On Sat, 03 Jan 2004 19:48:02 -0500, Otto Hoel wrote:

I'm converting my small two car garage into a shop. I now have only two
outlets in there plus the light circuit for the ceiling lights. I would
like to put in a bunch of 110V outlets for handheld power tools, movable
lights, and such things. What I cannot find out is how many outlets I
should have per circuit when I don't know what the load is going to be? Is
there a "rule of thumb" somewhere, or a "best practice" kind of thing that I
can use as a guideline? I need this both for the 110V outlets and the 220V
outlets since I'm planning to leave some open for future tools. I will
convert all my tools to 220V that can be converted , but I need to plan for
expansion. Or should I just run a separate circuit to each 220V tool?
Since I'm the only one working there, only one tool will be used at a time,
but the DC and the A/C unit, both 220V, will be running.

My shop is 20' x 20'. The main CB in my current panel says 150 so I assume
I have 150Amp service. Otherwise no labels or markings clutters up the
expanse of gray paint in the panel, so I guess my first job should be to
map out the circuits I already have. And finally, the panel is full. No
expansion possible. So I will have to put in a sub panel. I have room to
put it right next to the existing panel. Unless that is a no no.

Otto


Is it a 1-man shop?

If so, you certainly don't need as many circuits as you might think. The
reason: You aren't going to have everything running at once.

Your best and most accurate source for info will be the local electrical
inspector. It's better to do things right than to burn down the place or
to later deal with an irate inspector.

This does not mean you can't do your own wiring. Homeowners generally can.

Electrical permits are cheap.

Electricity can be friend or foe. It's great but nothing to take lightly,
especially if you have any doubts whatsoever. There are many knowledgable
folks prowling newsgroups with all levels of expertise. How do you know
which to choose?

Again, talk to the electrical inspector. Ours is also the local building
inspector, a good place to begin.