Another electrical question from a novice

[Mike Nguyen]

Hi,
So I pulled the wires 3 wires through the 1/2" EMT for the 110V and use the 4 wire MC cable for 220V as seen in the picture here. They are all 12ga wires and the breakers will be 20A so I think I am good up to this point. Here's my question. The sub panel is flush to the wall and it's a finished garage. How do I go about to get these wires through the wall compliance to codes. Or is it better just to hire an electrical contractor to do the rest of the work?
Thank you.
Mike

[roger oldre]

mc can be surface mount or burried in the construction. cut a slot in the wall board where you want to enter the box and terminate the MC. with the preinstalled termination feed the wires through you chosen knock out and secure it in the knockout by whatever means is called for by the box adapter. run the wires to the proper points and fill in the slot with some mesh and some speed (setting) mud. sand and paint to match.

[Chris Friesen]

Get a deep junction box and half bury it in the wall above the panel. Conduit connects to the box in front of the drywall, conductors feed into the panel within the wall. You likely need conduit between the box and panel, or if it's allowed where you live you could switch to romex within the wall.

[Julie Moriarty]

Before answering your question, I would need to know your local code. Some codes require any exposed romex needs to be in conduit. But I have seen some homes where romex was exposed and it passed code. Call your electrical inspector and ask or get a hold of your local electrical code. Sometimes they just say, "We follow the NEC", and then it's simple. No one can answer a code question without first knowing your local code.

[joe milana]

Get a deep junction box and half bury it in the wall above the panel. Conduit connects to the box in front of the drywall, conductors feed into the panel within the wall. You likely need conduit between the box and panel, or if it's allowed where you live you could switch to romex within the wall.

Gets my vote for your best solution, but get 10 electricians in a room, and you may get 10 different answers. Keep in mind that there are likely wires behind that drywall above the panel, so it may be crowded. Pull the drywall from the whole stud bay above the panel so you have room to work, mount your box, patch the drywall, and finish your wiring. Easy, shmeasy japaneasy...

Roger, your solution would work as well, but there is EMT in the equation as well. Might be a bit of a bending challenge and not look as nice. Just sayin'...

[Mike Nguyen]

Before answering your question, I would need to know your local code. Some codes require any exposed romex needs to be in conduit. But I have seen some homes where romex was exposed and it passed code. Call your electrical inspector and ask or get a hold of your local electrical code. Sometimes they just say, "We follow the NEC", and then it's simple. No one can answer a code question without first knowing your local code.
Not sure if this help determining the codes but here's a picture I took when the house was built back in 2005 and they used romex inside the wall.
Mike
276295

[Mike Nguyen]

Thanks for all your suggestions. I think I am going with Rogers suggestion and will use a short piece of flex tube to connect the 1/2" EMT so I don't have to bend it.
Mike

[Julie Moriarty]

No, I can't tell you what your local code is but if this all passed inspection I'd say there's a pretty good chance you can drop plain romex in the wall to the panel. The thing I don't know is what your codes are about making that transition. Some require a box to be installed tight to the wall and a bushing to be installed in the knockout that the romex will pass through as it enters into the wall cavity. Some places give you some fudge room, maybe a few inches or so, where the romex can be exposed. The only way to know for sure is call the inspector - that is if following code is important to you.

Now you described yourself as a novice. I don't know what you mean by that. Could be you have never touched anything electrical except a light switch or you could use the term "novice" as saying you are not experienced enough to do the work you're doing. Novices should spend some time working with an electrician (or at least someone who really knows how to do the work) before working on their own.

You are entering an electrical panel. The bus (that silver stuff the breakers and wires are attached to) is live, unless you shut it off at the main panel. One of the pictures they showed us in school to help us understand what we are working with was of a wedding ring welded to a panel bus, with the severed finger still in it. Even if you shut off the power to the sub panel, you have to know that what you installed was done right before turning on the power. Ever turn on a 60 or 100 amp breaker with a direct short? Wear safety glasses and cover your face.

What's left is not hard and I could show you but you'd have to pay the airfare and buy me lunch. ;) But if you have ANY doubt, call an electrician. There's not a whole lot of labor left. The biggest time consumer could be fishing the romex in a wall with insulation in it. If they are good, they can have it done in a few minutes. If not, it could take a lot longer. But I'd think even the slowest electrician should have the work done in a couple of hours. Help him or her haul in the tools and clean up and you can cut that time down.

If you plan to call an electrician in to finish the job, do not install the box. The fish tape needs to be in place before the box is installed or it just makes everything harder. You've got space on the left side of the panel so that will make the job easier.

By the way, is that bow in the stud on the right of the main panel a photographic distortion?

[Mike Nguyen]

No, I can't tell you what your local code is but if this all passed inspection I'd say there's a pretty good chance you can drop plain romex in the wall to the panel. The thing I don't know is what your codes are about making that transition. Some require a box to be installed tight to the wall and a bushing to be installed in the knockout that the romex will pass through as it enters into the wall cavity. Some places give you some fudge room, maybe a few inches or so, where the romex can be exposed. The only way to know for sure is call the inspector - that is if following code is important to you.

Now you described yourself as a novice. I don't know what you mean by that. Could be you have never touched anything electrical except a light switch or you could use the term "novice" as saying you are not experienced enough to do the work you're doing. Novices should spend some time working with an electrician (or at least someone who really knows how to do the work) before working on their own.

You are entering an electrical panel. The bus (that silver stuff the breakers and wires are attached to) is live, unless you shut it off at the main panel. One of the pictures they showed us in school to help us understand what we are working with was of a wedding ring welded to a panel bus, with the severed finger still in it. Even if you shut off the power to the sub panel, you have to know that what you installed was done right before turning on the power. Ever turn on a 60 or 100 amp breaker with a direct short? Wear safety glasses and cover your face.

What's left is not hard and I could show you but you'd have to pay the airfare and buy me lunch. ;) But if you have ANY doubt, call an electrician. There's not a whole lot of labor left. The biggest time consumer could be fishing the romex in a wall with insulation in it. If they are good, they can have it done in a few minutes. If not, it could take a lot longer. But I'd think even the slowest electrician should have the work done in a couple of hours. Help him or her haul in the tools and clean up and you can cut that time down.

If you plan to call an electrician in to finish the job, do not install the box. The fish tape needs to be in place before the box is installed or it just makes everything harder. You've got space on the left side of the panel so that will make the job easier.

By the way, is that bow in the stud on the right of the main panel a photographic distortion?

Hi Julie,
The picture was taken when the house was built back in 2005 and they used just plain romex inside the walls and to the panels. They do have the plastic bushings installed in the knockouts though. I think I am a novice or less than a novice but I did some replacement of the CFGI outlet, changing dimmer switches to regular switches in the bed rooms, replacing a light switch in one of the bathroom to a combination of switch and outlet, pull additional switch and outlet for the built-in niche. These are the only electrical tasks I've done so far. My cousin did put the 20A breakers in the sub panel for me already and did show me where to connect them. I am just stuck on connecting the wires outside the wall to the sub panel which is inside the wall and want to make sure that's it looks good and right way to do so. The 220v line is a MC cable with wires already inside so I think I should be able to cutout the wall and connect directory to the knockout using one of the connector. For the 1/2 EMT, I will just connect to a short flex tube and connect to the sub panel just like the MC cable since I can't bend the EMT tube.
I am not sure what bow in the stud you're talking about, but it could be the arch of the outside wall.