Grounding Rod For Main Panel

Need to run wire for automatic horse waterers (1.3 amps each) to an open field about 350' away from the barn.



Ran 14/2 UF wire to 3 waterers inside the barn.

350' away from barn, is #10 wire OK for such a small load (1.3 amps for each waterer - 3 waterers in the field)? or do I need #8?



In the field, need to run to 3 separate wateres, so I think I need a subpanel out in the field...

How do I install the subpanel in an outdoor setting & what materials do I need?

If #10 wire is ok, I need 10/3 UF to run from the main panel to the subpanel - correct? Also, does the entire run need to be in conduit?

What size conduit if needed?

Is 18" deep enough?



What size breaker at the main panel?

What size breaker at the subpanel?--> only need to run 3 waterers (1.7 amps each) and maybe two separate circuits of outdoor receptacles...

What else is needed here? type of outdoor subpanel, grounding rods, etc...????



Thanks for the help!
      

Greetings,



I am looking to wire a sub-panel in my barn to support a general workshop.  Loads would include standard woodworking tools (including 220V table saw), welding, air compressor, etc.



The house has 200AMP main breaker and minimal in-house loads.  Dryer is gas, Oven and cooktop are gas.  Water heater is off the oil furnace.  I think the biggest single load is the well-pump and/or fridge compressor.  We do have sporadic toaster oven, hairdryers etc.  Otherwise its just lights, ceiling fans, flat-panel tv, stereo...



We had 4" conduit installed to the barn, so there is plenty of room to pull a big cable.  The entire run from the house panel to the barn totals around 155' (probably less, but rounding up)



My questions a



Can I pull a 100AMP sub-panel from my main house panel as described?


Would 4/0,4/0,4/0,2/0 aluminum service entrance cable be a good choice for this run?  Could I do it with something lighter?


Could I put an additional sub-panel in the garage (about halfway to the barn) by interrupting the run?  The garage subpanel would have a 220V plug for possible welding and/or electric car charging.  Would this require a separate run?


Are there any other considerations I should be thinking about in planning this?




Thanks for any thoughts you can share on this! 



Cheers,



pete
      

I have a grounding question.  I am installing 400a service to my new home.  We ran 350MCM wire underground thru 3" conduit from the 2ndary terminal (moped) to the house into a 320A Cooper B-Line meter.  From the meter we ran 2 sets of 4/0-4/0-2/0 thru the wall to 2-200a breaker panels ("standard practice", according to my electrical supplier).  The ground wire (#4Cu bare) from the grounding rods comes up from the ground and we're curious if there has to be a special splice connecting the ground wire to each breaker panel or can we run thru one breaker panel to then next, say by connecting the ground wire to a ground bus on one panel and running that thru to the next with #4Cu bare or #6Cu in conductor.  Different electricians are suggesting different methods and the electrical inspector is unsure, but seems to be leaning towards the "special splice". Any feedback would be appreciated.
      

Getting ready to replace my well jet pump with a 240 volt model (currently I use a 120 volt pump. Currently I have a 20 amp, 120 volt circuit that runs from the house to the pump house about 60 feet. I use that circuit for the pump, a light and a receptacle. I want to replace that circuit with a 20 amp MWBC using 12/3 UF cable from the sub panel in my detached barn to the pump house (about 20 feet).



Question: Can I use 1/2" seal-tite to run from the sub panel to a a junction box prior to going underground with the 12/3 UF? The seal-tight run would be about 30". (I have a bunch of seal-tite, connectors and #12 THWN that I bought cheap at a storage unit auction.) The seal-tite would be run in the stud bay and along side the ceiling joist to get from one side of the barn to the other.



Question: Can I use an unfused air conditioning disconnect at the pump house to disconnect the 2 ungrounded conductors of the MWBC.



I can find nothing in the NEC that would bar either of these items, but I am a code novice.
      

Not sure if this is an electrical or a PC post.

  I wanted to install a 28" leviton SMC panel in my basement, horizontally on the wall insted of the traditional vertical way, cant find anything that says i can or cant, it would save me a ton of work to do it horizontally. Has anyone done it or seen it this way?
      

