5 Steps of Running a Subpanel to a Detached Garage

  1. Step 1: First and Foremost. Ensure that you cut your power before beginning. …
  2. Step 2: Prepare For Your Garage Subpanel. …
  3. Step 3: Install your Backer. …
  4. Step 4: Connect Your Wire to Subpanel. …
  5. Step 5: Main Panel.

How do you wire a sub panel in a detached garage?

Dig an 18-inch deep trench for the outdoor electrical wire, which you will run from the main panel box to the garage sub panel. Use 1 1/4-inch PVC conduit for a 100-amp sub panel or 1-inch PVC conduit if the sub panel is 50 amps or less. Run the conduit from the garage to the main panel box.

Does a garage sub panel need a main breaker?





The subpanel may be equipped with a main breaker to allow for power interruption without having to go back to the main panel, but it is not required to have a main shutoff circuit breaker, since the feeder breaker back in the main panel serves this function.

How are sub panels wired?

A subpanel requires two hot wires connected to a 240-volt double-pole breaker in the main panel. It also needs a neutral wire and a ground wire. The cable used for this run is known as a “three-wire cable with ground.” The two hot wires, called feeder wires, will provide all of the power to the subpanel.

How do you install a sub panel in a garage?


Quote from Youtube video: Turn it off next I found a nearby stud and pre-drilled holes for a plywood backer to map the sub panel. On. These two screws are for actually mounting the Sun panel.

Does a subpanel in a detached garage need a ground rod?

A detached building with a subpanel needs its own ground rod, regardless of if there are three wires or four wires feeding it.

Does a sub panel need a ground rod?





Yes, any sub panel outside of the main building requires it’s own ground rod and a ground wire back to the main building. And yes, a sub panel in the same building as the main does not need a ground rod – only the ground wire.

Why does a subpanel need 4 wires?

The neutral and ground are not bonded in the subpanel. In this setup if a hot wire coming in contact with the non-current carrying parts of the electrical system, (outlet covers, panel covers etc), the 4th ground conductor will provide a low resistance patch back to the source tripping a breaker.

Do you bond neutral and ground in subpanel?

When Should Grounds & Neutrals Be Connected in a SubPanel? The answer is never. Grounds and neutrals should only be connected at the last point of disconnect. This would be at main panels only.

What is the 6 breaker rule?

The “rule of six” refers to how many breakers or throws it takes to disconnect a building from the electrical supply, so if you have more than six breakers in a box at your service entrance there needs to be a disconnect upstream of it, either in the panel or upstream.

What wire do I need to run a sub panel?



The cable you run from the main panel to the subpanel also depends on the amperage rating. You can use 10 AWG, three-conductor wire for a 30-amp panel, but for a 60-amp one, you need 6 AWG wire. If you’re installing a 100-amp panel, you need 4 AWG copper or 2 AWG aluminum three-conductor cable.

How do I run a subpanel from the main panel?

Quote from the video:
Quote from Youtube video: You're going to be adding a subpanel always add the largest panel that that is practical to a door if you were thinking that you needed six circuits.

What is code for outlets in garage?

210.52(G)(1) Garages.



In each attached garage and in each detached garage with electric power, at least one receptacle outlet shall be installed in each vehicle bay and not more than 1.7 m (5 ½ ft) above the floor.

Does a detached garage need GFCI outlets?



Where GFCIs Are Required. GFCI protection is required for 125-volt to 250-volt receptacles supplied by single-phase branch circuits rated 150 volts or less to the ground. GFCI receptacles are required in bathrooms, garages, crawl spaces, basements, laundry rooms and areas where a water source is present.

How many outlets can be on a 20 amp circuit in a garage?

The answer to the question how many outlets on a 20 amp circuit is ten outlets. Always comply with the 80% circuit and breaker load rule, allowing a maximum load of 1.5 amps per receptacle. Remember that your circuit, wire sizes, and outlets must be compatible to avoid overheating and electrical hazards.

How high do receptacles have to be off the floor in a garage?

It seems like we could always have a few more. However, the code is just a minimum set of installation rules. The basic rule for garage receptacles is that one receptacle outlet needs to be installed in each vehicle bay and not more than 5 ½ feet above the floor.

Do detached garages need tamper resistant outlets?

Receptacles for garage-door openers located more than 5½ feet above the floor are required to be tamper-resistant. Floor receptacles located more than 18 inches from the wall are required to be tamper-resistant, even though 210.52 does not specify these receptacles as required receptacles.

What is code for switch height?



The National Electrical Code specifies that each room in a house should have at least one switch to operate lights in the room, but it doesn’t say anything about how high the switch should be. Many builders position switch boxes so the bottom of the box is 48 inches above the floor.

How many electrical outlets are required in a garage?

one receptacle

Garages must have at least one receptacle, including one for each car space. All garage receptacles must be GFCI-protected.

How many outlets can be on a 15 amp circuit in a garage?

10 outlets



This allowed for 10 outlets for a 15 Amp circuit and 13 outlets for a 20 Amp circuit.

Do garage lights need to be GFCI protected?

NEC 210.8. 2 requires all outlets in a garage to be GFCI protected so if your lights are connected by an outlet they need GFCI protection if they are hard wired they do not require GFCI protection.