JDMPalace

iTrader: (1)

I'm building a new garage and I can't decide on the amperage I would need. My Electrician told me to add the amperage of all of my devices and that should give me a ball park but I just can't figure out what would be the ultimate. Right now I have one 50 AMP 220 one phase in my garage which I use for everything (welder, lift, compressor) but I just can't run two device at the same time so I keep changing them. So I was wondering about the setup you guys have. I just don't want to worry about this in the future since we are building this garage from scratch. It's a 36x36 garage with two lifts, welder, one phase air compressor and other basic tools and stuff. I want to make this the ultimate setup so you think 100 AMP should do it (which I can get from my current meter) or I should request a new 200AMP meter for the Shop? Thanks in advance Sean

nine-eight

iTrader: (7)

I would price the 200 amp service. if it is not horribly expensive to upgrade to that, i would do it in a heartbeat.
a newer style microwave will run 18-20 amps
a good sized welder 40-50 amps
an electrical garage heater for a shop your size, maybe 50 amps?
any electrical appliance will have a tag on it showing amperage
anything with a motor in it will draw up to three times that amperage upon starting. meaning a 20 amp compressor could easily draw a 40-50 amp spike every time it kicks on. with just that, a radio, your second lift and a welder running you could max out your service at 100 amps.

I think your electrician was on the money by telling you to add all the appliances up in your garage. 99.999% of the time you will never have everything on all at once. so if you add everything up and plan on that, you know you are adequately covering your needs and leaving yourself with some headroom to boot.

If you outgrew your 100 amp service it would cost you three times as much if not more to upgrade later. with electrical rates anywhere from 40-100 bucks an hour you could see 1000 dollars for labor to install later.

if you had say, a commercial shop and plan on doing some pretty big sized projects in there, with a large welder, a large compressor, a lot of lighting, a radio, refrigerator, etc etc I would go with the 200 hands down.

On the other hand if you have a two to three stall sized garage, and plan on most of your projects being more of a hobby, like working on your cars as most people do, a 100 amp should suffice.

I cant give you an answer without seeing exactly what you are doing as the difference between a small welder and a large one could be the difference between 25% and 60% of your capacity with a 100 amp service.

personally, id pay the cost of the 200 amp.

S P E E D

iTrader: (1)

We have a 200 amp panel in the garage and we don't have any lifts. The plan was to allow enough power for the future if we did throw some lifts in there. I would do yourself a quick amperage ballpark of your major loads. Also figure for a few dedicated outlets for high amperage tools. If the budget allows for it I would run#12 to a good majority of the circuits to allow for bigger circuits for the future.

I'm an Electrician and the ultimate in my opinion would be 200 amp but 100 amp might suit your needs. Easiest way is to do yourself a layout and start filling it in with your loads. Then see what would be sufficient.

Good Luck with the build!

mikenews

iTrader: (9)

Depends on what your main service is(amperage). But go as big as u can. 100amp sub panel shoud be more than plenty.

JDMPalace

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the info guys!!
The main panel is 200 AMP so I can get 100 AMP sub but I'm going to find out on monday about new 200 AMP serviece cost and if it's not that much I'll go with that if not then sub panel it is.

WE TODD DID

iTrader: (2)

I have a 60 amp sub panel in my garage. 220 compressor, 250 amp welder, Mill, Heat, A/C, drill press, lights, lift, etc. I've had everything going at once several times, and have never popped the breaker. It never hurts to have more service than you need, and it doesn't really cost more either if you aren't running a sub panel. The only reason I went with so little service is, one; I only have 100 amp service in my house, two; my garage is detached from my house, and the city will not allow service to be run beyond the house, and three; The ******* cable is outrageous in price when you get into the big ****. I had to run 6/3 which was almost $3.00 a foot, and had to run 250 feet of it. I'm pushing the limits with mine, but thats just an example of what you can do. Keep in mind, most everything that is amperage rated is rated at the max amperage draw, not nominal operation.

S P E E D

iTrader: (1)

When your done your layout with your electrical on it take a picture of it and post it here so we can have a look.

BillS

iTrader: (13)

I just built my garage, I did a seperate service, 200A. I never have to worry about power. it was worth the cost.

SSdreamz

iTrader: (3)

I am a Distribution Design Enginner for a major electrical company here in PA. i deal with upgrades like yours on a daily basis. i am going to agree with the majority here, swing the 200AMP service if you can, if its a detatched garage, even its own seperate service with its own meter would be a good idea, that way you wont have the diming lights and such problems in your house while you are in the garage welding away. i could give you what a ball park price would be here in PA/OH area if i knew some key figures like for instance, the distance you are away from your transformer, going underground or overhead, and a general load sheet with the information of all the stuff in the garage that will be using electricity. hope this helps.

JDMPalace

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the info guys. I talked to our power company SMUD and they are coming out to check out the building location so we can figure out the best way to run the line to the side panel and meter. They said I should have no issue getting new meter so I'll find out soon. I'll keep you guys updated.