Carports to garages.

[cowboyjwc]

I have an apartment building that is converting carports into enclosed garages. The original carports had lighting that was fed from a house panel and I'm sure was on all night. Now with the new garages they are adding receptacles for garage door openers. I say that each garage should now have a subpanel and be grounded (treated as a seperate structrue). When I went out today many of them were already finished and I was told that someone in my office said they didn't need to do that (haven't got to the bottom of that yet). I'm not sure that they have someone on site full time. My thought was too, if you're in your garage doing something and you trip the breaker, that means no one else is going to be able to get into their garage.

 

[iwire]

you trip the breaker, that means no one else is going to be able to get into their garage.

Code issues aside they should have an outdoor key operated door release for power failures etc.

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[Dennis Alwon]

I don't necessarily see the issue with one circuit. If the garage door ampacity is not greater than 50% of the circuit then IMO it is compliant. Why would a panel be needed? 210.23(A)(2)

 

[cowboyjwc]

I didn't see anything like that installed Bob.


Dennis, it's not one carport to one garage it's one carport to three garages, and each one should have a switch for the light. Mine was less about the load than about the fact that if your neighbor tripped the breaker, you couldn't get your car out. Or you have to go track down the maintenance man. just put a little subpanel on the side and put in one circuit each for #1, #2 and #3 and I would have been good.

 

[renosteinke]

"One circuit" can be one multi-wire branch circuit.

I think you are fighting a design decision. I think there was a deliberate choice made to supply the parking area with as little power as possible- perhaps to ensure the places were used only for parking. No workshops, no 'man caves,' etc.

 

[jxofaltrds]

I have an apartment building that is converting carports into enclosed garages. The original carports had lighting that was fed from a house panel and I'm sure was on all night. Now with the new garages they are adding receptacles for garage door openers. I say that each garage should now have a subpanel and be grounded (treated as a seperate structrue). When I went out today many of them were already finished and I was told that someone in my office said they didn't need to do that (haven't got to the bottom of that yet). I'm not sure that they have someone on site full time. My thought was too, if you're in your garage doing something and you trip the breaker, that means no one else is going to be able to get into their garage.

Explain what you mean "house" panel.

210.25
(B) Common Area Branch Circuits. Branch circuits installed
for the purpose of lighting, central alarm, signal, communications,
or other purposes for public or common areas of
a two-family dwelling, a multifamily dwelling, or a multioccupancy
building shall not be supplied from equipment that
supplies an individual dwelling unit or tenant space.

 

[cowboyjwc]

Explain what you mean "house" panel.

210.25
(B) Common Area Branch Circuits. Branch circuits installed
for the purpose of lighting, central alarm, signal, communications,
or other purposes for public or common areas of
a two-family dwelling, a multifamily dwelling, or a multioccupancy
building shall not be supplied from equipment that
supplies an individual dwelling unit or tenant space.

That's what I meant.