Hi guys. I'm Dan, and I'm in Knoxville, TN. I know running power to a shed is a very common topic here. I've been doing tons of reading and feel pretty comfortable with the requirements, but I have two questions I haven't been able to find a clear answer to.



First, my situation: I'm having a 10x16 shed built in my backyard, to be used primarily as a woodshop. I need more than a single circuit, so I know I need a subpanel and two grounding rods at least 6' apart, bonded to the subpanel with #6 bare copper wire.



My house has 200 amp service, and the main panel is in the garage at the opposite corner of the house from where the shed will go, so it would be pretty inconvenient to run a feeder from, there. But there's an existing 100 amp subpanel in the basement, presumably installed when the previous owner finished the basement. I'll be running a 60 amp feeder from that subpanel to the shed.



My total run will be something like 75', so I'm running #6 THWN for the two hots and neutral, and #10 THWN for the ground. I plan to bury it in 1.25" schedule 40 PVC, buried 18" deep.



My first question relates to how I need to run the wire when it's not underground. The basement is finished with a drop ceiling, so I plan to run the feeder across the drop ceiling, out of the house, down to the ground (it's a walk-out basement), then underground the 26' to the shed. I assume it still needs to be in conduit for at least the part that runs up the wall of the house. But what about inside, when it runs through the drop ceiling to the panel? Does it need to be in conduit for the whole run? Or would I just staple the four wires to the joists or something?



The other question relates to the trench. I've got a rain gutter downspout that discharges right at where the shed will soon be, so I'm running a 40' length of 4" PVC to pipe that water past the shed. It will be buried just about 6-12", just enough to run under the shed. Can I run the power conduit in the same trench (obviously, deeper)? Presumably I'd dig the 18" trench to the shed, lay the schedule 40, then add a few inches of dirt to bring it up to about 12" deep, and extend the trench past the shed at that depth, then lay the 4" drain pipe and backfill. Or do I need to dig two separate trenches? Is there a rule about how far apart they need to be if so?



If anyone sees any other flaws or concerns with my plan, please do speak up, I want to do this right. Thanks!



Dan
      

I am installing a square D 100 amp panel in a mobel home and had a question. The panel came with no seperate grounding bar only 2 connected neutrel bars and the typical hot bars. I was curious as to why some panels have seperate grounding bars (for bare copper) attached to them an some do not. Thier was a green bonding screw that said if bonding the box was necessary to screw it in the nuetrel bar and attach a wire from it to the panel box. Would it be better to attach a grounding bar directly to the panel and run a wire from it to a rod in the ground?
      

I have 2" grey pvc conduit running from my basement underneath a patio and terminating vertically from the ground a few feet past the edge of the patio (in the dirt).  I want to install an outlet on the stone wall at the edge of this patio.  I do not know how to properly return the wire from that open 2" vertical conduit back to the wall a few feet away.  I assume I need a junction box on the existing conduit, but can't find one with a 2" inlet.  I would like to keep the connections buried if possible, return with a smaller conduit to the wall and up to a mounted outlet box (weatherproof).  Any suggestions about how to manage the conduit connections from the vertical pipe?



Tom
      

Folowing up from a previous post...thought a new post would serve better...



Installing Direct-Wired waterers in horse barn (breaker to waterer directly)....

I want to install GFCI breakers, but I'm concerned about the distance with 1 waterer.

2 waterers will be about 75' from subpanel.

1 waterer will be about 350'

Do I need to install a second subpanel for the waterer 350' away?

What is the distance the GFCI breaker will correctly protect without false tripping/issues?

Thanks again!
      

In a large bunkhouse we need to add a second range, water heater, and kitchen outlets.  The existing panel is 125 AMP (with breaker), and don't want to redo entire panel.  A consultant said to install a 200 AMP drop, with a panel to handle the additional load.  Would you then feed each of the panels from that drop as main panels, or use a new 200 AMP panel as the main, and the 125 as a sub-panel from that?  I assume in either instance, the grounding would be done as a 200 AMP service.  Just realized if each was a main panel, the new one couldn't exceed 75 Amps, or total would be over 200.  Any other ideas appreciated.