Surface VS In Wall electric wiring

[Yuri Sadykov]

Before I insulate my garage I need to think on best way to make wiring. I've already decided to put subpanel, but not sure about wiring. What is you thinking, experience with in-wall vs surface (in conduits)?

[George Bokros]

Best to have the wiring in the wall, looks much more pleasing. Just make sure to have enough outlets. My builder put in only two outlets and that is not nearly enough. In a two car garage there should be at least two per wall.

George

[Yuri Sadykov]

George,
I agree with you about outlets, planning plenty of them.

[Art Mann]

I have a stand alone shop with wiring in the walls. I would not want to have to work around conduit when placing equipment or materials against the wall. On the other hand, it would be nice to be able to install some additional 240V circuits without tearing into the wall. I would say to put the wiring in the walls but install more outlets, both 120 and 240, then you ever imagine you will need.

[Paul Incognito]

If I was building a new shop I'd put some of the outlets in the wall and surface mount others.
For anything that will never have to be moved, I'd put it in the wall.
For anything else I'd surface mount it so it can be moved later if I reorganize or get another piece of machinery.
All of the wiring in my shop is surface mounted and I've moved stuff around a few times as my shop grew. Made things easy.
Hope this helps.
PI

[Steve Peterson]

Best to have the wiring in the wall, looks much more pleasing. Just make sure to have enough outlets. My builder put in only two outlets and that is not nearly enough. In a two car garage there should be at least two per wall.

George

Outlets are cheap. I usually put them every 32" or 48" so one is always close. In-wall will be much nicer.

I also run 2 lines with alternating outlets on each line. That way I can run a router on one circuit and a shop vac on the other without worrying about blowing the breaker.

Also, use 12 ga wire with 20A breakers. Some power tools are a bit too much for a 15A breaker, especially something like a Jet 22/44 drum sander with a 1.75hp motor.

Steve

[Andy Fox]

I thought about this when I was in my old house with a garage shop. For me, if the wall are wood studs and exposed, I'd put the wiring in the walls because it's easier and cheaper and nice to have the wiring hidden. If I added on outlets or circuits, they'd be in conduit to avoid ripping into the walls though. Put the outlet bottoms at around 50-52" from the floor so that they're not covered by sheet goods leaning against a wall.

Another possibility is to run the wiring in the walls, but at the level of the wiring, put up some kind of wall covering which can be easily removed. I'm thinking of something like a chair rail or 10" wide drywall installed with sparse screws. If it's an attached garage and the wall is shared with the house, you'd want that wall well-sealed though for fire and carbon monoxide protection.

[Rich Enders]

+1 on in-wall, and on Steve's 2 circuits in each box. My electrician said I would thank him and I would if he hadn't retired to Tahiti.

[David G Baker]

I like the wire in the wall in most cases. It has been my experience that conduit gets in the way of future projects. I don't like to open walls if I want to expand my circuits so I then go to conduit but try to put it in areas that have the least potential of causing a problem. I also use over sized conduit in case I want to add a new circuit or two in the future. Another thing I try to do is to run conduit strait up into the attic from the main panel and then run the wire to the area of the new outlet and do a drop conduit to it, this way I don't have a lot of horizontal conduit runs. I have 10 foot walls in my pole barn that are not enclosed yet but when I do I will use OSB. I plan on hanging the OSB horizontal with one sheet on the bottom and one on the top with a two foot space in the middle that will be where I plan on running most of my wiring, the 2 foot space will be covered with OSB that is attached with screws so I can remove the OSB if I want to run more wire.

[Marty Tippin]

On the other hand, it would be nice to be able to install some additional 240V circuits without tearing into the wall.

My sentiments exactly. I've got finished walls in my shop with buried wiring and "more outlets that I could ever need" - except that now I need 2 more 20A 240V circuits, plus I want to run a 30A 240V circuit for an air conditioner condenser... The problem isn't so much that I don't want to run the new circuits in conduit, it's that I completely buried the sub-panel in the wall and don't have any way to get to it without tearing a huge hole around it.

So my advice is this: Make sure your sub-panel is accessible, no matter whether you run the wiring in the wall or in conduit.

[Michael W. Clark]

So my advice is this: Make sure your sub-panel is accessible, no matter whether you run the wiring in the wall or in conduit.

I think this is good advice regardless of how you run your wiring. When I do my next shop, I want surface mount EMT. I like the industrial look and the more solid feel of using the metal boxes and covers (you could paint it if you wanted) I have in-wall wiring now and my power requirements have changed significantly over the last several years. If you plan a conduit path above bench level, and below upper cabinet level, interference should be minimum. Obviously, you don't want to run it through your lumber/plwood storage racks but you don't need a receptacle there anyway.

If you are just starting out surface mount is more accessible for changes, but if you are pretty much set on your equipment/power needs, a more permant in-wall installation may be fine.

