Bringing power to a shed

Romex is not allowed but you could use UF cable. Using THHN/THWN will end up being cheaper tho. Is there a reason you are using Carflex and not the rigid PVC conduit? That is cheaper too. The price is virtually the same if you use 12ga wire and a 20a breaker, then you will be fine with a light and a heater. If you have a GFCI at the house, you can use the 12" rule but since you are planing on 18" it gives you a lot more flexibility. You still need a GFCI at the shed. For one more wire, a 2 pole breaker and 2 GFCI outlets in the shed, you can have 240v or two 120v circuits but I digress.

If you do use THHN/THWN you use a green wire for the ground and a white wire for the neutral. The ungrounded (hot) conductors can be any other color but red and black are standard.

Next year when you have a new table saw you'll be sorry you did not run

I found some 12 GA UF cable at Home Depot, 50' for $40. THHN would be about $5 cheaper for ~35'.

As for not using PVC, I don't want to deal with gluing, cutting, etc. With the glue and 90 degree connectors, the cost would be $23 versus $47 fo r a 50' reel of flexible conduit.

Thanks!

insulated and waterproof wires (with a "W" on the label) and a bare copper wire.

c devices to charge and a space heater.

will be using a 15-amp breaker for this. If distance matters, the shed is about 30' away from the panel.

Good suggestion, thanks.

/2" x 50' Ultratite Liquidtight Flexible Non-Metallic PVC Conduit that will be buried at a depth of 18". (I live in San Jose CA, and as far as I can f ind this is deeper than the required dept of 12".)

o insulated and waterproof wires (with a "W" on the label) and a bare coppe r wire.

ic devices to charge and a space heater.

, will be using a 15-amp breaker for this. If distance matters, the shed is about 30' away from the panel.

This helps. I was trying to remember my coloring,but could not think of wha t we used in building some high-powered electrical equipment before I chang ed fields some ten years ago. I vaguely remember that we went from solid gr een to yellow striped green for ground wires. So this is not the case for t his type of wiring and solid green is OK?

Thanks!

two insulated and waterproof wires (with a "W" on the label) and a bare cop per wire.

onic devices to charge and a space heater.

se, will be using a 15-amp breaker for this. If distance matters, the shed is about 30' away from the panel.

hat we used in building some high-powered electrical equipment before I cha nged fields some ten years ago. I vaguely remember that we went from solid green to yellow striped green for ground wires. So this is not the case for this type of wiring and solid green is OK?

Yes. Solid green for ground. You could also use UF cable and skip the conduit. How appropriate that might be would depend on the liklihood that you're going to be digging in the cable area to plant shrubs, etc.

I wonder if there are any guidelines or absolute rules about the expansion and contraction of flex con due to temperature changes.

IDK if it's an issue with flex, probably not because it can move. But you do need to provide some slip expansion joints in long runs of PVC, about 20 ft I think.

As long as you've got a trench open, you might as well run a waterline, natural gas line (grill/firepit/emergency generator), and a couple schedule 80 1-1/2" PVC lines for electric. And if you live in an area with crappy cellular coverage (like I do), consider running phone and Internet lines to your shed as well. While Internet service in a shed seems silly, who knows, you might screw up and need a place to sleep for a few days while your wife cools off.

/2" x 50' Ultratite Liquidtight Flexible Non-Metallic PVC Conduit that will be buried at a depth of 18". (I live in San Jose CA, and as far as I can f ind this is deeper than the required dept of 12".)

o insulated and waterproof wires (with a "W" on the label) and a bare coppe r wire.

ic devices to charge and a space heater.

, will be using a 15-amp breaker for this. If distance matters, the shed is about 30' away from the panel.

atural gas line (grill/firepit/emergency generator), and a couple schedule

sider running phone and Internet lines to your shed as well. While Interne t service in a shed seems silly, who knows, you might screw up and need a p lace to sleep for a

I've got good cellular reception but gas and water lines make sense. Thanks!

re 1/2" x 50' Ultratite Liquidtight Flexible Non-Metallic PVC Conduit that will be buried at a depth of 18". (I live in San Jose CA, and as far as I c an find this is deeper than the required dept of 12".)

e two insulated and waterproof wires (with a "W" on the label) and a bare c opper wire.

tronic devices to charge and a space heater.

urse, will be using a 15-amp breaker for this. If distance matters, the she d is about 30' away from the panel.

what we used in building some high-powered electrical equipment before I c hanged fields some ten years ago. I vaguely remember that we went from soli d green to yellow striped green for ground wires. So this is not the case f or this type of wiring and solid green is OK?

It is an area we dig a lot :(

Deguza

Headzup. Frost line and freezing pipes.

Both are acceptable but you will only find the solid green in THHN/THWN. The striped wires usually show up in cords or machine tool wire.

Carflex will have about the same expansion characteristics as Rigid Nonmetallic Conduit but being flexible, the bad effects may actually be less.

Green, yellow-striped green, or bare are all good.

Typical internet mission creep ;-)

I went thru this same thing, except I knew to plan for the future right away. I ran power from my garage to a shed, intended for both storage and a place to work on small projects. I had to run it about 25ft. I used the gray rigid PVC conduit, that gets glued. I dud my trench, laid the pipe with a 90 deg on both ends. Both ends came inside the buildings. (out of the weather), and I made sure to glue everything so it's water tight. (The thought of having a conduit permanently full of water, which would likely freeze in winter was not a pleasant thought, even with wires intended for underground use).

I then ran 2 strands of 12 gauge UF cable. which is suitable for underground. (I used UF cable because I already had it).

My total run was 25ft underground, but there was another 25ft run inside the garage to get to the breaker panel.

I connected the ONE of these UF cables to a 20A breaker and left the second one unused.

It wasn't long, I was working in that shed in cold weather, with a 1500W space heater, several lights, and using a few small power tools, that I tripped the breaker, and had to go to the garage to reset it.

It was a simple matter to add another 20A breaker to that second UF cable to add another outlet in the shed. Next to that new outlet I marked on the wall "Circuit 2". That "circuit 2" became the outlet for the space heater ONLY, since that's the biggest power consumer. Then the original circuit could easily handle all my power tools with no problem.

I suggest using 12 gauge wire even if you only use a 15A breaker, and I also suggest running the extra wires for a second circuit. It's a lot easier to run it now, than to have to try to fish it thru the conduit later. The wire is not all that costly, so plan ahead. Those unused wires can be just left there for now, and need not be connected at this time. But in the future, when you need more power, it's an easy job to connect a second breaker on one end and a another outlet in the shed.

I'd go with #12 for the small difference in price and would use an insulated (green) ground if running individual conductors (which WILL be easier to pull)