Complete Guide to Wiring Your Shed 

Really appreciate your feedback, thanks!

Thanks for the kind words!

I appreciate your comment, thank you!

You're very welcome! Thanks for your kind words!

Nice! There's a sense of pride with doing the dirty work yourself too. Good luck on your project.

Thanks for the kind words Jon!

Thank you!

Thanks for your feedback!

Your compliment as a professional means a lot, thank you. I had a bit of a masochistic streak and was looking forward to the trench digging. I'd probably do something a bit different in the future. Good suggestions.

I just did a 23 foot trench for our new shed and hit a section of rock only 2 inches below the surface. Oops, I guess I'm not using UF. ;) I rented a big rotohammer and blasted a deep-enough trench through the rock for a 6 inch cover, and used IMC instead.

Very helpful, thank you.

Glad to hear it!

Glad it was helpful!

Thank you. Yeah, I was sore for a while. It was fun, but definitely not going to start digging trenches for a living.

Glad you liked it!

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks for the sub!

Thanks! And welcome to our channel!

Thank you!

Thank you!

Excellent. I appreciate you providing those code citations Jason, and responding to some other comments.

Hi, thanks for your comment. We also have a video on how to drive the grounding rods, here is the link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AshkMHYphbM.html

Hey Art. I would recommend just running a 20 amp (12ga) circuit from one of your external GFCI outlets. Generally distance isn't an issue until you get to around 100ft. See this article for a detailed description. practicalhomeprojects.com/?p=138

if your a/c is drawing 15 amps, 20 amps is the minimum. i would usualy recommend 30 amps. but your sayong you have low power devices so its ur choice you could always run bigger wire with a smaller size breaker and then upgrade the breaker if you need to

Hi Scott, Good Questions. I'm not a professional electrician, but here are my thoughts: It sounds like you don't expect any heavy duty equipment, so 20amp 120V service is probably sufficient for your application. On our website we outline how to set up a single 20 amp circuit. It's much simpler since you won't need a subpanel and all of the extras that come with it. practicalhomeprojects.com/?p=138 The distance might affect the gauge wire you need to safely operate that 20amp circuit. For shorter distances, you'd use 12gauge wires. At around 100ft, the voltage drop becomes significant enough that you'll want to do some quick voltage drop calculations to make sure that it doesn't drop more than 5%. Be sure to use the distance the wire will travel rather than just distance between sides of the buildings. You'll most likely step up to 10 gauge wires. www.southwire.com/calculator-vdrop Individual THHN wires vs. a cable is up to your preference. The correct type of cable can be direct buried with no conduit, which saves a bunch of time. However if you are going to use conduit, you'll have to use a much wider diameter with cable rather than with wire due to the fill calculation. Also THHN is coated to be low friction whereas cables are not, so wire will pull much more easily.

If you have not dug yet, consider putting a bigger pipe in there. Today, you can run a 15 Amp 14-2 through a 2 inch conduit (way oversized). You could easily fit a 200 Amp sub panel feeder in that same pipe. Just use one wire as a rope to pull the other. Second, consider extra pipes like 3/4 or 1 inch. Cable tv, hardwired 8nternet, an alarm fir diner, security cameras, whatever else you can think of. Burial depth is based on the voltage plus some extra stuff. But a few dollars today might mean not having having to re-dig the same trench later. Hope I got you ontime.

Hey Joe. I grabbed this one. It was cheap and I already have GE breakers. I wanted to make sure it had at least 16 spaces for future improvements. Also you'll want a main breaker panel. If you use a main lug panel, you'll have to additionally use a power shut off switch. Let us know what type of videos you'd like to see in the future! www.lowes.com/pd/GE-125-Amp-24-Spaces-24-Circuit-Convertible-Main-Breaker-Panel-Load-Center-Value-Pack/3150199

@@practicalhomeprojects Perfect. Thanks for the info. We still have some work to complete before starting on electrical. Just want to gather supplies in advance.. Thanks again...

That is a bit tricky. Do you have access to the attic space above the garage? Or at least a ceiling cavity? You could always run conduit on the side of your house all the way around, but it would be a bit ugly and expensive.

