220V

[jlloydparks]

I am a do it yourself type person, however, when it comes to electrical systems I stay away. I have about 10 open spots in my breaker box in the house and I want a 220V plug installed out in the garage. Unfortunately the box is in the basement on the other side of the house from the garage, probably a 75' run. I am wondering if anyone had an idea of what I should estimate (just ball park to the nearest $50) to have an electrician to come out and install the plug?

[Saddlestrum]

For liability reasons I'll start by saying you should have a certified electrician undertake this work, your local codes may supercede anything said here.

There, with that out of the way I can tell you I did this on my own but not without checking...and double-checking nothing was "live" while I worked. (I USED to have hair you know )

I had an existing DEDICATED ! 110 volt duplex plug (receptacle) in my garage. Running a new 220 volt line from the breaker box wasn't an option. An electrician friend suggested replacing the existing, DEDICATED, 110 volt 15 amp breaker (takes up 1 slot in the panel) for this circuit only in the panel with a 220 volt breaker (takes up 2 slots in the panel), which I did at the panel after turning OFF the main breaker so all power to the house was off while I worked in the panel.

Working in the main panel . . .

KEEP YOUR FINGERS AND TOOLS AWAY FROM THE PANEL BUS BARS, PAY ATTENTION! THIS IS NO TIME TO BE CARELESS. Turn the main breaker in the panel OFF. Converting 14-2 wire to run 220 volts is simple but I had to find a diagram on the Internet to help me. The white wire now has a wrap of black tape to signify it's hot to anyone looking at it in the future (this is important!). The black and white wire each run into the double breaker. With each "leg" live with 110, you now have 220. I had to juggle some breakers around to accomodate the double 220 volt breaker but fortunately the single 110v, 15A breaker was right next to some open spaces on the bus bar. (note: my existing wiring for this circuit was 14-2 wire. The maximum you can put on there is a 15amp breaker. Do NOT put a 20 amp receptacle on 14-2 wire!)

Now to work on the plug itself . . .

I made sure the MAIN breaker for the panel was still in the off position, I then removed the 110 volt duplex plug (receptacle) and replaced it with one 220-240 volt, 15amp receptacle.

From this receptacle I can now run my tablesaw and bandsaw, plugging each tool in when needed. No longer am I blowing the breaker when pushing a stubborn piece through the tablesaw. I've been told that each tool will likely last longer since they draw 1/2 the amperage on 220. Obviously the internal wiring on each power tool has to be changed to make it compatible with 220-240 power, along with adding a male 220 volt plug.

Note: you can ONLY do this if a receptacle is dedicated with no other receptacles on the same circuit. In my case that outlet was designed for a central vacum system and that was the only load designed to be on that circuit.

If you don't have a DEDICATED circuit, you're probably better to run a new 220-240 circuit line out to your shop. An electrician can advise wire size for the run involved.

Hope this helps a bit. No doubt others will chime in. "Safety first"

[Jim DaddyO]

Might be easier to get an electrician run a line (feed) from your existing panel to a pony panel in the garage (shop). A friend of mine had this done to his shed (110 only, for lights and a couple of plugs) and it was about $600....he has 2 breakers in his shed now.

[Vic]

I am a do it yourself type person, however, when it comes to electrical systems I stay away. I have about 10 open spots in my breaker box in the house and I want a 220V plug installed out in the garage. Unfortunately the box is in the basement on the other side of the house from the garage, probably a 75' run. I am wondering if anyone had an idea of what I should estimate (just ball park to the nearest $50) to have an electrician to come out and install the plug?

You can pretty much expect the cost of the wire to be right about what you can buy it at Home Depot or Lowes. A local warehouse will be cheaper, if you're hiring an electrician they will mark up the price of the wire, anyway. Figure about $95/hour for labor (at least that's the going rate in my area.)

[harmsdph]

Im not sure what the going rate in Virginia is but here in Houston, TX the electrician I have used a couple of times runs 70/hr plus a 70 dollar trip fee + supplies.

running a line through multiple levels across a distance will be a job that runs several hours (based on the speed i have seen my electrician move at)- but that's a complete guess but might help you get into the ball park

give your local company a call they should be able to ball park it for you over the phone if they have done a similar job.

[Sac]

If you have that long of run, and you want to have tools or a shop setup in the garage, I would put in a subpanel. If you plan to eventually run more than one 220V machine, at the same time, you are going to need multiple plugs and circuits. So you are better off doing it once to get the power out there, then you can learn to wire the individual outlets after that. And if ya make good conversation with your electrician, he might give you some tips or let you watch him install to give you a run down of the operation. Just my two cents...

