Another electrical question

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Hi All,
I'm installing a subpanel in my garage from the main panel also in the garage. But the main panel is sheet rocked in and I'm doing surface mounted conduit and subpanel. How do you transistion from the main panel onto the surface mounted subpanel and conduit runs? Thanks for any ideas.

[Jim Becker]

You'll have to deal with removing some of the drywall at the main panel to at least bring the conduit out to the surface...and carefully, because there is likely a large bundle of easily damaged cables coming out of the top of the panel and often the big cables coming out of the bottom... ;)

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Thanks Jim. Actually I think I'm going to go from the main panel to a sub panel possibly located right next to each other. But if I locate the sub away from the main panel then I'll have to go into conduit right from the main panel. I'm not sure how to do this other than use a box on the surface connected to the conduit run to the sub. Make any sense? I sometimes do. :)

[Steve Clardy]

There should be side connections on your present box for conduit fittings.
Your new sub panel should have a hole or two on the back of it.
Remove some drywall to access, mount sub panel next to main panel. Get a 90 degree elbow and connect main to sub box.

[Kent Fitzgerald]

You can use an extension box like this (http://www.hubbellcatalog.com/raco/raco_datasheet.asp?PN=187&FAM=RacoBoxes&P=325,1076,1086) to transition from a flush-mount box to conduit.

[Jim Becker]

There should be side connections on your present box for conduit fittings.
Your new sub panel should have a hole or two on the back of it.
Remove some drywall to access, mount sub panel next to main panel. Get a 90 degree elbow and connect main to sub box.

There will likely be a stud between them...which makes the side connection difficult, if not impossible to do safely with the already existing panel embedded in the wall.

[Steve Clardy]

There will likely be a stud between them...which makes the side connection difficult, if not impossible to do safely with the already existing panel embedded in the wall.

Holesaw's cure those problems.
Been there, done that. Thats why I suggested this.

[Don Baer]

I'd use somthing like this to go from one panel to the other.

http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/product/602096_front100.jpg


They sell em in various sizesdepending on the wire/coduit size you are running. They on the shelf at the borg.

[Jim Becker]

I'd use somthing like this to go from one panel to the other.

http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/product/602096_front100.jpg


They sell em in various sizesdepending on the wire/coduit size you are running. They on the shelf at the borg.

Don, he still has to get access to the main panel which is buried in drywall, even to use one of those...

[Don Baer]

Don, he still has to get access to the main panel which is buried in drywall, even to use one of those...


If the house wiring is going in the top then I'd cut a hole in the drywall in the bottom and make a bottom entry in the main panel. If it is the bottom then I go through the top.

I thought tahe was answered in t a previous thread.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Thanks guys, It's sounds like it's a good thing I don't mind repairing drywall. :) I've got pics of the box before they did the sheet rock and I think all the wires came out of the top of the panel. I also think the box sides have studs against it so I'm thinking of getting acess through the bottom of the box and snaking the cable over to the next stud cavity where I'll put the new subpanel. Thanks for all the great ideas and helping me with this.

[Larry Cooke]

I've got pics of the box before they did the sheet rock and I think all the wires came out of the top of the panel. I also think the box sides have studs against it so I'm thinking of getting acess through the bottom of the box and snaking the cable over to the next stud cavity where I'll put the new subpanel. Thanks for all the great ideas and helping me with this.Alan,

Are you saying you can't pull the cover(s) off the main panel? I'm guessing you have a main panel with circuit breakers or fuses in it right? You should be able to open that puppy up and get to the breakers or fuses and internal wiring to see exactly how the wires are routed in and out of it. You could also see where any knock-outs are located and plan accordingly.

I'd try my best to utilize existing knock-outs, it's a lot easier than breaking out drywall and drilling into the main panel.

