.



I never paid much attention to why the lighting in the old shed never worked until I decided on getting a new shed.  This weekend I went out with my multimeter to test the line and load sides of the GFI recepticle and measured only about 12 volts on both sides. (I did test the multimeter on some inside outlets and measured 120 volts).



I tried many times to reset the GFI without success.



Is the GFI bad?  Is it normal for a bad GFI to measure such low voltage on both the line and load sides?



Thanks for your help.
      

First off im in So Cal. and a few months back my pool equipment stoped working after a rain storm. I have an underground conection that is accseible through a plastic box in the concrete. There is a water proof box there that housed the wiring as it runs from 220 breaker underground to the pool equip., I opened it to find it full of water. The short burned the wiring some where under some 60 feet of cement. I forgot to mention the wiring in existing conduit will not pull through have tried several times even as despreate as a come-along.



Ive had an electrician and Genral contractor both look at it and both said wiring is fried, but im looking for advice on my two options.



1st is cutting a trench in the cement about 60 to 70 feet from circuit breaker to pool equipment. Then using conduit the whole lenght like it was previously but no under ground box. Just two connections breacker & pool Equip.



2nd option the breaker is near my atic. run power from breaker through the house atic to where pops out on the other side of the house. would be about 50 feet through atic and about another 50 feet of conduit 25 above ground attached to eves and 25 below ground to pool equipment. This is a similar route as the gas line to pool equipment they will come out of atic about 20 feet apart then eventually follow similar path is this a problem?? I was told to use 12-3 Romex?? Suggestions on which route to take would be great. Atic is clearly easyer but concerend with closeness to gas line. Thanks before hand for the help
      

Hello All,

Hopefully I am posting this in the correct forum!

I am new to the forum and I have a question I would like to pose.

I am trying to make an extension cable for my telescope hand control.

I have had good results with the 25' length  but it is to short . So I made another one 50' in length but it give me connection error codes. The cable is correct as it worked for a while .I am using an rj12 6pin connector with cat5 cable(24awg). The power supply is 12V DC with 2.5 amps running on house AC.

The question is: If I put a different power supply on that is 12v DC using 5.0 amps will the increase in amperage effect the DC current flow?



Thanks,

Don
      

We had a pipe disconnect above the downstairs bathroom and the ceiling just about came down, so I decided since it was a hedious looking space, that it was a sign from the gods: Reno time!



Im now at the wiring stage. Originally there was a junction box with a light fixture out one side and a single pole switch(no ground screw...grnd wire attached to the box)on  the other. Typical set up: white from switch marked "hot" or "black" at both ends, and spliced with the incoming power's black wire. Then remaining blacks are spliced together as are the remaining whites... grounded accordingly.



What Im trying to do now is add a GFCI receptical to the mix. But Im having some trouble figuring it all out. NOTE: light fixture is not installed yet, just the wire for it with the ends capped off with a wire nut on each of the wires (Wht/Black/Grnd)



First, whats in the walls: Circuits on a 15 AMP fuse with older (but not the oldest) 12/2 wire with a blue weaved fiber outside cover. Still looks to be in great shape. I've continued using newer, yellow (Lomex or Romex?) 12/2 from homedepot as I've read that you should not mix 14 and 12 together.

All that is on the cicuit is 3 pot lights with 65w bulbs, single bulb on the stairway and what ever goes in the bathroom, so from my math, there should be plenty of room left on the circuit.



What I've tried so far:

A: I spliced the "hot"/"black" white wire from the switch to the incoming power's black, like before. Then I spliced all remaining blacks together with a wire nut, then the same with all remaining whites and then all grounds (did not attach any grnd wire to the Junction box).



Result, Nothing. After switching on the power, I tested the GFCI with a voltage tester as well as the switch and got no read.



B: Undid everything, re-spliced all like to like: all blck together, all white together..etc.



Result: Fuse trips.



Im no electrician, which I imagine is blatantly obvious from the above post, but I am following a Homedepot wiring manual, its just that what Im trying to do is not really addressed in the book... at least not directly. So I've been trying to figure it out by reading every single page, but Im still at a loss.



I've attached a very basic diagram of what is there right now. Any advice would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

John