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Putting a sub panel in a workshop. Only going to use lights and recepticals, no welding or high amp tools. I have run 20amp wiring through out the shop. I have a dedicated line just for lights which there will be 4 over heads. I have 10 outlets. My question is this, I think I didn’t get the right wire from the house to the sub box. I got 12/2 w ground so I was going to use both the white and black wire as hots from a dual 20amp breaker in the main house box to the shop using direct burial wire. I am still a bit confused on the use of a neutral wire. Do I need to run one from the main box to the sub panel?. I had planned to drive a grounding rod by the shop and use that. Do I need to ground the wire from the main to the shop. I thought I had this all figured out but suddenly I wasn’t sure. Thanks for any help
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So basically those who bring in the power feed and connect directly to a breaker is really doing it wrong? Makes sense. I’ll use the breaker on the main box as my shutoff to my shop and hook up my feeder power as you would as a main box. Two hots going to the main lugs and neutral going to a neutral bar. Thanks
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I have noticed over many videos that there are some that will connect the incoming power, two hots, neutral and ground to their respective connections like how power comes into the main box and there are two big lugs at the top. I have also seen some just bring it into the sub panel and connect directly to a breaker. You basically have two breakers, one at the main panel and the other at the sub panel. Is this acceptable? My sub panel does have a two hot in connectors along with a neutral one. Not sure if this is the box I should have gotten, it was suggested to me at Lowes. Could I just put in a 30a breaker and power the buss bars from there and just bypass the big connectors without replacing the box itself or go buy a different one. Thanks again
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Sorry for the delay. Having a site issue. See a subpanel should be 240 volts, that’s why two hots. But what you’re asking me is against code and I really can’t say that online. So anyway, just watch my sub-panel video. I show everything in the video.
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Will it work, yes it will. I know that wire isn’t cheap, but bigger is better in this case. I mean geez I’ve done it myself when I needed to power up something LOL.
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Thanks. I guess I didn’t make it clear. I would like to run 10ga from the main box to the sub panel box in the shop. Then run 12ga in the shop for lights and plugs. Does this sound better? Not sure if I can afford 8ga for that distance. Would that be enough to power the items that I want, lights once in awhile and maybe a table saw once in awhile. I have looked at 10/3 for a “feeder” source .
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The shop is about 150′ from main panel. I know I will get a slight drop with more distance. So 12ga is still too small even for running a few lights once in awhile? I can still run 12ga wire throughout the shop? Is 10ga the wire I would need? Can you run a separate neutral wire by itself through conduit to make up for that loss of an extra wire? I have read so many articles that indicated 12ga would be OK for what I needed so now I am reconsidering my approach.Thanks
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YOu can only use 12 wire inside the shop, not to power the sub-panel in the shop. Not even close. You have to use the wire I told you or don’t do it. This is something you don’t want to learn the hard way.
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Yeah, #12 wire is too small. It really depends on how far you’re going. You only need a separate grounding rod if your shop isn’t connected to your house. You MUST have a neutral wire.