"The Reverend Natural Light" wrote in message
...
I need a 240v outlet right now, and I want to do a full rewire of the
garage in the near future. A subpanel sounds like a really neat
idea. The main panel is just about full already and I just like the
idea of a separate panel in the garage.

But,

A. It looks like it's going to cost a lot.

B. I really don't know what I'm doing.

If it's the right way to go, I'll learn how to do it right and spend
the cash.

Alternative: I've seen those 2-circuit-1-slot breakers. If I take a
few of the existing circuits on the main panel and switch them over to
those, it'll open up enough space for a 240v breaker for the MIG
welder and a few 20amp circuits so my air compressor will quit making
the lights go out. Wiring that up is within my existing knowledge.

Is that a half assed solution? Sometimes the simple route is the
best, but it's my house and I want it done right.

If you were having heart problems, who would you call?

Don't dick around with something that will burn your house down, electrocute
you, or just be a PITA because it doesn't work right.

In a lot of cases, a "run" of wire can feed the whole panel, and you can
have circuits off that. Is it expensive? No. Your life and the life of
your family is worth it. Now, you can shop around and find different
prices, but if you know how to compare apples to apples, you can get the
"best" price. The "best" price doesn't mean $44 for the whole job, but it
will mean the "best" price for the job using the same components. All
sparkies buy their stuff at the same places and charge different for their
labor. Now, if you can get one that will let you do some of the work and
lower the cost, that's good, too. You can dig the ditch and save a couple
of bucks, or if you aren't that energetic, then you have to pay someone to
do it.

Steve