Electrical and Heat

When the planning for this project first started, I looked at options for power and heat. We have natural gas so I though maybe we could have Ameren run another gas and electric line to the shop. However the distance from the current service and the fact that they would have to lay the gas line over or through the septic system made option 1 a no-go.

I really did not want an LP tank sitting in the yard, even if I could hide it in the landscaping. Option 2 was also a non-starter.

Option 3 would be the plan. I would use electric heat for the workshop. It would a little more expensive to heat the building using electric but the upfront costs would be much lower plus the plan was doable.

With the electrical service, I had caught a break. A previous owner at one time, had a hot tub sitting outside at the south-west corner of the house-the closest point to the new workshop. It had been hardwired to the service box some 100′ away. After opening up the box and testing the breaker, I found that it was wired for 220 volts with #4 aluminum wire. At the other end was a 50 amp breaker. That would not be enough amperage to run the garage but after some research, I found that I could run up to 80-100 amps through the wire given the size and distance.

At this point I had to start planning ahead. I would need to run conduit from the corner box to where the service would enter the workshop. I dug a trench from the house to the workshop digging below where the retaining wall footings would be.

Once I had the conduit buried, I then made an informed decision. I can do basic household and shop wiring but running service and hooking it up correctly was right on the edge of my lane. At that point, I called a local electrician. I would have them decide what amp breaker to install in the house panel and they would have the correct gauge wire for connecting the corner box to the workshop. I had already purchased a sub-panel for the workshop so I thought they might as well do while they are there. That way when they left, everything would be done and working.

*—The corner junction box with the cable connectors—*

—Feeding cable is mostly a two-man job. That would be confirmed later when I attempted to run wires through conduit in the workshop by myself. These two electricians were pros at it. Plus sometimes you just have to muscle it thru to the other end —

The guys were here about three hours-money well spent. Now it was my turn. I had sketched up some plans, trying to be efficient with the conduit and wire. Especially the wire. I knew prices had gone up over the last four years but copper wire has doubled in price. I wanted to avoid waste where I could.

—These four rolls represent almost $500.00 in wire. I found myself pack-ratting 2′ pieces. I’m certain I’ll never use the short sections but I can’t bring myself to throwing them away. And yes I could recycle the but the price for copper is not worth it at the moment—

As the things progressed, some of the locations and descriptions would changed but these drawings were invaluable.

*—I made every effort to keep the panel wiring organized–*–

—I had planned for eight lights but found these LED’s that are so bright that if you stare at them for too long you start seeing spots. I turned them down one notch but they are still really bright. Four lights will do just fine to illuminate the mess—

—The electric heater. I chose the 7500 watt version. It may be a little small but I think it will work just fine. It has a remote instead of a wired thermostat. I didn’t spring for the blue tooth version—

I also wired the shed for at least light. It is insulated but I won’t be storing anything in it that needs protected from the cold.

*—I ran this service from the shop to the shed since it’s only regular wire and does not have a sub-panel—*

*—The shed wiring. There were so many short turns that I cheated and used plastic and flexible conduit—*

The shed had been wired previously and had numerous outlets in the finished and insulated walls but I had no idea if the wiring was corroded or had been gnawed on by varmints so I capped the outlets and ran my own. I only needed a couple of outlets for power, battery chargers and lights.