@@practicalhomeprojects No access above the garage. I plan to cut an access point to run 250V lines in my garage. Unsure what I'll find up there yet.

It's going to largely depend on your area. Maybe $2k-$4k?

Hey there. You can see a written description of the project here: practicalhomeprojects.com/?p=138 We used three 6AWG conductors with a 10AWG ground conductor. All in a 1" PVC conduit. A fill calculator like this one is very helpful: www.southwire.com/calculator-conduit

Hi Tim, The beaker on the main panel is 60 amps to match the maximum allowable loading of the feeder wires.

See NEC article 408.36d. Back fed devices.

Hi there. There's no back-fed breaker in this project. The subpanel power is being supplied through it's own main breaker which is permanently fastened by the manufacturer. The breaker in our main panel functions just as any other breaker supplying a circuit or appliance.

Hi Shazad. Yes UF direct burial wire would work just fine. You'll probably have to bury 24" deep instead of just 18". I don't remember if code required, but you probably want to protect the cable where exposed outside above ground as well.

@@practicalhomeprojects You are correct, UF cable alone would have to be 24 inch unless it fit another rule in the table, like under building, under concrete, ect. NEC Table 300.5. For anyone that does not want to buy an NEC, a picture of this table can be found by google search. Also I am using the 2020 version for NC, some states use a different year( I just had to throw that in).

Yes. We received three types of inspection, and the inspector was able to do them all at the same time. Burial inspection to ensure correct depth, rough inspection and final inspection. In our county, residents can pay $45/visit for inspections.

Yeah all good valid points. I'd only add Use a much bigger conduit then you need , and go at least one or two more awg size then you need. (Within reason) Because the few $ you spend up front saves you from triple the cost and having to dig yet another trench . I went with a 8awg for about $6 more than 10. Now if I want to put a bigger breaker I'm set . So $150 vs another 156 for wire cost 🤔 (306 total)

Thanks for the tip Dustin. I thought it was surprisingly hard to pull considering I had

Hey Stephen, Everything I did here was following my local code and was passed by a local inspector. I don't know enough to give a confident answer, but here's my thoughts. The two patches of dirt may have potential differential of a few mV, but since we bonded the two grounding systems, by definition there can be no difference in electric potential between the sets of grounding rods. If lightening strikes, it's just trying to get to ground and will take the least resistant path, hopefully through the shortest amount of wire. Best of luck!

I've done the same thing, however I didn't use ground rods just installed the bonding screw in my sub panel bc that's what my inspector wanted. it's worked with no problems for 10 years

Yeah. I was confused by this exact same point. I thought that the subpanel should not have an earth ground. It should definitely not have the neutral-ground bond, but I also thought that there should be only one earth ground and it should be at the main panel

Hello, I just ran the entire conduit right through the floor of my shed and spray foamed it back. You could also do a junction box on the outside with a connection through to the subpanel.

@@practicalhomeprojects I figured it out yesterday, ended up with: 1.5" PVC conduit > threaded male adapter > metal conduit LB > chase nipple thru wall into knock out in back of panel.

Hello Elias, You definitely don't want to hook your sub panel up directly to the main lugs of your main panel. Any connections bringing power out of your main panel need to be protected by a breaker. I don't know if there is any rule against it, but I would not have a single circuit with the same capacity as my entire panel. Maybe just use a 100amp breaker even if the subpanel is rated for more. Good Luck.

@@practicalhomeprojects thank you very much, still learning!

Hey there. The panel is rated up to 100amps. The breaker in the house is a 60amp.

Hey Andrew, Thanks for the idea; that would have saved us a bit of time and back ache. We looked at getting a trencher or ditch witch and it would have been >$500 after rental, insurance and delivery so decided not to go that route.

The feeder wires need to be enclosed in conduit or a junction box at all locations. I ran the conduit through the floor of my shed. I made the hole at an angle so that it would miss the joist and still come up inside the wall cavity.

We used a 60amp double pole breaker.