Larry

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Larry, I can't believe I didn't think of pulling off the cover to check on the wiring. :rolleyes: I guess it's too late in the day. Anyway yes the cover can come off and I can inspect but as I said I'm pretty sure from the construction pics I took that all the cables go to the top of the box. But as you said there's any easy way to check on this. Sometimes I think I just overthink these things. :o

[Larry Cooke]

This kind of thing never happens to me! :rolleyes:

I'm not about to admit to some of the lengths I've gone through only to have someone walk up and say what if you tried it this way? :)

Larry

[Alan Tolchinsky]

[\

someone walk up and say what if you tried it this way? :)

You know who that "someone who walks up behind me and says" that is? MY WIFE!!!!!! Boy does that drive me nuts but I love hearing her perspective on things. But not too much. ;)

[chester stidham]

You might be able to do this cut your acsess hole where you are going to mount your sub panle then use a right angle drill to drill you hole run your wire with the clamp already on it up into your old box then into your new sup panle and use you sub panle to cover your hole. just a thought good luck.:)

[Rob Russell]

Alan,

The easiest and safest way to do this is to cut out the drywall between where your main panel is and where you will be mounting the subpanel. Repairing drywall is a lot easier than dealing with wires that you damaged inside the walls. When you remove the drywall, don't skimp on what you take out - give yourself lots of work room.

As far as the connection between your main and sub panels, once you have the drywall out so you can get inside the wall, you could run SER or NM, depending on the amperage you need to carry.

Rob
Addy protocol - unlicensed but experienced homeowner electrician

[Roger Everett]

This is how I handled my sub-panel. The main is on one side of entry door( gar/ shop to house ), the sub is around corner, on other side of door. I ran wiring up to attic, over , and down, I wanted to be able to add extra circuits, plus access if needed, so I covered w/ 1/4" removeable ply.

Roger

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Alan,

The easiest and safest way to do this is to cut out the drywall between where your main panel is and where you will be mounting the subpanel. Repairing drywall is a lot easier than dealing with wires that you damaged inside the walls. When you remove the drywall, don't skimp on what you take out - give yourself lots of work room.

As far as the connection between your main and sub panels, once you have the drywall out so you can get inside the wall, you could run SER or NM, depending on the amperage you need to carry.

Rob
Addy protocol - unlicensed but experienced homeowner electrician

Thanks Rob but could you tell me what SER is? New one to me.

[Alan Tolchinsky]

This is how I handled my sub-panel. The main is on one side of entry door( gar/ shop to house ), the sub is around corner, on other side of door. I ran wiring up to attic, over , and down, I wanted to be able to add extra circuits, plus access if needed, so I covered w/ 1/4" removeable ply.

Roger

Hi Roger, That's an interesting idea. So instead of repairing with drywall you cut out a hole in the plywood and repaired with that and just put the panel cover over the ply. Do I have this right?

[Rob Russell]

SER is "Service Entrance ... " (don't remember what the "R" is), but it has 3 color coded insulated conductors plus a grounding wrap. The stuff I've always used has been aluminum, so the conductors are actually XHHW. An example would be 2-2-2-4, where the conductors are #2 XHHW and the wire wrap is #4 aluminum.

How big a subpanel are you putting in, i.e. what size circuit breaker (# of amps) will you use to protect the conductors feeding your subpanel?

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Thanks Rob. I probably going to put in a 60 amp breaker and whatever size cable goes with that. I think it was no. 6 or 4. This has worked for my basement shop and I have a lot of spaces left over in that subpanel. So far I've only used two 220 circuits and one 110. I have my TS and BS on the same 220 circuit and another circuit serves the dust collection.

But in the garage shop I'm putting in a separate circuits for lighting, wall outlets(GFI protected) multiiple 220 wall outlets etc. So I think I'll be o.k. with the same kind of subpanel there too. Thanks again for the info Rob. Alan

[Roger Everett]

Right Alan. On the main panel, I cut out a few inches above box and stud to stud ( room to get my hand in to feed wire into box and clamp, and patched over( never know when you might want to access again ). On the sub-panel I did the same and just made a cut- out same as when you panel over an outlet, I know I want to run at least another line ( 50 amp. for welder ) from sub and maybe more.
For lines , I ran conduit up to 2" above ceiling, then just ran romax ( which I had a bunch of ) from sub-panel and down conduit. Easy and made a clean appearence.

Roger

[Alan Tolchinsky]

Roger, that's a great idea with going into the attic. It looks neat and allowed you to use Romex instead of the single cables(THNN?). I like the lumber rack. It looks like you're ready for some projects. Alan