I'm running some 6 AWG THWN wire from my main feed to a detached garage. However the main feed panel is on the other side of the house.
Is it up to code to tap into the main feed inside the wall, go through the attic to the other side of the house outside of any conduit?
Once I'm come out of the attic into a LB, down the wall and into the ground it will be in schedule 40 PVC.
Thanks in advance!
Darius
You can't run the THWN without some kind of raceway but you couild transition to a cable in a junction box. The other option would be smurf tube (type ENT) in the attic. The home stores only handle 1/2 and 3/4 which are not big enough but an electrical supplier will have it in up to 2".
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But in an area like an attic not normally accessible that raceway could be as simple as a 2x protecting the wire on either side I believe...
Not true at all. THHN must be in a raceway.
But what must the raceway actually be?
Per NEC 2005 Article 100 Raceway. An enclosed channel of metal or nonmettalic materials designed expressly for holding wires, cables, or busbars...... THWN must be in a conduit of some type.
That doesn't prohibit the raceway being a channel for the wire to run in as long as it were covered and only for that purpose.
I didn't recall the proscription of "enclosed" as there are many open-topped raceways in power plants. Mayhaps that's a special case or, since these are mostly older plants, a newer restriction/addition.
NEC 110.2 requires that equipment be approved, this typically means it has a UL listing for its stated purpose. Most THWN wiring is listed for use within an approved raceway or in cable tray if over 1/0. The open -topped "raceways" described sound like cable tray too me (which is not a raceway according the NEC). If THWN wiring is used it needs to be in an approved raceway. If you would prefer not to run it in a raceway within the structure then I would use a multiconductor cable that is listed for that purpose.
From the ceiling down the wall to the main breaker, is that considered in a raceway? Being inside the wall?
I don't really have a problem putting it into some kind of conduit through the attic. In order to access the top or bottom of my main breaker I would need to cut a hole in the wall to access it to get conduit in there.
A wall is not a raceway. Running in a wall would require a cable rated for that use. Typically in a home you would use NM Sheathed cable. Another thing I missed was the question about tapping into the main feeds, this cannot be done. You need to install a sub panel fed from an available circuit breaker in the main panel. I would suggest you talk to a local electrician. This is not really a DIY job.
Raceway = conduit or flexible tubing manufactured for the purpose. ENT (smurf tube) is probably the easiest choice for a homeowner. You can get it in 1" at a supply house which you need for 3 #6s and an 8ga ground. The other choice is a cable like Romex or SER. Just be sure to make the transition in a box.
Don't worry I'm running to a subpanel in the garage. Thanks for the recommendation on the ENT tubing, now I've got the whole project figured out. I was struggling with the transition from the main breaker to the Schedule 40, now it's a no brainer. Thanks again to everyone for posting, you've really helped me out! Please keep on answering questions!
Good luck then. Make sure the neutral and ground bus are NOT bonded together at the subpanel, It is a common mistake. The neutral and the ground bus should only be bonded at the main service entrance.
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