Voxman
New member
- Location
- Hernando, FLORIDA
Hope this is the right area for my question!
It's been a long time since I performed any electrical work that will be inspected by our local building official.... I've been working as a biomedical technician (glorified electronics tech) in a hospital for 25 years...
I'm planning to install electrical service in a new shed on my property. To save money and to feel the satisfaction in doing the job myself, I've already applied for permits. It doesn't appear to be a complicated or difficult job to do but since it has to pass inspections, I'm concerned about getting all the "i's" dotted and "t's" crossed.
One of the main concerns:
I know what the amp capacity is as stated in the NEC wire table for #8 THHN/THWN-2 but keep running into different websites that make think I should be using #6. Hoping the folks here on this forum can shed some light on this issue and guide me so I don't end up buying and installing the wrong gauge wire!
Here are the facts - There is already an unused 50A circuit breaker coming from my main house panel that used to feed a disconnect for a pool heat pump. It uses two #8 conductors as stated above with a #10 ground and is run in 3/4" PVC underground about 40ft total.
i want to use this existing wire run and splice on another 90ft of same type/size wires running underground in PVC.
I already know I need to add a neutral to the entire run ( no fun but must be done). I plan to only install four 20 amp breakers in a sub-panel in the shed to operate normal 120VAC tools, adequate lighting, and a small 120VAC AC unit (I'm in Florida). I expect that I'll never come close to drawing 20-30 amps at any given time.
Question #1 (yes finally): will my existing #8 wire pass inspection? I know it's rated for 55amps but I keep reading on other websites that #6 is required....
Question #2: if I install a sub-panel, do I need a disconnect nearby?
If yes, could I eliminate the disconnect if I installed a small main lug load center with a 60A or higher main breaker?
Any advice is appreciated... sorry for the rambling text but I wanted to be sure the facts were known seeing how this is my first posting. Hope I did it the right way.
Gary
It's been a long time since I performed any electrical work that will be inspected by our local building official.... I've been working as a biomedical technician (glorified electronics tech) in a hospital for 25 years...
I'm planning to install electrical service in a new shed on my property. To save money and to feel the satisfaction in doing the job myself, I've already applied for permits. It doesn't appear to be a complicated or difficult job to do but since it has to pass inspections, I'm concerned about getting all the "i's" dotted and "t's" crossed.
One of the main concerns:
I know what the amp capacity is as stated in the NEC wire table for #8 THHN/THWN-2 but keep running into different websites that make think I should be using #6. Hoping the folks here on this forum can shed some light on this issue and guide me so I don't end up buying and installing the wrong gauge wire!
Here are the facts - There is already an unused 50A circuit breaker coming from my main house panel that used to feed a disconnect for a pool heat pump. It uses two #8 conductors as stated above with a #10 ground and is run in 3/4" PVC underground about 40ft total.
i want to use this existing wire run and splice on another 90ft of same type/size wires running underground in PVC.
I already know I need to add a neutral to the entire run ( no fun but must be done). I plan to only install four 20 amp breakers in a sub-panel in the shed to operate normal 120VAC tools, adequate lighting, and a small 120VAC AC unit (I'm in Florida). I expect that I'll never come close to drawing 20-30 amps at any given time.
Question #1 (yes finally): will my existing #8 wire pass inspection? I know it's rated for 55amps but I keep reading on other websites that #6 is required....
Question #2: if I install a sub-panel, do I need a disconnect nearby?
If yes, could I eliminate the disconnect if I installed a small main lug load center with a 60A or higher main breaker?
Any advice is appreciated... sorry for the rambling text but I wanted to be sure the facts were known seeing how this is my first posting. Hope I did it the right way.
Gary
