I know nothing about electrical code or wiring. I want to add a breaker to my main disconnect panel. Reason being it is super close to my garage compared to my panel inside my home. The main disconnect panel is a full size panel with a main switch at the top then spots for breakers below. Its located at the front corner of the home and I would simply need to run the service 10 feet. I believe it's a 200a service, installed by the previous owner in 2012 and passed inspection at that time. I would like to feed from this panel to my garage and possibly add a sub panel for some additional outlets and a 220v outlet for welding. Is it ok to do this or should I plan to budget to run from the main panel inside the home?
Best Answer
I'll first put my disclaimer out there and say I'm not an electrician.
First, pictures are worth a thousand safety tips. Can you add some pictures of the existing panel(s)? Adding a run has it's challenges. The cable size, type, conduit type are all determined by length of run, amps, and location; might be 1 or 2 others I missed.
As far as adding a sub panel, there are some very strict code and guidelines that must be followed. Namely, the previously mentioned. If this is something you're thinking of doing on your own, be sure you know what you're doing. I had been in the trades for nearly 20 years, and I've played around with electricity plenty. When it came time to adding my sub panel for my shed, I decided there's too much to account for and know to do it myself.
I believe you would be able to do what you're looking to do with relative ease. You can tell your service by the breaker size of your main panel. If the main throw is rated at 200A, it's safe to say you have a 200A service.
As I recall, if your run is interior, you would need to run metal conduit and need no less than a 4 gauge stranded run. If it's exterior, you would need to run schedule 40 or 80 non-metallic conduit. Either way, the cabling needs to be stranded.
I would suggest calling a local electrician to verify gauge for service size and run. It's also good to note, there are specific height requirement, panel types, and grounding requirements that must be considered.