# Running electric to my barn/shed?



## zuren (Feb 13, 2015)

Life is starting to get a little interesting so I'm looking to make some improvements to the homestead.

I've been pretty unhappy at work so I'm looking for a new job and just went through a series of interviews with one company over the past 2 weeks. If all goes well, I will be in a position to work from home. My wife also has an at-home business, so we have been toying with the idea of adding a climate controlled "office shed" to our property with room for the both of us. The prime location is near our barn, so I would want to get electricity to the barn first (currently no electric service installed), then jump from the barn to the "office shed". Here are some details:

The main electric panel for our home is on the 1st floor (200A service)
Space in our panel is TIGHT!

I have 2 empty 50A breakers in my panel
I have a very heavy 6-6-6 wire in the panel (aluminum conductors; not connected; near one of the 50A breakers) that drops into the basement but is not connected to anything (just coiled in the floor joists)
The electric meter, phone service, and natural gas service all come into the same spot
Distance from the house to barn is roughly 60 feet
I want to be able to get the full 50A to the barn with minimal voltage drop, so a couple questions:

Can the 6-6-6 wire that is already snaked into the panel be utilized, or is there something better and this wire should be used to fish a new wire in?
The straightest shot to get from the house foundation to the barn would cross the natural gas, cable, and phone lines. I'm leaning toward NOT having the new electric cross the gas line, but wondered if it is allowed. I can't avoid the cable and phone lines.

Are there any issues with my idea to get electric to the barn, then carry another circuit to the proposed shed? The shed will need some lights, some outlets, and maybe a ductless HVAC solution.
The other option to explore is to have the electric company put in another meter at the barn with 100A or 200A service. It could be buried so our view of our pond from the house is not ruined. The overall cost would increase, but the concerns with fishing wire, the spiderweb of utilities crossing in the yard, and dealing with our crowded panel in the house would be eliminated. There would never be a concern for having enough power for the barn, shed, or anything else in the yard.

I'm open to hearing others suggestions on how to move forward.


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

Could you put the office in the basement?
I would go with a temp place in your house until you see if your new job at home works out. Maybe a place where your wife has her setup now.

If you do go with the barn I would put in a separate box out there.
50 amp in the barn shed office is not much. You may soon need a lot more out there. Bathroom etc.


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## zuren (Feb 13, 2015)

gerold said:


> Could you put the office in the basement?
> I would go with a temp place in your house until you see if your new job at home works out. Maybe a place where your wife has her setup now.
> 
> If you do go with the barn I would put in a separate box out there.
> 50 amp in the barn shed office is not much. You may soon need a lot more out there. Bathroom etc.


The wife refuses to be in the basement; no windows, spiders, lots of clutter, etc. I'm trying to make it a nicer space, but with young kid (another on the way) and the revolving door of guests we have in/out, the basement really isn't a quiet space to work (guest bedroom is in the basement).

My wife's current spot is a bedroom that she is about to lose not long after our son is born (late August).

Sounds like a new service line may be the way to go.


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## melli (May 7, 2016)

Not familiar with 6-6-6 wire...is that 6 gauge (2 hots, neutral). Will that coil of wire reach the barn, with room to spare? Is it rated for direct bury application? Crossing gas, tele, cable lines is permitted, as long one maintains code clearance. 
Might be cheaper to buy ACWU of a lower gauge than running conduit, if required. 6 gauge is pushing it, I think for 50 amp @ 60ft plus run to office...see online voltage drop calculators. https://www.southwire.com/support/voltage-drop-calculator.htm
Really comes down to how keen you are to dig...my issues all revolve around getting depth, given I live on a rock. My saving grace, is I have a mini to dig.
Running another service would cost me a fortune, as utility charges full freight. Plus, they charge a small monthly fee for service, above usage fees.
As an example, I ran a 2/0 gauge line to well shed (ACWU, 120ft, 60amp).


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## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

I’m with your wife unless you finish a really nice office in the basement and I still have a least a little window so I can see daylight. I did end up with my office in my horse barn. I’m not knowledgeable about electricity but I know my hubby wired my barn and we even had a separate meter put on it. I had at least 100 amps as far as I know. I did have a ductless AC/Heater in my office, wireless router, and enough light and outlets through out that I would joke with my husband that if I turned on all of the lights at night, folks could see a beam of light for miles away.


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## crehberg (Mar 16, 2008)

My two cents from personal experience...have the separate drop put in if you can swing it. Everything here was done based from the main at the house...and it's a bear to work with. With another baby on the way...save what little room you have left in the house box for future upgrades.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I refused to allow electricity to my chicken house, as the presence of feed and eggs would draw mice. I was afraid the mice would gnaw the cord where I could not see it. And, bare wires can start a fire.

Instead I use battery lights, and on the rare occasion that I must have power I run an extension cord out to the chicken house. I pick it up when I am done. If you keep animals in either the barn or the shed I would not want power in that building.


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## Robotron (Mar 25, 2012)

The panel in the barn will be a sub panel from your main panel. Code now requires you to use 4 conductors. Neutral and ground must be separate at the sub panel. Also 2 ground rods will need to be installed at sub panel. This also holds true for office building, 4 conductors and ground rods.


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## Elevenpoint (Nov 17, 2009)

I would go with new service as your not limited on future use
As noted above you have to run four wires for a sub panel and isolate neutrals and grounds


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## Nimrod (Jun 8, 2010)

Your service panel is rated for 200 amps. This means the total of all the breakers (except the 200 amp main breaker) can be a bit over twice the rating. In this case 400 amps +. This is because you will never max out the load on all the circuits at once.
https://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/electrical/how-to-check-your-homes-electrical-capacity/

You say you have two 50 amp breakers that are not being used. You don't say if these are 120 volt breakers or 240 volt breakers. The 240 volt breakers are usually twice as thick as the 120 volt ones and take up 2 spaces where you could put a 120 volt breaker in each. Your box has room for either two 120 volt breakers/one 240 volt breaker or four 120 volt breakers/two 240 volt breakers depending on what's there now. You are not locked into 50 amp circuits, you can put in whatever amperage circuits you want, subject to the limit in the above paragraph. 

I would run at least a 100 amp, 240 volt circuit to the barn if your panel has the capacity. It only takes 1 more wire in the run to double the voltage/amperage so why not. Then you can run both 120 volt and 240 volt circuits in the barn. You just never know when the wife will want to take up welding. 

I would check a chart on line and run the gauge wire that's recommended. Aluminum and copper wire will need different gauge wire for a given amperage. If you can use the wire you have, go for it but don't skimp. You may need to buy new wire. At least the old wire will aid in pulling the new wire.

Do put the wire in a conduit. Otherwise a critter will chew the insulation and and die a horrible death. This may short out the wire or open it up to corrosion. My neighbor has no electricity in his barn because he direct buried the wire.


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