garage electrical question

[chiefjason]

First, this is really a non DIY question but this seems to be the best place for it.

So all the outlets in my garage are in series, or at least on one breaker. Is there a relatively easy way to split them to two breakers? With me working in the garage I have to be careful how much I'm running. And I bought a heat press for the kydex and I'm assuming running that with the freezers kicking on is tripping the breaker. Because I intentionally did not run any other equipment. Leaving the freezers as the only things running. And when I took it inside I was able to use it. But it's too far to move the warm kydex before it starts to cool.

I have multiple open slots on the breaker box.

Knowing this is more of a thing for a pro, would it be an expensive thing to do? Just trying to decide if it's worth even making calls about. Thanks.

 

[noway2]

Easiest solution would likely be to run a dedicated circuit for your heater and put it on its own breaker. The difficult (?) part would be running the wire. How exposed are the garage walls? Are they covered in Sheetrock or plywood or are they exposed? The difference is in easy run of wire versus fishing it. Also, is the garage on a sub panel or off the main panel?

 

[Mirac]

Also, is the garage on a sub panel or off the main panel?

This would be the hardest to overcome for a DIY.
The rest would not be with a little knowledge and or direction.

 

[kcult]

I have three outlets each on three walls and each wall is on its own breaker.

I have two outlets overhead. One is for the garage doors and the other is for the lights and they each have their own breaker.

Edit: And this is on a sub panel.

 

[JimP42]

Easy. Including for most DIY-handy people.

If you are going to do this (yourself or hired) then put in a breaker/circuit/outlet for each high amperage tool. Also put in a dedicated circuit for the freezer. You DO NOT want to discover when you open your freezer on Friday that you tripped the garage breaker last Sunday.

 

[Jeppo]

I have three outlets each on three walls and each wall is on its own breaker.

I have two outlets overhead. One is for the garage doors and the other is for the lights and they each have their own breaker.

Edit: And this is on a sub panel.

Of course you do. 🤪

 

[JimP42]

I have three outlets each on three walls and each wall is on its own breaker.

I have two outlets overhead. One is for the garage doors and the other is for the lights and they each have their own breaker.

Edit: And this is on a sub panel.

Hah - if you were doing this right you’d have run 12-3 from 2 breakers instead of 12-2 from one, and put the top and bottom outlet in each pair on different breakers in case you are using two tools in the same place (like a big vacuum to collect dust from a big saw).

 

[kcult]

Hah - if you were doing this right you’d have run 12-3 from 2 breakers instead of 12-2 from one, and put the top and bottom outlet in each pair on different breakers in case you are using two tools in the same place (like a big vacuum to collect dust from a big saw).

 

[BlackGun]

Get with me one day and I will help you with it. We will need to cut some sheetrock if it is not on the same wall as the panel.

 

[GymB]

I put in 220 lines for each the lathe, dust collector, saw, planer and jointer. It’s not hard once you get the first one figured out.

 

[Diablos]

run a cord from the neighbors house

 

[Button Pusher]

 

[BigWaylon]

Shouldn’t be hard at all. When I wanted to add outlets plus a generator hookup, I ran all the wires and mounted the receptacles. A member here (who I’ll allow to name himself if he wants) handled hooking it up to the panel…and he never even turned the main breaker off. 😳

I’ve replaced breakers myself before. Probably would do the whole thing myself now (with the main off) if I needed to do it again.

Granted, the wires are all visible since it’s an open framed (or whatever the term is) garage wall design…where you can see all the studs and no drywall for most of it.

 

[NC FNS]

run a cord from the neighbors house

You laugh…
Had a detached garage close to the house with no power. Ran a 50 ft ext cord (from my house) to a plug on the end of some romex connected through the eaves to a mounted outlet in the garage. Would’ve done it right, if finances had allowed…
Neighbor had some romex about 8 feet above ground connect his house to his barn a few feet away. He was ancient with dementia, but had worked for the power company stringing lines in his prime.

 

[Gator]

You laugh…
Had a detached garage close to the house with no power. Ran a 50 ft ext cord (from my house) to a plug on the end of some romex connected through the eaves to a mounted outlet in the garage. Would’ve done it right, if finances had allowed…
Neighbor had some romex about 8 feet above ground connect his house to his barn a few feet away. He was ancient with dementia, but had worked for the power company stringing lines in his prime.

The same, but different.

 

[chiefjason]

House is 1500 sq foot. One breaker panel for all of it. But lots of open slots toward the bottom. Need to check again but pretty sure the whole garage is on one breaker. Offhand I think that's 4 or 5 outlets on the wall and one for the garage door opener in the ceiling.

Of course they sheet rocked the garage. And of course, I have lots of shelves, benches, and peg board in the way.

The freezers are on two different outlets. But they are on the same side of the garage. I might be able to figure that out to keep them on the same breaker. Getting 2 breakers on the workshop side of the garage and one for the other side I use way less would be very nice. But I'm guessing the outlets leading to the freezers are in series. And one of those outlets has some power tools plugged into it.

I'd have to double check but I think the outlet the heat press and vacuum table are hooked to is the only one on that wall.

@BlackGun I'll dig around out there to get a better handle on it and give you a call at some point.

 

[Chriselalto]

I have a sub panel for my garage I installed. Ran 9 duplex boxes with metal conduit. Total of 36 individual plugs. Multi-branch circuit.

Left 5 boxes are on 2 different breakers. Each outlet in the duplex on a different circuit. So I can run high Amp devices off of 2 outlets on one box from 2 circuits. Remaining 4 boxes on 2 other circuits.

4 total 20 Amp circuits, 1 240v circuit and 1 240v for welder.

All fed from a 60amp sub. I don't run a shop, I installed the number of outlets from a convenience standpoint. Plus materials were free. Other than a fridge and freezer(on 2 different cicuits) I never run more than 1, maybe 2 things at once.