Running power to my garage

[Pallet Pete]

Well I screwed up again lol. I aquired a 70 ft roll of 14/3 burial wire and was elated so without further thought I used it the other day. I took the dangerously low power line down from the garage roof and installed the 14/3 all went well until it dawned on me the lights got really bright when I used anything else and then it hit me it is way to small of a cord. I have 6/3 wire in a roll in the garage which should be fine for 220 on my welder with a 50 amp breaker right ? If so can I use conduit to burry in the ground to run that to the garage ?

Thanks
Pete

 

[heat seeker]

14 gauge wire is good for 15 amps. I hope you have the appropriate breaker/fuse for it. I'm not sure what the #6 is good for amperage-wise.

 

[Pallet Pete]

14 gauge wire is good for 15 amps. I hope you have the appropriate breaker/fuse for it. I'm not sure what the #6 is good for amperage-wise.

#6 is 50 amps it is going to replace the 14/3 wire completely and yes the 14/3 is on a 15amp breaker in the garage right now. All I am running now is lights and a radio until I fix my screw up.

Pete

 

[heat seeker]

Good man! We don't want to read or hear about any disasters! I used #6 to my shed, and am glad I did. You can't have too much power available out there, I say. Mine is, I think, MTW wire in PVC conduit. You might want to run a phone line in the conduit, and maybe an airline if your only compressor is at the house. At least you might run a strong string so you can pull something through in the future...

 

[Pallet Pete]

Good man! We don't want to read or hear about any disasters! I used #6 to my shed, and am glad I did. You can't have too much power available out there, I say. Mine is, I think, MTW wire in PVC conduit. You might want to run a phone line in the conduit, and maybe an airline if your only compressor is at the house. At least you might run a strong string so you can pull something through in the future...

I like that idea I might just run 2 strands of yellow cord with it for the future. Really good idea !

Pete

 

[heat seeker]

No charge

 

[nate379]

It downed on you as in the connections you made didn't hold and it fell to the ground? Your poor grammar is making your post very confusing!


A phone line? Do people actually still use land lines?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Make that line 18ga and use it for speakers instead! Hook it up to the house stereo.

Matt

 

[firefighterjake]

It downed on you as in the connections you made didn't hold and it fell to the ground? Your poor grammar is making your post very confusing!


A phone line? Do people actually still use land lines?

Yeah, some of us Luddites do . . . we have one cell phone (Tracfone) that my wife uses for emergencies since she works strange hours . . . and I couldn't tell you the number if my wife's life depended on it since we rarely use it. For us it's cheaper to go with the local land line and internet service vs. paying for a traditional cell phone plan.

 

[Pallet Pete]

It downed on you as in the connections you made didn't hold and it fell to the ground? Your poor grammar is making your post very confusing!


A phone line? Do people actually still use land lines?

Funny my poor grammar is a product of Apples advanced spell checking as usual. Fixed it for ya Nate ! Lol

Pete

 

[nate379]

Well I screwed up again lol. I aquired a 70 ft roll of 14/3 burial wire. I was elated so without further thought I used it the other day. I took the dangerously low power line down from the garage roof and installed the 14/3.
It went well until it dawned on me the lights got really bright when I used anything else. It hit me it is way too small of a cord. I have 6/3 wire in a roll in the garage which should be fine for 240v on my welder with a 50 amp breaker right ? If so can I use conduit to bury in the ground to run that to the garage ?

Thanks
Pete

Why would the lights get bright? If the wire is too small it would cause a high voltage drop which would result in the lights dimming.

As far as running the 6/3 in a conduit underground it all depends on what type the wire is. It needs to be rated for burial.

 

[Pallet Pete]

That has happened to me a few times over the years with standard incandescent bulbs. I had an Electrician explain it to me but I didnt undrstand much ( My father among other trades ) lol. The wire is 14/3 rated at 600V my bulbs where 120V a peice 100W bulbs and there where 5 in the garage. I changed them to 23W energy bulbs yesturday so that fixed the problem there. Then I proceeded to install a 15amp breaker in the garage and house to remedy the wire size issue until I can install the new wire and breakers. The 6/3 wire I have is sheathed and insulated but not UF cable. When I talked to the county they said as long as it is protected in something it is fine to use underground. I simply want to be sure thats ok and that others have gone this route without issues.

Pete

 

[ChipTam]

Why would the lights get bright? If the wire is too small it would cause a high voltage drop which would result in the lights dimming.

As far as running the 6/3 in a conduit underground it all depends on what type the wire is. It needs to be rated for burial.

Yes, to my understanding, whatever wire you burry needs to be rated for burial. Whether you use rigid conduit, flexible conduit, or no conduit depends on how deep you're burying it. Where the wire enters and exits the ground always needs to be protected. Also, phone wire needs to be rated for burial and cannot be buried in the same conduit as the electrical wire. Now, I did bury phone wire in the same conduit as the electrical 30 years ago and it hasn't been a problem but I don't think it's code. Best to check all this with an electrician.

I'm with firefighterjake regarding land lines (i.e. real phones). I wanted to be the last person in North America not to have a cell phone. But, we gave in last year for my wife who's sometimes out on the road by herself and for me when I'm out in my boat. Actually, I've got nothing against cell phones. Just wish you couldn't buy one without also purchasing a phone booth.