If you go to the NFPA website, you can purchase a version of the code, or read it one page at a time through their viewer. Be sure to check your state for any variances from the National Code. www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code=70

Hi Jay, Thanks for the questions. 1) You could run ethernet in the trench as well. Like you mentioned it does need a separate conduit. The distance was close enough that I still get wifi in the shed, so I didn't think about it. 2) They actually make special red tape to indicate electrical wire that you might put 6" above the conduit. amzn.to/3tuZlMv. Not a bad idea to include, but not required by code in our area. 3) Yes, You have to use wire rated for wet conditions, so not your everyday romex. We used THHN/THWN-2 wire. Here's a link to the vendor to show the conditions of use. www.southwire.com/wire-cable/building-wire/simpull-thhn-copper-wire/p/BW1

This is a much better installation than an extension cord. They are not weather/dig proof, and cannot provide the amperage that an independent subpanel can...

The depth is laid out in the National Electric Code. I think section 300.4. Climate does not matter. Your local building office can adjust, bend, or throw out the nec rules and not everyone is under the nec, even in America. If you are about to do this job, a phone call to a local electrician or building Inspector should get you plenty of answers.

The voltage you run can also affect the depth required by your local code.

@@phendrix9476 yes sir, you are correct. The voltage, the use of the area above, gfci protection and more play in to the required depth and concrete above your pipe can also effect depth. This is why I encourage people to consider other items while the trench is open. Cable tv or high speed internet I believe only needs to be under the surface, but it could be deeper or the piping used for something else. Security cameras, some kind of flashing light in your shop to alert you of diner time or some emergency in the house may allow you to "get a message" in a noisy work envirnment. If you have extra pipes in your trench, they can be deeper than the minimum and prevent a re-dig. Slip a string in the pipe when you install it and use it for a wire pull in the future.

Keith is correct. Check 300.5 in the NEC. The depth is more related to "how likely is someone to cut this with a shovel or trencher" than it is to freeze/thaw cycles.

I used www.wireandcableyourway.com/ It was the cheapest place I saw with all of the wires I needed for the project.

Hi Marc, it was around $700.

We also shared the detailed breakdown of the cost at the end of the video if you are interested to find out more, hope it helps!

Hi Thomas. You're right. The flexible conduit plus connections were probably $60 over a simple schedule 40 PVC solution. I chose the flexible option so that I wouldn't have to deal with multiple partial angles and because I imagine the connections would make it more difficult to pull the wire.

Interesting take John. Fortunately, the NEC included section 300.5 to instruct on safe conduit burial. Accordingly, this is not a code violation, otherwise all types of conduit would be subject to the same problem. Just be sure that your conduit is labelled as "rated for direct burial" and you'll be all set.

​@@practicalhomeprojects It is, according to the language of the NEC, absolutely a code violation. It's not an electrical problem, but it is a violation. 300.5 addresses general rules for underground locations but, as anyone who uses the NEC knows, it is common to have to look at multiple code references to apply to any particular installation. One must look into the article dedicated to LFNC. 356.10(5) says, specifically, that if LFNC is longer than 6' it must (operative term, shall be permitted) be secured in accordance with 356.30. 356.12, Uses Not Permitted, says if longer than 6' it must comply with 356.10(5). Other underground conduits, IMC, PVC, etc, say not such thing about limited lengths UNLESS secured. In other words, LFNC is allowed for direct burial in lengths up to 6'. Beyond 6' must be secured. Not my rule, but the language is specific and clearly states this. A public input proposal may bring clarity, but it says what it says.

Hello again John, I appreciate the detailed response. I'm still inclined to interpret the code as permitting direct burial of LFNC, but I agree that a bit more clarity could be added. 356.10(4) specifically permits direct burial when the LFNC is rated for such a purpose. I imagine this use was added to clear up confusion and would end the conversation with any inspector. 356.12(3) calls on the use outlined in 356.10(5) OR "where a longer length is approved as essential for a required degree of flexibility." This is where I think you are claiming that my application does not pass the code. I'm going to claim that direct burial requires a longer length for flexibility; a word I do not see defined in this context. 356.30 explains how to secure the conduit, but does not specifically require the conduit to be secured (the requirement coming from 356.12(3). It is telling, however, that "Securing or supporting of the conduit shall not be required where it is fished" indicating that the governing body felt that securing was only intended where practical to do so.

Thanks!