running electricity to a shed?

[jimmie]

i want to run electric to my shed from my existing box, how many outlets can i have and what size breaker do i need?figured out the breaker size/ i bought 14/2 gauge wire which means i would need 15a breaker.so is 15a enough to run 400w digital ballast air pumps,and fans?

 

[FirstTracks]

you really need to include more information before anyone can give you any kind of good answer.
Do you know how many and what size lights you want to run?
cooling with an a/c or fans?

we just need to know your power needs.

 

[jimmie]

how long of a run can i have under ground?

 

[cocktail frank]

you could run it a mile if need be.
youd have to derate your wire for voltage drop tho

 

[jimmie]

you could run it a mile if need be.
youd have to derate your wire for voltage drop tho

what does derate mean

 

[cocktail frank]

seems to me like you have no electrical exp.
try buying a book on basic stuff and reading it first
then youll have the answers to the easy questions

 

[dontstepongrass]

electricity isn't for the novice. get in the know, or get someone else to do it.

 

[Murphy]

Dude, STOP. First off, you don't have the right type of wire. There is a specific wire that you need to run outside, and you shouldn't run anything less then 12/2....run 12/3 and you can have the on 2 breakers for any expanding you may do.

 

[TropicThunder]

I just ran power to my detached shed, 50 amps using 6awg thhn in conduit to a separate breaker box in my shed. First off if electricity is no joke, it is dangerous and if you don't know what you're doing I would recommend getting professional help for the final setup.
There are a multitude of variables that will determine what wire awg and type you are going to buy. Plus the local electricity code requirements of your particular state. First off 14/2 is not a large enough wire gauge to power all that. How long is your shed from your main breaker box? This is will help determine the wire gauge.

Peace
TT

 

[PharmaCan]

Dude, STOP. First off, you don't have the right type of wire. There is a specific wire that you need to run outside, and you shouldn't run anything less then 12/2....run 12/3 and you can have the on 2 breakers for any expanding you may do.

You should have stopped with the first two words - then you'd have been correct. There are several electricians who post regularly on this forum, it's probably best to leave electrical questions up to those who know.

Jimmie - take a look at this thread:

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=96284

and you will get some insight into what goes into answering a question like yours.

PC

 

[jimmie]

the previous owners of my house ran electric into the back yard already they had a 150 hps street light hooked up along with a three socket flood light and two socket plugs and a switch(inside house) to run the hps light. i removed the hps light and replaced it with a weather proof socket,been fine for five years.
now ive decided to remove the weather proof socket and extend the existing wire 10 feet to shed,add three more gfci plugs,light and switch. this is probably easier than the other way i planned. now where do i start in shed? do i start at switch or socket?
and the original switch in the house turns in all on or off how do i bypass switch?


in my previous post i thought that new line to breaker box would be the (best) way, but harder for me to do.

 

[FirstTracks]

it sounds like maybe you should just hire an electrician to wire 'your new workshop' .

It was already suggested, but apparently you missed it or ignored it. You should really buy an electrical/home wiring basics book. Available at home depots and plently of other places.

 

[luciano28]

Make sure you use Underground Feeder(UF) cable if you plan to bury it.

I highly recommend having an electrician make the initial connections in the main panel, make sure that side of it wired up right, then you can experiment with wiring up your shed. If you fuck it up, the breaker will pop.

 

[Green Force]

lol dude listen to what every one is telling you and fucking stop what ur doing cuzz u ovbously dont kno what you are doing READ READ READ and learn!!! then ask questions learn on your own witch is the best way then if you are still confused you should either not do it at all or seek pro help in person

 

[luciano28]

Can you take the 14/2 and 15a back and get 12/2 and a 20A? Im not real familiar with what your pumps will use in amps to tell you the truth, I dont use any pumps. If I was wiring receptacles on a circuit though, I want a 20A and 12/2. 15a breakers and 14/2 are meant for lighting in homes mostly, and not the kind of lighting you are using. some electricians will put all the ceiling lights and what not on say a whole 1st floor of a house , and put it on a 15amp. Get the 12/2 and 20Amp, you never know what you might have to plug in, in that shed, a shopvac, whatever.

But if you stick with that wire(the 14/2), yes a 15a breaker is the proper size.

And like I said you need to get UF cable or put it in pipe if you plan to bury it, which would be the obvious choice if you want some stealth. UF Cable is pretty hard to strip too in the 10 gauge, so I imagine 12 gauge is hard to strip too I think they make a cheapass tool to help you strip UF

 

[jimmie]

so my second post, will that not work, ill assume all risks, i just dont want any one coming over to the house, technically i should not have a shed on premises,

 

[jimmie]

Can you take the 14/2 and 15a back and get 12/2 and a 20A? Im not real familiar with what your pumps will use in amps to tell you the truth, I dont use any pumps. If I was wiring receptacles on a circuit though, I want a 20A and 12/2. 15a breakers and 14/2 are meant for lighting in homes mostly, and not the kind of lighting you are using. some electricians will put all the ceiling lights and what not on say a whole 1st floor of a house , and put it on a 15amp. Get the 12/2 and 20Amp, you never know what you might have to plug in, in that shed, a shopvac, whatever.

But if you stick with that wire(the 14/2), yes a 15a breaker is the proper size.

And like I said you need to get UF cable or put it in pipe if you plan to bury it, which would be the obvious choice if you want some stealth. UF Cable is pretty hard to strip too in the 10 gauge, so I imagine 12 gauge is hard to strip too I think they make a cheapass tool to help you strip UF

i aready took wire back and got 12/2 with conduit no breaker just gonna tie off existing power from yard,also im doing dwc so i use air pumps

 

[luciano28]

Oh didnt read post 11, what kind of circuit is this one you are tying into? 20A?

Dont you think running electricity to a shed you arent allowed to have is kind of risky?

 

[jimmie]

Oh didnt read post 11, what kind of circuit is this one you are tying into? 20A?

Dont you think running electricity to a shed you arent allowed to have is kind of risky?

its a 20a and im just adding to all the other neighbors who isn't suppose to have 1 either. our association is suppose to rewrite the rules

 

[TropicThunder]

You need to look at what gauge wire the past owners wired the hps with. It will do you no good if they used 14/2 and you add 12/2 to that. You need to figure out the amp requirements of your pumps and fans which should be listed somewhere on the equipment or in the manuals, and add that to the 400 watt hid. a 400 watt hid at 110-120 volts will take up about 3.3-3.6 amps. You must take into consideration that a 15 amp breaker has about 13 amps available and a 20 amp circuit has 16-17 amps before they will trip. Another thing to consider is the length of the run from the house. The longer the run the greater the voltage drop. Running equipment with not enough voltage is not only inefficient and damages equipment but is also a fire hazard so BE CAREFUL.

A great book to get is Wiring simplified by H.P. Richter and Schwan it'll answer a lot of your questions.