Adding a 220V circuit into a building for air compressor and car lift.

[Kern Dog]

I was a good Carpenter but never learned much about electrical work.
I'm looking to move and one of the things I'm sure I'll encounter is a garage that has no dedicated 220V circuit so I will have to add one. I'm embarrassed to admit, I just don't fully understand the mechanics of this.
In my current shop, it has a 200A panel that gets power from the house 190 feet away. For the next place, I'm aware that all I need to do is tap into whatever sub-panel there is. Would you mind dumbing it down a bit for me? I wired my own shop 16 years ago and forgot some of the details of how I did it here.
@kiwigtx

 

[mpgmike]

I'm not going to search the internet for pics, but in your breaker panel you have 2 bus bars; L1 & L2. Normal 120 VAC breakers tap one or the other. They occupy one space in the breaker panel. 220 VAC breakers take up 2X the space, tapping both bars. In other words, 120 VAC connects a Source (through the breaker) where the load references neutral (white wires). 220 VAC references L1 & L2. They are 120 VAC legs out of phase with each other. EVERY HOME IN AMERICA HAS PROVISIONS FOR 220 VAC!! You just have to run the wires through the appropriate breaker to get your desired 220 volts.

 

[5.7 hemi]

You need the right size breaker, say 35 amp double pole (that’s just using 2 lugs in the panel instead of 1). You’ll connect a 10/2 wire (plenty enough for most 60 gallon compressors). One leg of that 10/2, say white, is connect to 1 spit on your double pole breaker and the other, say black, goes to the other. Ground wire is connected to ground bar. You now have 220 going to your compressor. The other end (outlet) will have 3 connections, 1 white, 1 black and a ground. If using a metal box, run a ground to box as well.

 

[demonram]

If you use a white wire for your second hot wire, (you shouldn’t) wrap it with black tape, or color it with a color marker, at each end. White is used as a neutral. Future safety factor.

 

[BLK 68 R/T]

You need the right size breaker, say 35 amp double pole (that’s just using 2 lugs in the panel instead of 1). You’ll connect a 10/2 wire (plenty enough for most 60 gallon compressors). One leg of that 10/2, say white, is connect to 1 spit on your double pole breaker and the other, say black, goes to the other. Ground wire is connected to ground bar. You now have 220 going to your compressor. The other end (outlet) will have 3 connections, 1 white, 1 black and a ground. If using a metal box, run a ground to box as well.

I used 10/3, red/black/green. Red/black are the two hot legs, green is ground. Check your local electrical code requirements as well. Might not matter now how you do it, but if you ever sell and there is an inspection performed it might come up if it’s not done to code.

 

[kiwigtx]

I was a good Carpenter but never learned much about electrical work.

Thank you.

In my current shop, it has a 200A panel that gets power from the house 190 feet away. For the next place, I'm aware that all I need to do is tap into whatever sub-panel there is. Would you mind dumbing it down a bit for me? I wired my own shop 16 years ago and forgot some of the details of how I did it here.
@kiwigtx

As much as I would love to help....I know where to draw the line. American wiring rules and standards are not my area of expertise.

I would probably end up getting it wrong. If I was there, I would happily help you out.

 

[kiwigtx]

You need the right size breaker, say 35 amp double pole (that’s just using 2 lugs in the panel instead of 1). You’ll connect a 10/2 wire (plenty enough for most 60 gallon compressors). One leg of that 10/2, say white, is connect to 1 spit on your double pole breaker and the other, say black, goes to the other. Ground wire is connected to ground bar. You now have 220 going to your compressor. The other end (outlet) will have 3 connections, 1 white, 1 black and a ground. If using a metal box, run a ground to box as well.

See, even I didn't understand half of that. No disrespect intended towards @5.7 hemi
Lots of washing machine talk in them thar sentences for me.

 

[kiwigtx]

If you use a white wire for your second hot wire, (you shouldn’t) wrap it with black tape, or color it with a color marker, at each end. White is used as a neutral. Future safety factor.

Yikes.....you shouldn't really suggest things that shouldn't be done.

 

[demonram]

Yikes.....you shouldn't really suggest things that shouldn't be done.

Yes sir, that’s why I replied to the other post. YOU SHOULD NOT USE A WHITE WIRE FOR POWER. Unfortunately I have seen it, I don’t like it, but if it’s going to be done, make it as safe as possible. Take care sir.

