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+-- Thread: Power To the Shop (/showthread.php?tid=7313443)
Power To the Shop - crokett™ - 07-06-2016
Trenching for it this weekend. This is the first (and most unpleasant) step in getting a functional shop again. I'm planning on 60A/240V. That's a lot for a one-man shop but I expect to be on electric heat for the next while, and someday I may want a welder. I'll pull 2-2-2-4 aluminum, it's about half the cost of copper and I think it's just long enough of a run to have to derate 6 gauge copper and have to move to 4 gauge.
Re: Power To the Shop - goaliedad - 07-06-2016
good luck with the trench. How long of a run is it?
When I ran power to a stand alone garage, part of the run was going to be covered by concrete- I buried an extra plastic conduit to past the cement work. I never used it, but felt it was a good investment
I realize there is code issues with putting different things in the same trench- would it make sense to dig a second trench and lay in a 2 inch conduit for future use? just a thought. I know, I'm not the one digging the trench or buying the conduit
Re: Power To the Shop - R Clark - 07-06-2016
When I did my planning, I figured 70A as my max draw. 20A on the table saw, 20A on the DC, 15 on lights, and 15 on an air compressor if it kicked in while I had the other stuff turned on.
Re: Power To the Shop - crokett™ - 07-06-2016
It's about 55' of trench. If I don't get it all done this weekend, that's not ideal but it's ok. Total run between the panels is just north of 60'.
Re: Power To the Shop - goaliedad - 07-06-2016
Hand digging or renting a trencher? Depending on the soil that could be a lot of spade work
Re: Power To the Shop - EdL - 07-06-2016
60' x 2' deep, I would be at the rental store so fast yer haid would spin......
Ed
Re: Power To the Shop - Herb G - 07-07-2016
Bag hand digging anything anymore. That's why they make backhoes. If I could afford to run power out to my separate garage, I'd have done it already.
Figure $750 a day for a man & tool to do it for you.
This place isn't worth that kind of investment to me.
I usually just run a cord from an outside outlet to the garage to get anything done.
Re: Power To the Shop - AlanBienlein - 07-07-2016
When I ran power to the new shop I just spray painted the path on the ground and went to work. By the time I got home that evening the wife had most of the 60' plus run dug.
Re: Power To the Shop - daddo - 07-07-2016
AlanBienlein said:
When I ran power to the new shop I just spray painted the path on the ground and went to work. By the time I got home that evening the wife had most of the 60' plus run dug, and drank all my beer.
Re: Power To the Shop - Just_Dave - 07-07-2016
I hope you are putting conduit in
If not I would highly recommend it. And make sure that you oversize it, and put a spare smaller pipe in just in case you want phone, Internet, tv, something out there. In the big scheme conduit is cheap.
My suggestion would be a 2" for the power and a 1" just because.
Why? Down the road something may change. Had I not put a 2" conduit in for power to my old shop the cost to dig it up and replace it might have been the one cost I couldn't justify when I built the new shop. I had also put a 3/4" in for the alarm and phone. When I built the new shop I wanted to put cable out there. At that point I wished I had put a 1" in.