[Paul McGaha]

I think this is good advice regardless of how you run your wiring. When I do my next shop, I want surface mount EMT. I like the industrial look and the more solid feel of using the metal boxes and covers (you could paint it if you wanted) I have in-wall wiring now and my power requirements have changed significantly over the last several years. If you plan a conduit path above bench level, and below upper cabinet level, interference should be minimum. Obviously, you don't want to run it through your lumber/plwood storage racks but you don't need a receptacle there anyway.

If you are just starting out surface mount is more accessible for changes, but if you are pretty much set on your equipment/power needs, a more permant in-wall installation may be fine.

I prefer an EMT system too. Easier to make changes to later by far and I find changes need to be made on occasion. At least that's the case in my shop.

I don't mind the look of it (but then I am in the electrical field).

Good luck with it.

PHM

[Charles Wiggins]

Before I insulate my garage I need to think on best way to make wiring. I've already decided to put subpanel, but not sure about wiring. What is you thinking, experience with in-wall vs surface (in conduits)?

My shop has both because it is in a basement and I have a block wall on two sides and a stud wall down another side. The fourth "wall" is just a curtain into the garage.
As other's have said, as long as you have lots of outlets it is preferable to have them inside the wall of that's a option. That way you can mount cabinets, pegboard, slatwall, or anything else without working around the conduit. Of course if you do the outlets at about 4 feet from the floor that will be just above most lower cabinets and below upper cabinets.

I hope this helps.

Cheers,
Charles

[Jim Andrew]

When I fixed up my shop, I ran both 220 and 110 circuits in the walls. Recently I did an addition, and as I have run all my 220 wiring to machines overhead, I changed the 220 in the walls to 110. Gained a circuit by the way. Have found that as I get my shop arranged and rearranged, the overhead wiring, with a cord dropping down from the ceiling works well to run my machines. No tripping over cords.

[Shane Copps]

My new garage is an old finished apartment build that has been rebuilt into a garage- I think in this case, I would spend a lot more time and money trying to run the wire back into the wall. I am +1 on the alternating circuit in the line.

Jim I have been thinking about overhead wiring- thanks for the input

[Cody Pierce]

I just wired one wall in my garage with outlets (externally). I put well more than I thought I'd need, now I'm fresh out.

Basically, heres the equation I think works

Outlets you think you need x 20+age= almost enough, but you'll still be short a couple.

[Kent A Bathurst]

.........except that now I need 2 more 20A 240V circuits, plus I want to run a 30A 240V....

And the 240 I had over there needed to be moved over here when I changed the layout after I added 2 more 240 tools, and I had to split apart one of the original 240 runs to keep with my "only 2 per circuit, and never 2 that would be run at the same time" rule, and a couple 110's for small gizmos,and, and, and...................

It never ends. You think you are done. You ain't. Until the panel box is full. And even then you ain't.

For me - it is a workshop. Functionality and accessibility rule. "Appealing" is in the cool stuff in the shop, not the plumbing on the walls.

YMMV.

Oh, yeah - If you ever make a long 240 run, a big-arse jb somewhere in the middle of the run, with a couple loops in it, to satisfy the "you never know" clause in shop planning.

I also have a couple cable drops with strain relief coming down from the ceiling.

[Patrick McCarthy]

My sentiments exactly. I've got finished walls in my shop with buried wiring and "more outlets that I could ever need" - except that now I need 2 more 20A 240V circuits, plus I want to run a 30A 240V circuit for an air conditioner condenser... The problem isn't so much that I don't want to run the new circuits in conduit, it's that I completely buried the sub-panel in the wall and don't have any way to get to it without tearing a huge hole around it.

So my advice is this: Make sure your sub-panel is accessible, no matter whether you run the wiring in the wall or in conduit.

Buried the sub panel (with breakers) or just the junction box????

[Marty Tippin]

Buried the sub panel (with breakers) or just the junction box????

The breaker box is completely surrounded by drywall right up to the edge of the box. I should have left a 6-8" clearance (with plywood behind the box) all the way around the breaker box so that I could more easily add a new circuit later, even if I end up running the circuit in conduit.

[William Payer]

When I wired my shop I used 10 gauge wire for all my 220 volt circuits. Some are installed with 20 amp breakers and plugs while others have 30 amp breakers and correct 30 amp plugs. If I ever want to change a 20 amp 220 line to 30 amp all I need to do is change the breaker in the panel and install the correct plug. (Our inspector out here only allowed one plug per 220 volt circuit!)

Whether to have exposed conduit or in wall wiring is to me, a personal choice. Do that which you feel best suits your needs.

[Shawn Neal]

Budget is always a concern...but I've never heard anyone say...aw man I wish I hadn't put so many outlets in my
garage. I have a 2 car garage with 4 dedicated 220 outlets and 7 circuits running 14 additional outlets. Then 2 more
circuits for all the t5 overhead lights. Make sure you put your lights on separate circuit so you don't blow a breaker and
end up in the dark with a spinning blade. Good luck.