I'm sure alot of guys here know how this is done but I figured I'd post up a little "how too" with a couple pictures since I just finished this myself.

I wanted to extend 60A 240v service out to my garage from my house so the wire I had to use was 6/3 AWG.

At the box inside the garage you will see the #6 wire comming in the bottom of the box. The red and black wires are the hot (120v each) wires, white is the common and the bare wire is ground. You do not need the common wire if you are running only your welder off the circuit, only both hots and the bare ground wire. But since I am also powering everything in my garage from this box the common must be used. (one hot wire, common and ground used for all 120v lights, std outlets, equipment...etc..)

So anyways, back to my 2 hot wires. In a 120v/ 240v box there will always be 2 hot "lugs". This is where you attach your hot wires. Below them is your insulated common buss bar. This is where the big white wire goes. Below that is the bar attached directly to the box. This is your ground bar.

So now your ready to start putting in breakers and wiring. By using a breaker on only one of the hot lug spots you will have 120v. Simply install your breaker and attach a black wire to the set screw on the end of it. Run your white wire from the common bar and your ground from the ground bar.

Now for my 240v welder circuit I used a 50A double pole breaker. This strattles one of the dividers in between 2 of your hot lug spots. Attach your two hot wires to the set screws on the breakers and the ground wire to the ground bar. Run these wires to your receptical.




The half round pin is the ground, it doesn't matter which hot wire goes where in a single phase 240v circuit.





Installation is basically the same in the house except I used a 60A breaker.

 

cool. ill do it next summer when i buy bigger machines.

 

awesome writeup

 

Lucky, I just got an estimate for 4,000 just to run a 240v outlet and upgrade my panel. Nice write up though.

 

nice write up. did the same in my garage for welder, compressor, etc.

again nice work.

 

cool,nice little write up...i hope you dont have that inspected...where im from...that wouldnt come close to code

 

Where might this be? Interior wiring doesn't need conduit.

 

Wouldnt pass anything over here either. Heres our electricals in the garage

Breakerbox


Red socket is for 400V, others are all 230.

 

that 6/3 should have been "strapped" within 1 foot of the sub panel that you added. also those individual conductors zip tied together should have been ran in 6/3. that will not pass inspection.

 

theres no staples anywhere and if your going to run 6 stranded, it would have to be piped. it'll work though

 

thx for the writeup

 

Sorry for not clairifying guys, this write up was just ment to detail how to wire it up. Not how it should be installed according to code

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by legendboy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Sorry for not clairifying guys, this write up was just ment to detail how to wire it up. Not how it should be installed according to code </TD></TR></TABLE>



on a side note, if you just did that little simple 6/3 SER cable and stapled stuff you wont have to change it down the road when you sell the house. it will have to be up to code when selling. just some food for thought.

 

the only thing i have to do to bring it up to code is put the 3 wires in conduit. I already have staples in (now) i may do it before i finish the wall

canada has quite different building code then the usa

 

just curious whats the average price this will run someone. Thanks

 

i spent around 400 canadian. the outdoor wire was the most expensive part at 9.50/m and needing 22m it added up. breakers were 35 each too.

 

Main difference off the bat is your wiring is exposed over the wall surface. The wiring the OP posted would be covered when drywall or similar goes up. This stuff does not need to be in conduit. Anything ran through walls and whatnot doesn't need to be in conduit unless exposed to the elements, or above the surface of the wood. If he just stapled it to the front of all the 2x4's instead of drilling inbetween there would be a problem

The wiring I just installed in my garage this spring streches about 70 feet, and in total ran me about 400 total. I had an electrian do the conduit and whatnot that ran outside the house to make sure that was up to code, and I didn't have a conduit bender and a drillbit that was 3 feet long to drill into my house .

The wire I used was 10-3, and was about 55 cents a foot. Only needed a 30 amp circuit, so it is fine for my needs. In my garage, even though I didn't need to , it is all in sealed conduit with compression fittings to seal out water. I have a fused box in the basement before the run, and then a 30 amp breaker in the garage at the end of the run. Kinda want all out on it because I am a paranoid fool

 

I thought there was something in the code about having to use non-metallic conduit or something? I don't recall what exactly though, since I don't actually have a copy of the code, and it's friggin' expensive to get it. I don't see why if the code is required by law, and produced by a non-profit organization, they charge over 100 bucks to get the code...

I'm planning on using some 2" plastic conduit out of the house to the garage, buried 24" underground, so I can run single strands if I want, but I think I'll just use some 6-3+gnd or 8-3+gnd, I don't recall what I've got sitting at home. We really don't need anything over 30A, but the circuit in the house (the old electric oven circuit, before we went to gas) is a 40A I believe, and we're using a 50A in the garage as a disconnect, since the overcurrent protection is in the main in the house.

My intention is to do it myself, but within code, so if it ever does need to get inspected, it will pass. Anyone know of a download location for the NFPA/NEC code that you don't have to pay through the nose for?

--sarge

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1 2 NV &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">that 6/3 should have been "strapped" within 1 foot of the sub panel that you added. also those individual conductors zip tied together should have been ran in 6/3. that will not pass inspection. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually its 6 inches, and every 4 feet after that .

What do you mean by 'also those individual conductors zip tied together should have been ran in 6/3' You cant run RW90 in '6/3'

1" PVC pipe would have worked , or even some 6/3 Romex since its alot easier to work with (or BX if steel studs used)

Oh and for code you also need a disconnect in the garage or to avoid doing this backfeed though a breaker.

But who cares, board over it and forget about it.


And the guy about the code book. 2" is way too big, You could fit 4 runs of 250 MCM in there. Run 1 1/4" (for earthquake protection) Or just 1". Dont pull a 6/3 wire though there.. Use T90 (individual wires) much cheaper.

Goodluck!

 

I found a gov't site with all of the code laid out that you might have to deal with. Most of it is common sense. Different conduit has a purpose in different areas. Solid plastic conduit is best underground where constant moisture might rust out even galvanized pipe. Another way is to just use no conduit at all, and use the proper sleeved underground wiring to begin with. Cheaper in the end, and is made to work underground.

Personally for me whenever I run into a thing that might make me think "is this the right way", I give my uncle a jingle and ask him about it. He has been doing various electrical work for longer than I have been alive, so its all good in the end

Primary things that might get you raped dealing with code if done wrong is using the wrong form of conduit, incorrect conduit couplers if outside (using non-compression for instance), and most of all using the incorrect wire or too small of gauge for the amperage of the line.

 

i would have used the term "romex" but thats a brand. he could have also used a SER cable with 6/3 in it which is like romex just wrapped with a different sheathing.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by own6volvos &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I found a gov't site with all of the code laid out that you might have to deal with. </TD></TR></TABLE>

could you post a link to that site? I'd be interested to know if the way I am doing mine meets code.

 

make sure you phase tape the white wire black , so they know its hot , how far is your sub panel from the main panel?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 90blackcrx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Lucky, I just got an estimate for 4,000 just to run a 240v outlet and upgrade my panel. Nice write up though. </TD></TR></TABLE>

For that type of money you are better off buying a 200dx or TA 185 and running it off a dryer outlet with an extension.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by civiccrx21 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">make sure you phase tape the white wire black , so they know its hot , how far is your sub panel from the main panel?</TD></TR></TABLE>

If "they" don't know or can't figure that out, then "they" shouldn't be even in the box or outlet messing with the wires.