electric problem

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medicineforpatients

Member
I have one circuit I work off of in my garage. I have another circuit in there too BUT the 2nd circuit doesn't have any plug in outlet's. It is only used by the two lights built in the ceiling for the garage.I want to add another light but my circuit that I'm using is 20 amp and I CANT put anything more on it as it is only a 20 amp breaker AND the wire gauge is 14 I think if I rememeber correctly so I can't switch out the breakers because theres a risk of fire If Im pushing too much electricity thru the old thin wires. What should I do to add another light? Im thinking a dimmable 1000 or a 600. But I need to find out what to do to allow me to add another light to my grow room. Do I add a "sub panel" or can I wire up a outlet for the other circuit in the garage that is dedicated to the two ceiling lights? Help please.
 
M

medicineforpatients

Member
Might be 12 . Thanks for catching that though. Like I said I forget But I'm pretty sure Its up to code because I opened the outlet cover once when an electrician was helping me figure my electric capacity on the circuits. Anyways yeah. the wire to the 15 amp circuits was a size lower than the circuit wire used for the 20 amp circuit. it must have been 12 gauge. Anyways Like Im said Im trying to add another light. What should I do? whats the best way and whats possible? Im no electrician so ...I need. Help. Actually the electrician was on this site. Goes by the username Scooby. I haven't seen him on here in a long time though.
 
B

bobpoon

Active Member
The breaker should always match the wire rating. Some 14 gauge is rated for 20 amps so always check to make sure what you are working with. If it is rated for 15 amps downsize the breaker to 15 immediately or repull the wire.

Check the wattage on lighting circuit with the 2 garage lights. If those lights are the only on the circuit you are in luck. You should be able to tap off the switch feed and add a receptacle.
 
J

joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
if you are not fully confident in what you are doing you shouldn't mess w/electric imho

but you could easily add a light utilizing your circuit that is running your garage lights.

also you could safely add about a 600 watt to the twenty amp circuit IF it is twelve gauge wire

You could also probably rewire the twenty amp circuit to run 220 alone and then you could run several 1kw ballasts on it. Again, you better know what you are doing.
 
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joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
Jerry68W said:
How would that be done? I mean, without burning his garage down?

It sounds like the power is there, but you need to get inside that box, see what is really going on, then run a new circuit for your additional light. And by you, I mean an electrician. I don't think you're ready to open that box yourself safely given what you've shared so far.
If you're near Seattle/Tacoma, I'd be happy to come give you a hand. If not, I wish you all the best of luck.
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well, he'd have to FIRST turn the main off and then remove the single pull twenty amp breaker and replace with a double pull twenty. Find the neutral wire that goes with the hot and use them both on the respective sides of the double pull. Better have a ground hooked up too.

He'd also have to make sure that ALL outlets on that circuit were accounted for and there wasn't a "stray" outlet inside in say the laundry room or something that was also on that circuit.

To be really safe he should probably replace all receptacles with the appropriate 220 receptacles as well, although this isn't totally necessary if using electronic ballasts. Just make sure that NO 120v appliances get plugged into the now 220 circuit.

It can be done.............IF you know what you are doing.

If done properly he could run up to three electronic 1kwers on that one 220v 20amp circuit

not an endeavor I would reccomend a novice try tho.

Edit: this amount of juice can ONLY be pulled if the wire is indeed 12 gauge tho
 
J

Jerry68W

New Member
joe macclennan said:
well, he'd have to FIRST turn the main off and then remove the single pull twenty amp breaker and replace with a double pull twenty. Find the neutral wire that goes with the hot and use them both on the respective sides of the double pull. Better have a ground hooked up too.

He'd also have to make sure that ALL outlets on that circuit were accounted for and there wasn't a "stray" outlet inside in say the laundry room or something that was also on that circuit.

To be really safe he should probably replace all receptacles with the appropriate 220 receptacles as well, although this isn't totally necessary if using electronic ballasts. Just make sure that NO 120v appliances get plugged into the now 220 circuit.

It can be done.............IF you know what you are doing.

If done properly he could run up to three electronic 1kwers on that one 220v 20amp circuit

not an endeavor I would reccomend a novice try tho.

Edit: this amount of juice can ONLY be pulled if the wire is indeed 12 gauge tho
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Yes, IF done properly ... The method you described is NOT proper.
The OP does not know what he's doing (or he wouldn't have posted) and you are recommending an unsafe method.
His choice is his, I've finished my contribution here.