[jlloydparks]

I don't need a second panel in the garage, just a 220V plug. The garage is the power tool room and two car storage, my handtool shop is down downstairs in the basement. I have a dust collector and bandsaw that run on 110V and don't plan on converting them or upgrading them until I build a shop. I am looking at a tablesaw and wanted something in the 220V power range but I am trying to factor the cost of the 220V run into the overall cost for the table saw. I may eventually get an 8" jointer that would also be 220V but would not run at the same time as the tablesaw so only one plug is necessary. Is a 15amp circuit enough for this type of equipment or is 20amp more the norm?

David and Vic, thanks for the hourly electrician rates for your area. That will help me ballpark an estimate.

[BenMinshall]

It makes a big difference if the basement ceiling is finished between the garage and the panel, and if it is finished if you want the electrician to minimize the damage to the drywall or not. If the ceiling is open and reasonably accessible, this should be a quick job for him -- he could probably do it in about 2 hours with standard materials stocked on his truck. If the ceiling is closed up or there are some other obstructions between the panel and garage there will be more labor involved and maybe some creative routing of the cable or raceway.

You would want a 20A 240V circuit. The price should be the same or very close to 15A and any tools that can run on 15A are also okay on 20A.

[Beechwood Chip]

If you open up a pathway for the wire to travel, and maybe fish a pull-string through any long paths, then you don't have to pay an electrician the hourly rate to do that work. There are code restrictions that may say that, for example, the wire must go through the joist or stud rather than around it, so the electrician may end up drilling some holes, but if you have the path laid out and exposed it will save the electrician time.

With my electrician, I check with him to find out what kind of wire to run, and then I fish it from the electrical box to the outlet, and he comes in and checks it and makes the final connections.

[Torch02]

Just for reference (I'm in northern VA), I had a subpanel run to my garage by an electrician for ~$700. From there, I felt comfortable enough to run my own circuits in the garage

With a subpanel, you have the advantage of turning off the subpanel at the main panel, which is good for safety & confidence

[klousiajp@gmail.com]

I don't think that I've ever dealt with an electrician that won't come out and do a free estimate.

I like the idea of the subpanel but don't know how much that would end up costing. Once you have the subpanel in place, adding a new circuit for new chargers, a shop vac, etc. up becomes relatively simple. Even if you don't want to do it, the pro wouldn't have to fish line from the main box to the garage again which would save you money.

Oh, and flipping the breakers when they pop won't require a walk through the house.

As an aside, the hourly rates that I've seen up here in Northern Virginia run between $75 and $90.

[jHop]

I haven't done the electrical here, but I've talked with a couple of people about doing some upgrades to a couple of houses I've been in (either renting or family's). From what I have been told, the local inspectors *REQUIRE* that a licensed electrician handle the sub panel. However, the code says nothing about the wiring. So you can run your own wires, hook them up, and call the electrician out to inspect the work and "throw the switch." Again, this is word of mouth, not written proof.

That said, that is in my local area. I'd double check with your community before you do any work. To start with, I'd run down to my local hardwares store (not the retail giants) and start a conversation with them about electricity, wiring, code, and if they know any local electricians. (Maybe butter them up with a box of donuts and some coffee?) While you're there, price wire, junction boxes, panel boxes, breakers, and tools.

[JoeTaxpayer]

In my particular town, no electrician is required. In my basement finishing, 4 rooms, nearly 1600sq ft, I pulled a permit that stated I was doing it all myself.

Wiring is all done, and I passed inspection. He asked about one wall that had no outlet, that was all I missed.

The basement was mostly 110V outlets, ceiling can lights most on 3-way switches, and the lone 220V outlet.

The first thing I said for inspection "I have nothing to hide. The lights were rerouted from pill chains that I removed, so they are live. The 220V is live to cut wood, Catch-22. Rest of basement has no outlets so you can inspect."

There are a number of good books that have general advice and would pass code. But again, it's a local thing. Unless it's both legal and clear to you what you're doing, it's worth the couple hundred dollars.

[CJC5151]

Im not pointing fingers because I do the same thing on posts i feel i have relevant knowledge about. That being said I find it funny how a guy basically wants to know what a fair price is for installing a 220 line 65 feet away from his main panel and he gets so many replies but none that actually tell him a set price. Sorry im not an electrician and I cannot actually give you a price either, but I think what you are looking for is to make sure some electrician doesnt screw you, not everyones oppinion on what you should do or how they would go about it. just is it gonna cost me 50, 500, or 5000. I know what your saying though, ill mess with anything around the house, but i leave the electricity to the sparkies it scares the hell out of me. WHAT I WOULD DO (haha) is just get a few bids. Sorry this wasnt helpful I just found it funny

[harryangel69]

Typically you will be looking at the price of parts plus 2 to 3 times that for labor. Remember that pulling through walls and crawling under houses will increase that base price. Usually alot because they don't want to do it.

Probably $100 to $150 in parts. That depends on code, permits, and hourly rates. Get more than one estimate unless he is recommended highly.