 

[eldubb440]

this thread needs drawings and stuff

 

[kiwigtx]

Yes sir, that’s why I replied to the other post. YOU SHOULD NOT USE A WHITE WIRE FOR POWER. Unfortunately I have seen it, I don’t like it, but if it’s going to be done, make it as safe as possible. Take care sir.

We have people here who have done that for years - use the green (Earth) conductor as a switch leg.....usually in a two-way circuit for lighting.

Sadly that practice still continues as some are too tight to buy the correct 3-core cable. A guy died from electrocution this week here just by touching a kitchen rangehood while doing some plastering around the flue. The electrician who installed it only days before, had grabbed what he thought was a standard power circuit, connected his socket to the cable containg red, black (neutral) and green (earth/ground) .....and obviously without testing, livened it up again. The rangehood worked, so he assumed all was well.
What he didn't realise was that someone flipped a switch somewhere else in the house which livened that green.....thus making the rangehood casing live - 230 Volts to earth live.

Homeowner arrived home and found the Handyman dead on the kitchen floor.

 

[kiwigtx]

this thread needs drawings and stuff

View attachment 1555049

......close enough.

The Punched Lasagna of electrical drawings.

 

[eldubb440]

......close enough.

The Punched Lasagna of electrical drawings.

it's the Mona Lisa of electrical drawings

 

[1967coronet]

Well my younger brother is a electrician.
I mentioned this thread to him.
His 1st response was ( what gauge of wire is the home powered with ? )
He said that is the 1st thing to check.
No matter what size of breaker is in the main spot.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

So, the shop has a 200A panel fed from the house? So does the house have a 400A panel? Perhaps the shop has a 200A panel but is only fed by a 100A breaker?

So are these questions pertaining to your current home? Or planning ahead for the new place?

 

[5.7 hemi]

That’s why Red tape is made. Either way, electricity doesn’t care the color of the wire, lol!

Greg, perhaps you can have Lucas come wire it up……the inventors of darkness.

 

[Rebelrouser]

I was a good Carpenter but never learned much about electrical work.
I'm looking to move and one of the things I'm sure I'll encounter is a garage that has no dedicated 220V circuit so I will have to add one. I'm embarrassed to admit, I just don't fully understand the mechanics of this.
In my current shop, it has a 200A panel that gets power from the house 190 feet away. For the next place, I'm aware that all I need to do is tap into whatever sub-panel there is. Would you mind dumbing it down a bit for me? I wired my own shop 16 years ago and forgot some of the details of how I did it here.
@kiwigtx

As the other posts mentioned you have 220 coming into your building, it is AC power or alternating current at 60 cycles, so in the fuse block is two legs 110 volts each, and each leg cycles a 60 hertz opposite of each other. So the 220 wire to your lift uses one hot from each leg, and a ground to the grounding bar. Most 220 wiring actually has two grounds, one is for the housing of the component usually, a redundant safety ground in case you have a short in the device. And as mentioned check local codes, or at least go online and look up the national building code, should be lots of diagrams as well. The major issue you might have is not using one or each leg coming into the box, hook up two of the same leg not a good thing.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

That’s why Red tape is made. Either way, electricity doesn’t care the color of the wire, lol!

Yeah, electricity doesn't care... But you made zero mention of taping the wire in your previous post... Good way to get someone killed... Greg made it clear, electricity isn't his forte.. Important stuff needs to be spelled out... Or don't say anything...

 

[demonram]

We have people here who have done that for years - use the green (Earth) conductor as a switch leg.....usually in a two-way circuit for lighting.

Sadly that practice still continues as some are too tight to buy the correct 3-core cable. A guy died from electrocution this week here just by touching a kitchen rangehood while doing some plastering around the flue. The electrician who installed it only days before, had grabbed what he thought was a standard power circuit, connected his socket to the cable containg red, black (neutral) and green (earth/ground) .....and obviously without testing, livened it up again. The rangehood worked, so he assumed all was well.
What he didn't realise was that someone flipped a switch somewhere else in the house which livened that green.....thus making the rangehood casing live - 230 Volts to earth live.

Homeowner arrived home and found the Handyman dead on the kitchen floor.

My plumber back in Illinois was doing a kitchen we had going. He reached his arm into a wall and suddenly he started yelling and and shaking. Luckily Eddie was there, he knocked him down and clear. In the wall was a piece of Romax, that we found the ground wire had been used for power. Eric had somehow grabbed it where the wire was exposed, and had touched a piece of copper. Found out the owners son had done it. Eric was a lucky man that day!

 

[Scott Engelhardt]

This is the easiest way to tap in. Breakers are expensive