# Wiring a New Garage Addition



## codybear (Jun 27, 2002)

We are having a new 2-car garage attached to our existing 1-car garage and I'm doing the electrical myself.. The existing garage had an outdoor light on the side (next to the door) which we removed and I want to use that circuit for the inside lights on the new garage but I'm not sure how I have to run that cable up to the trusses? Keep in mind this is a finished and insulated wall so I cannot fish the wire back into the wall and up so I have to run the wire on the outside of the wall.. Can I just install a junction box, back feed the wire into the box and then run a piece of conduit from the junction box, up through the old eve and up to the new trusses? I put a red arrow in the picture showing where the old outdoor light fixture was located.. You cant see it in the picture but there is 14-2 cable that is hanging out of the wall.

2nd question
I have a 15amp circuit with 14-2 wire that isn't being used and is in the old 1-car garage attic (it is wire nutted off in a junction box).. I want to use that circuit for 4 new receptacles in the new garage.. How do I get that through to the new garage? Can I just pop a hole through the roof of the old garage and into the new garage (you can see the black shingles of the old garage in the picture)? Can I even use 14-2 or does it have to be 12-2? I already know my first recpetacle of the string must be a GFI recepticle.

Thanks for any help!!!
CB


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## ih772 (Jan 28, 2003)

Instead of trying to use the old wiring, run some new circuits from the panel in the house. If it were me, I'd run a new lighting circuit (14-2) and two plug circuits (one 12-3). Yes you can go through the old shingles.

Let me rephrase that, if it were really me, I'd put a sub panel in the garage so I could add what ever I wanted as the need arose. That way I'd have access 120/240V if I wanted to put in a welding plug or a transfer switch for a generator etc.


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## codybear (Jun 27, 2002)

ih772 said:


> Instead of trying to use the old wiring, run some new circuits from the panel in the house. If it were me, I'd run a new lighting circuit (14-2) and two plug circuits (one 12-3). Yes you can go through the old shingles.
> 
> Let me rephrase that, if it were really me, I'd put a sub panel in the garage so I could add what ever I wanted as the need arose. That way I'd have access 120/240V if I wanted to put in a welding plug or a transfer switch for a generator etc.


There is already 2 sub panels in the house and one is located right next to the door that leads into the old garage, which only has 4 cicuits being used.. However, its located pretty close to the roof eve so there isnt even a foot of room to work above that panel in the attic. And since there is already a un-used circuit coming out of that panel and also a light switch and cable already running into the new garage (the old outdoor light fixrure), I thought it was be much easier to just go that route. I'm not even sure if I can put another sub (I have a 3rd one in my pole buliding).

Glad to know I can go through the old shingled roof, thanks!!
CB


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## The_Don (Apr 28, 2008)

pull the sheet of plywood and pull the staples holding the wire go in the attic in pull the wire back through and route to where ever you want to take it. It would be a good idea to find out whats all on that circuit before loading her up though. The sub panel handy in the garage is nice though. Call the power comp and see what it would cost to run a higher amp line to the house, then an electrician to put in a new panel and straighten out what sounds like a spider web at the panel and sub panels.


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## codybear (Jun 27, 2002)

The_Don said:


> pull the sheet of plywood and pull the staples holding the wire go in the attic in pull the wire back through and route to where ever you want to take it. It would be a good idea to find out whats all on that circuit before loading her up though. The sub panel handy in the garage is nice though. Call the power comp and see what it would cost to run a higher amp line to the house, then an electrician to put in a new panel and straighten out what sounds like a spider web at the panel and sub panels.


I would of liked to pull that plywood off but the sofit covered about 8" at the top and it had a kazillion nails in it.. Due to the inspector showing up today, I went with the conduit and he just passed my rough-in and said that was a good job.. Thats the first insepctor I ever met that was a super nice guy.


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## ih772 (Jan 28, 2003)

I can't find my copy of the NEC right now but it seems to me there's something in there about not running romex (non metallic sheathed cable) in conduit.


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## codybear (Jun 27, 2002)

ih772 said:


> I can't find my copy of the NEC right now but it seems to me there's something in there about not running romex (non metallic sheathed cable) in conduit.


I have the NEC here and I'm not that good at referencing it but in chapter 9 (table 4) there is a chart showing how many cables you can run in EMT.. From what I understand, you can use EMT as a cheater pipe for protection on a finished surface wall but I don't think you can run EMT the whole length of a run and fill it with Romex cable. I believe that's when you have to run THHN stranded wire.

I also found allot of "how to" instructions on the internet for running cable on a finished wall and came up with pictures showing cables running through the EMT, like this one


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