 

[Pallet Pete]

Yes, to my understanding, whatever wire you burry needs to be rated for burial. Whether you use rigid conduit, flexible conduit, or no conduit depends on how deep you're burying it. Where the wire enters and exits the ground always needs to be protected. Also, phone wire needs to be rated for burial and cannot be buried in the same conduit as the electrical wire. Now, I did bury phone wire in the same conduit as the electrical 30 years ago and it hasn't been a problem but I don't think it's code. Best to check all this with an electrician.

I'm with firefighterjake regarding land lines (i.e. real phones). I wanted to be the last person in North America not to have a cell phone. But, we gave in last year for my wife who's sometimes out on the road by herself and for me when I'm out in my boat. Actually, I've got nothing against cell phones. Just wish you couldn't buy one without also purchasing a phone booth.

I have no interest in a phone line at all but I might run an ethernet cable. I was under the impression that would need to be separate as well ?

Pete

 

[raybonz]

Good man! We don't want to read or hear about any disasters! I used #6 to my shed, and am glad I did. You can't have too much power available out there, I say. Mine is, I think, MTW wire in PVC conduit. You might want to run a phone line in the conduit, and maybe an airline if your only compressor is at the house. At least you might run a strong string so you can pull something through in the future...

Don't run phone wire in the same conduit all wires in the conduit must be rated for the highest voltage so it must be in a seperate conduit..

Ray

 

[raybonz]

Well I screwed up again lol. I aquired a 70 ft roll of 14/3 burial wire and was elated so without further thought I used it the other day. I took the dangerously low power line down from the garage roof and installed the 14/3 all went well until it dawned on me the lights got really bright when I used anything else and then it hit me it is way to small of a cord. I have 6/3 wire in a roll in the garage which should be fine for 220 on my welder with a 50 amp breaker right ? If so can I use conduit to burry in the ground to run that to the garage ?

Thanks
Pete

I don't understand the lights getting bright when you used anything else???

Ray

 

[raybonz]

Well I screwed up again lol. I aquired a 70 ft roll of 14/3 burial wire and was elated so without further thought I used it the other day. I took the dangerously low power line down from the garage roof and installed the 14/3 all went well until it dawned on me the lights got really bright when I used anything else and then it hit me it is way to small of a cord. I have 6/3 wire in a roll in the garage which should be fine for 220 on my welder with a 50 amp breaker right ? If so can I use conduit to burry in the ground to run that to the garage ?

Thanks
Pete

What is the specs on the 6/3 wire Pete?

 

[raybonz]

I have no interest in a phone line at all but I might run an ethernet cable. I was under the impression that would need to be separate as well ?

Pete

Cat5 cable must be run in a separate conduit along with any other wire not rated to handle the highest voltage in the conduit..

Ray

 

[Pallet Pete]

Use for indoor residential wiring NM-B
May be installed in exposed and concealed dry locations
Can be used in air voids of masonry block or tile walls that are not subject to excessive moisture or dampness
600 volts
50 ft. length
6 gauge
PVC jacket
Packaged in shrink wrap
Copper conductor material
UL listed
MFG Model # : 147-4203B
MFG Part # : 147-4203B

However according to code we can use any NM wire in a protectice cover outdoors. Thats the county saying this I cant find much online about it though.

Pete

 

[Pallet Pete]

Cat5 cable must be run in a separate conduit along with any other wire not rated to handle the highest voltage in the conduit..

Ray

Thanks Ray I thought as much.

Pete

 

[raybonz]

Thanks Ray I thought as much.

Pete

OK tell me about the 6/3 you have..

 

[Pallet Pete]

Its the same as listed above post 19.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cerrowire-50-ft-6-3-NM-B-Wire-147-4203B/202206572#.UXPV1xG9KSM

 

[raybonz]

Its the same as listed above post 19.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cerrowire-50-ft-6-3-NM-B-Wire-147-4203B/202206572#.UXPV1xG9KSM

http://www.electriciantalk.com/f2/nm-b-conduit-underground-21190/ because I don't feel like typing.. I guarantee water will get into this conduit and romex is no good in water.. I would consider this a wet location no matter how good you glue the conduit! You could use UF cable as it is rated for direct burial or wet I would run separate THHN or equivalent rated for this purpose.. Just my 2 cents..
http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=139188

Ray

 

[raybonz]

http://ecmweb.com/qampa/code-quandaries-august-2008

Ray

 

[Pallet Pete]

http://www.electriciantalk.com/f2/nm-b-conduit-underground-21190/ because I don't feel like typing.. I guarantee water will get into this conduit and romex is no good in water.. I would consider this a wet location no matter how good you glue the conduit! You could use UF cable as it is rated for direct burial or wet I would run separate THHN or equivalent rated for this purpose.. Just my 2 cents..
http://forums.mikeholt.com/showthread.php?t=139188

Ray

well phooey I thought I might need to buy a 500ft roll. O well I dont want to do it twice so I suppose I guess I am going to buy the right stuff. Home Depot has THHN and THWN so I better go look.

Thanks Ray
Pete