Wire Gauge Question


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Old 06-03-16, 02:36 PM
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Wire Gauge Question

Hi all,

Just finished building a detached garage and would like to run 60 amp service out to it. I am running it from the existing home. I will need to run 60'. So my questions are:

1. What gauge and wire type do I need?
2. Do I need to also run a ground wire from the home box as I had a ground rod installed in the concrete slab?
3. Does it matter what size of conduit I run it through?

Also, I am sure there are more questions that I am forgetting so any additional info would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
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Old 06-03-16, 03:09 PM
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For 60 amperes the minimum size of copper wire is #6. You would use wire with an insulation type of THWN which is more commonly dual rated as THHN-THWN. The minimum size of conduit would be 3/4 inch nominal but for ease of pulling the wires I would recommend nothing less than 1 inch schedule 40 PVC conduit.

Yes, you need an equipment grounding conductor between the house and the outbuilding. For a 60 ampere circuit this can be #10 copper, also with the THHN-THWN insulation.

The conduit must be continuous from panel to panel and have no more than the equivalent of four 90[SUP]o[/SUP] bends between access points. It is common to use an LB fitting to make the transition from horizontal in/out of the building to vertical in/out of the ground and this LB fitting counts as an access point.

The conduit must be complete before pulling the conductors. Use plenty of wire lube when pulling the conductors.

There is more.
 
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Old 06-03-16, 03:13 PM
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You need two #6 black THWN, one #6 white THWN, one #10 green THWN. Minimum conduit size is ¾" but 1" is better.
Do I need to also run a ground wire from the home box as I had a ground rod installed in the concrete slab?
Yes, you need both an EGC and a GEC. If your breaker box holds more than six breakers it should have a main breaker. Cheapest is usually a 100 amp main breaker kit which included several branch circuit breakers. You will need to buy and add a ground bar to it. Connect all grounds to the ground bar. Connect the GEC to the ground rod using #6. Be sure your neutral bar is isolated.

Dang, Furd types faster.
 
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Old 06-03-16, 03:20 PM
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Dang, Furd types faster.
No, Furd simply started typing several minutes before Ray.
 
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Old 06-03-16, 03:53 PM
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I think Furd cheats.... he uses that speech to text program.
 
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Old 06-03-16, 04:27 PM
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Dragon's breath? (I think that is what it is called.) Nope, I just pick and choose which questions I will attempt to answer whereas you guys are in some kind of race to see how many posts you can tally up.

I do, on occasion, type fast enough to get caught up in the three minute rule.

Just looked it up, Dragon Speak.
 
 

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