I had a garage in my backyard that we had to tear down. The garage had electrical for lights, outlets, etc. When I tore down the garage I had an electrician safely cut the power to the wire and tie it off. I now want to build a shed at the back of my yard and I'd like to run power to it. The wire that is currently in my yard from the old garage isn't long enough to get to where I would need it. I'm wondering how I go about extending(lengthening) this wire so I can use it in the new shed when it's built. We dug up a bunch of driveway in the back and will be getting sod shortly so I will easily be able to run the wire under the grass. For now I'd just like to lengthen the wire somehow and run it back to where the shed will be but I will be storing the new wire underground for a few weeks until the shed is built.
Suggestions?? Can I do this on my own or do I have to hire a pro??
Hey Peekay,
Well theres a few more variables we need to talk about regarding this.
That's not to say it can be done; we just need some more information regarding what wires and how much power is on the circuit now.
If the shed you want to build will have the same or almost the same amount of power (amps) running to it, you should be able to run more cable to it.
But, if the shed is a long distance, you are running the risk of amperage loss due to the length run.
Before we get into that, I'll need to get some more information from you.
Once you answer these questions, then we can dig deeper in this project. If you are in a HOA or zoning area where it will require you to have a permit for doing this, I would recommend contacting a local electrician for any codes and regulations.
Thats not to say you can do this yourself, but it will be better at this stage for at least local consultation if it is needed. I would at least contact one if you decide to place more circuits than what you had on the garage.
If you can answer the questions I posted above, then I can go further to discuss this project with you.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Joseph
The breakers says 15 amps. The garage was 16x30 and the new shed will be 8x10. The garage had a big light and 4 power outlets. I'll probably be going with a light(single 60 or 100 watt bulb) and 1 or 2 outlets on the shed. I would be using it to plug in some power tools and a radio, maybe a table saw but nothing too big.
I would say the distance from the panel to the wire now is about 50 feet and i'd be adding about 15 feet or so. The current wire has a hard black sheathing around it....I'm assuming I'll need to add some of that as well.
Thanks for the help
You are very welcome Peekay.