My New House & Workshop

[SenorNoob]

4x4 boxes FTW. Seriously though, lots of good advice here from people who have obviously done it a time or 2.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

No matter how you wire the recepts, it's very difficult to do it in those little 2x4 boxes. A 4x4 box gives you lots of room. While it's a little more expensive, the extra time and aggravation it takes to hassle with those little boxes makes it worth it. If you are putting recepts in drywall, use a 4x4 box and then a plaster ring to reduce it to 2x4.

In a garage/shop setting I have never thought to myself:

"Man, I have way too many outlets"

 

[Jim Oaks]

The breaker panel is mounted, and I have wire for all of the circuits running to it. I went through and installed outlets and switches in all of the boxes and wired up all of the connections in the junction boxes (light switches are always fun). I struggled trying to get a light switch and GFCI outlet to fit in a box and finally got them crammed in there. I think it's going to be 50/50 that they work or throw a breaker.

Sunday, I went and bought a vanity light for my bathroom and for over the sink in the other room and bought 90 feet of 2-inch PVC conduit and some 45- & 90-degree elbows, and I probably have a little too much because I forgot that I had already bought a 10-foot section of conduit. I got Schedule 80 for going up and across the wall, a section of Schedule 80 for where in runs under my gravel drive, and then the rest is Schedule 40.

My green copper ground wire and a 2-inch PVC expansion coupling arrived this weekend, and my 1 AWG aluminum wire should be here tomorrow (Monday).

So, it looks like Monday I get to start digging a trench. We'll see how that goes. We got a lot of rain Friday night and some more on Saturday.

 

[Curious Hound]

You got different weights of pvc conduit? That surprises me. Usually, you just get “PVC conduit”.

 

[Jim Oaks]

They sell 2-inch conduit in Schedule 40 & 80. So I searched the difference and found that I should use 80 above ground where it it could get hit and damaged and under my drive where pressure could be applied to it.

 

[Rick W]

They sell 2-inch conduit in Schedule 40 & 80. So I searched the difference and found that I should use 80 above ground where it it could get hit and damaged and under my drive where pressure could be applied to it.

Are the fittings the same size? I don’t know anything about that PVC conduit, but from working with other pipes in the chemical plant, sometimes the fittings for a schedule this don’t match a schedule that. It’s only a minute to check it before you start digging.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I'm pretty sure it's the same OD just thinner ID and likely different couplers (not like it's going to matter in this case, I think 80 is likely overkill). But I've been wrong, metal math, pipe math and lumber math are completely different at times...

 

[franklin2]

Fun Fact; The code now requires the light above the sink to be GFCI protected. Not the one in the ceiling, but the one above the sink. Basically if you can put one hand in the sink, and touch the light fixture with the other hand, it's supposed to be on a ground fault circuit.

Another Fun Fact; You are required now to run a neutral to all switch boxes. So that basically means you need to run the wire with the extra red wire in it.

If it's not going to be inspected, don't worry about it.

 

[Jim Oaks]

I got a message today the delivery of my wire is delayed and won't be here until Wednesday. I hate FedEx. I hate anytime I order something and find out it's coming from FedEx. Fortunately, it's not that often.

Schedule 80 uses the same couplers. It makes up for the wall thickness with a slightly smaller I.D. I probably could have gotten by with Schedule 40, but I didn't want to run Schedule 40 up and across the wall, hit it with something and crack it, and then kick myself for being cheap.