Electrical – connect a gazebo light to a shed sub-panel or outlet

electrical

I have a sub-panel in my garage and there is UF cable 12-2 running underground to my shed with a disconnect box, and the 12-2 wire is running to a GFI. Within the shed, I have another 20 amp outlet, two ceiling lights on a single pole switch and two outside lights on their own switch. I’m adding a gazebo on my deck and need to add a ceiling fan with a single pole switch and one outlet. Can I run another UF 12-2 underground to my shed and tie the wires to the disconnect box or to the other 20 amp outlet?

Here is the diagram:
diagram

Best Answer

Since the garage panel is a subpanel and not a service entrance, you should be able to turn the entire subpanel's feeder off upstream -- I'd lock it out with a breaker-lock + padlock myself to avoid a shocking surprise from somebody else in the family.

With that done, running the gazebo circuit into the subpanel should not be an issue -- it's like running wires into a giant junction box in that you'll need to support and clamp them in the same way as you would a box. Once you have the wires in there with enough slack to make the connection -- simply screw the bare wire to the ground bar, the white wire to the neutral bar, and the black wire to the screw terminal on a spare 20A breaker, presuming you have one. You'll also have to take the front cover (dead front) off and put it back on, but that shouldn't be too hard.

Once everything is hooked up, put back together, and ready to go, simply take the lock off the feeder breaker and turn it back on.