Shop wiring

+1 on running conduit around the shop from a new sub panel. Put as many outlets as you like. Actually, put more outlets than you need. They will all get used! I did this when I added 220 3Phase outlets hither and yon from an RPC -after I wired 200 amp subpanel, 110 and 220 single phase then sheet rocked and painted my shop.

Second thing, cut the sheet rock and install your new panel and wiring! Sheetrock is only an illusion of a wall. It's nothing to patch and mud then paint over. Particularly if you need a better panel, need to run new wiring up to the ceiling from the panel. This is your optimum long term solution. Most stud walls are 16" centers-some 24". No matter. A long thin slice of Sheetrock will cover over your upgrade in nothing flat!:grin big:

Glenn
 
Tq, I thought about drilling top plate for new wire with the long spade drill bit , last time I did that it hit a nail and that was the end of it. I might try to use a demning drill in a right angle drill from the top and run a new circuit ? Iits pretty thin up there at the wall I can't fit anymore,
do have a couple extra slots in panel.
Thanks
 
Looks like this may have been already answered, but I will weigh in.

14Gauge copper wire can actually handle 20A no problem, but the NEC (electrical code) has limited it to a max OCPD (breaker) size of 15A. This is known as the small conductor rule.

They also limit 12AWG to 20A and 10AWG to 30A under the same section. There are some 'loopholes' in this such as with welders and such, but in general it is a no-no.

Also, a common misconception is that you need 20A receptacles on a 20A circuit. That is actually incorrect. A 20A circuit can have either 20A or 15A receptacles (or any combination you like). To get UL listing all 15A receptacles need to be able to handle 20A passthru current, so they are safe to use on 20A circuits. I generally use 15A duplex receptacles on my 20A circuits as they are a bit cheaper and it is rare nowadays to see anything that actually has a 20A plug on it.

The only time a 20A circuit absolutely needs a 20A receptacle is if it is a 20A circuit with a single receptacle on it. When you only have one receptacle (as in not even a duplex receptacle, but a single receptacle) you need the receptacle to match the circuit.

So yes, to be compliant with the NEC you would need to change the breaker/fuse on that 14AWG circuit to 15A.

Sounds like whomever wired this to begin with undersized stuff per NEC.
 
Also, for dropping cords from the ceiling the cord reels mentioned above work great. I am not a fan of them for permanent gear like feeding a stationary saw, but they work great as extension cords. The reason I dont like them to feed stationary gear is they have 40' of cord in them and you only end up using 10 feet for your equipment.


If you ave stationary equipment you want to feed from the ceiling you just need a ceiling box and drop some SOOW or SJOOW cord of the proper length. Use a strain relief like this http://www.garvinindustries.com/con...tors/cg50350?gclid=CJDboLvP-tECFciNswod3X4CUw. Put a metal junction box in the ceiling, put a cover on it with a 1/2" knockout hole, and use the strain relief and you have a nice fixed pendant cord.

They are great for feeding lathes, table saws, mills, and other stationary gear with as little voltage drop as possible.

Again, if you want an extension cord that you can retract then use what the others recommended above. I highly recommend cord reels from Reelcraft. They are fantastic, but they are very very expensive. Worth every penny IMHO though. They wear like iron, last forever, always retract even in cold weather when the cord is stiff, and they are available in 12AWG.
 
If your roof is comp shingles you can remove a couple and make an access hole above wall Rhee cover with sheet metal and place roof parts back in place.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk
 
Thanks abrace good info to know for future projects, to late for this one though .
turns out the rv outlet is10-2 awg so that's what I used for 3 quad boxs with 20amp receptacles
Two down walls with conduit from junction box up top and one in ceiling about in center of shop.
Guess I could of gone cheaper and easier, going to check on a 20 amp gfi breaker,
should of bought stock in Home Depot
The top plate is unacceptable unless my arms were eight feet long as the roof doesn't have enough pitch to get to it
 
Is the 50A 220V receptacle that is there a 2 wire or 3 wire? In other words, does it have a neutral?

If this is a detached garage, I would suggest avoiding the AFCI/GFCI combination breakers. I have had bad luck with them with power tools. Go with a GFCI breaker, or swap the first receptacle out in the chain with a GFCI receptacle (usually cheaper).
 
220 is two wire, gona wait on the gfi breaker for now , each quad box is wired individually and tied into junction box up in attic ,so a gfi plug won't do it , I'll get a gfci breaker soon
Thanks
 
Instead of surface mount conduit, check out Wiremold 3000. I used it in my shop and it is easy to add additional outlets now and in the future where ever you want in both 120v and 220v.
 
All circuits working as intended , if I need to add more circuits in the future the wiremold sounds good
Thanks all for the advice
 
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