Peace
 
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joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
Jerry68W said:
Yes, IF done properly ... The method you described is NOT proper.
The OP does not know what he's doing (or he wouldn't have posted) and you are recommending an unsafe method.
His choice is his, I've finished my contribution here.

Peace
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I never recommended he try it at all. YOU asked how it could be done. I was responding to YOUR inquiry.

In fact I think I clearly stated in post#5 that
  • if you are not fully confident in what you are doing you shouldn't mess w/electric imho​




But ok then.

I agree he should probably either A- run his extra light off the existing 15 amp circuit now powering his garage lights. Or B- hire an electrician
 
J

Jerry68W

New Member
My point was that if you give him ideas, he's likely to try them (and hurt himself).

I probably could have worded my response better. I think we're on the same page though
 
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joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
Jerry68W said:
My point was that if you give him ideas, he's likely to try them (and hurt himself).

I probably could have worded my response better. I think we're on the same page though
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yeh, I'm hvac by trade so it's pretty straight forward to me. Others...maybe not so much. Not trying to give bad ideas here. Or god forbid get someone hurt. Just tryin to help.

To the op.... Just use your garage light circuit for your extra light. fifteen amps would be plenty for another 1kw
 
M

medicineforpatients

Member
joe macclennan said:
yeh, I'm hvac by trade so it's pretty straight forward to me. Others...maybe not so much. Not trying to give bad ideas here. Or god forbid get someone hurt. Just tryin to help.

To the op.... Just use your garage light circuit for your extra light. fifteen amps would be plenty for another 1kw
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Yeah that's what I was thinking use the other circuit. But Like I said It doesn't have any outlets . The circuit is dedicated to the two ceiling lights so.. What do I do?
 
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Jerry68W

New Member
joe macclennan said:
.

To the op.... Just use your garage light circuit for your extra light. fifteen amps would be plenty for another 1kw
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Not if those garage lights draw more than 2 amps it's not. If the garge lights draw 2 amps or less, that would work. You're still not to code if you're piggy-backing the new outlet off the wires to he light though. I wonder what your insurance investigator will think of that if something does happen.
 
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joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
I would turn the breaker off to the 15a circuit and drop an outlet out of the fixture in the ceiling. I think you could probably do this with minimal risk and will certainly attempt to help you in this if necessary, But, I will defer to jerry's expertise on this. Perhaps he can help you do this more safely than I.
 
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Jerry68W

New Member
What you would do is kill the power to your sub panel, and reroute the wiring on that circuit so it goes from 15a breaker to an outlet. On the bottom of that new outlet, you plug in the 14ga wire to the lights. Make sure everything is behind drywall or in conduit, and that's pretty much it, though I do recommend a GFCI outlet.
 
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joe macclennan

Well-Known Member
Jerry68W said:
Not if those garage lights draw more than 2 amps it's not. If the garge lights draw 2 amps or less, that would work. You're still not to code if you're piggy-backing the new outlet off the wires to he light though. I wonder what your insurance investigator will think of that if something does happen.
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I posted this under the assumption that he is growing in the garage and the existing garage lights would not even be used. Guess I should clarified this.

Is this correct op?
 
J

Jerry68W

New Member
joe macclennan said:
I would turn the breaker off to the 15a circuit and drop an outlet out of the fixture in the ceiling. I think you could probably do this with minimal risk and will certainly attempt to help you in this if necessary, But, I will defer to jerry's expertise on this. Perhaps he can help you do this more safely than I.
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Im trying to help him SAFELY, not compete with anyone.

I like the outlet from the ceiling idea, of course depending on where he wants the light
 
M

medicineforpatients

Member
joe macclennan said:
I would turn the breaker off to the 15a circuit and drop an outlet out of the fixture in the ceiling. I think you could probably do this with minimal risk and will certainly attempt to help you in this if necessary, But, I will defer to jerry's expertise on this. Perhaps he can help you do this more safely than I.
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That's a good Idea, its simple enough BUT My grow room is in a corner in my garage and the 2 ceiling light fixtures are outside of the grow room. So I don't think that will work.
 
M

medicineforpatients

Member
Jerry68W said:
What you would do is kill the power to your sub panel, and reroute the wiring on that circuit so it goes from 15a breaker to an outlet. On the bottom of that new outlet, you plug in the 14ga wire to the lights. Make sure everything is behind drywall or in conduit, and that's pretty much it, though I do recommend a GFCI outlet.
Click to expand...
I wish I had a picture of this.
 
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