|
KEYWORD |
QUESTION |
ANSWER |
| Permit |
I want to run electrical out to my garage, do I
need a permit? |
Yes - See Permit Fees. |
| Electrical feed to garage |
I want to run the power to my garage underground,
what are the requirements? |
Depth of the buried power feed is as follows:
- Rigid metal or IM conduit is 6 inches deep.
- U.L. PVC plastic conduit is 18 inches deep.
- UF direct burial cable is 24 inches deep.
- PVC & UF cable can be 12 inches deep if the circuit is protected
by a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) at the house prior to entering
the ground.
- No low voltage wiring shall be installed in the same conduit with
the power lines. (I.e. intercom, security cable, phone lines etc.)
|
| I want to have more than one (1) electrical circuit
in the garage, are there any special requirements? |
Yes, you need to install a 5/8 inch (in diameter)
by eight (8) foot (long) ground rod at the garage location as a supplementary
ground. |
| I want to run the power to my garage overhead,
what are the requirements? |
Height of wires need to be:
- 10 feet - if above yard
- 12 feet - if above driveway (with no truck traffic)
|
| Size of wiring |
What size cable should I use? |
It depends on what you
plan to use the electricity for in the garage. Figure your total amperage
that you will need and then refer to the following chart for copper (not
aluminum) wiring:
| WIRE
SIZE (GAUGE) |
MAXIMUM
CURRENT (IN AMPS) |
| 12 |
20 |
| 10 |
30 |
| 8 |
50 |
|
|
If the length of the power run to the garage is
long (70 feet or over) install the next higher (thicker) gauge wire (to
compensate for voltage drop) |
| Lighting |
I want to control the outside lights on my garage
from my garage and from inside my house, how many wires do I have to run
to the garage? |
You will need five (5) conductors:
A hot wire
A neutral wire
A ground wire
And 2 (go between) wires for 3-way light switching. |
| Inspection |
When do I need inspections? |
A rough-in inspection of the trench depth
shall be performed prior to backfilling the trench.
A final inspection shall be performed when power is supplied to
the garage circuit and all devices (light fixtures & receptacles)
are installed. |
| Wiring of interior of garage |
Can I use Romex for wiring in the garage? |
Yes, all horizontal runs should be as high as possible.
(Near the top plate is preferable) |
| Additional requirements |
|
A master 'kill' switch shall be installed at the
point of entry (in the garage) to shut off all power to the garage. |
| All receptacles (except for G.D.O.'s (garage door
operators)) shall be GFCI. |