up grade electrical panel for garage

[Ed Pawlowski]

Detached buildings are not allowed more than one feed. Makes sense for safety. AFAIK, attached is just another part of the building.

[Paintedcow]

If it's the same building, or an attached part of the same building you can run as many cables as your panel can handle.

It's just that in the case of my toolshed, it's a separate building. It's only 8 ft from the garage, but by code I should have a separate sub-panel. That shed is mostly where I keep most of my tools, and a place to work on small projects. Big projects like auto repair I do in the garage, but the garage should be larger. Rather than add on to the garage, I boight this shed for a real good price, and it's nice because in cold weather I can easily heat it, whereas heating a whole garage just to work on my snowblower, is not practical. When I got that shed, I intentionally spaced it 8ft from the garage in case of fire, and because of a concrete retaining wall, due to a small hill, I had little choice but to locate it where I did.

Anyhow, walking from the shed to the garage is about the same distance as walking to a basement in most homes (to flip a breaker). What I have is totally safe, but not exactly code, because the code wants a separate disconnect in a separate building. Yea, I could have put a small breaker box on those same wires, in the shed, but it seems senseless.

In the past this was not required, and I worked in many detached garages, where the only disconnect was in the house. My parents home had a detached garage built in the 1960's, and a professional electrician wired it. He ran conduit underground from the house and had three circuits going to the garage. Back then, that was legal, and that was in a large city where codes are often tougher than in rural areas.

[Charles Bishop]

Are you allowed to have cable in conduit?

Or, run another empty conduit, capped at both end, for future use

Charles

[HerHusband]

That's what I was thinking. Thank you for the clarification.

Anthony Watson

[HerHusband]

If all you are running in your shed is a small portable heater and a couple lights, you could probably get by with one 20A circuit. I believe that would meet code.

However, if you install conduit from the garage to the shed, you can pull out your current cable and install a larger cable for a subpanel if your needs change in the future. It's sure a lot easier than having to dig a new trench again.

Anthony Watson

[HerHusband]

If the cable is rated for underground use (i.e. UF cable), there shouldn't be any problem. The conduit is just for protection.

However, you can't run standard romex in an underground conduit as it isn't considered waterproof. Water can theoretically still get in the conduit, and would degrade the paper filler in standard romex cables.

Individual wires are preferred, and will be easier to pull through bends in the conduit.

Yep, that would work too. Even if you don't use it for power, you might want to run a telephone or ethernet cable some day.

Anthony Watson

[Paintedcow]

I have these wires running overhead across that 8' span. I used UF cable. To go underground meant I'd have to tunnel under a poured concrete retaining wall.

I do need 2 circuits though. One for either electric heater or AC in summer. The other one for lights and an occaisonal power saw or other power tool. But I dont need anything more than that.

[gfretwell]

10 ga wire minimum I hope. ;-)

[Tony944]

I will be wise ass and say buy new home !!!!!

i have my garage running off a 20amp breaker and i want to upgrade to handle more electric load. what are my options

[Thomas]

RB said it best. It is a really good answer.