Electrical Layout for Workshop

I recently purchased my first house, complete with an attached two car garage, ~24' x22'. The stall nearest the kitchen will be for my car, lawn care equipment, storage, etc. The stall farthest from the kitchen will be the workshop. I am having an electrician come out to give me an estimate for installing more electrical outlets and overhead lighting. (Electrical work is not a skill of mine, nor do I have the time to learn right now)

-Just one 220V hookup for the air compressor? Or is there something else needing 220.
-How many 110V outlets?
-I was planning on going with lights overhead just the workshop, not the car stall, on two different switches, so that I had control over the light levels. What light layout, and how many, would you suggest?

I'd like to do it right, while bearing in mind that the less money spent here is more money for the actual project. All lighting and electrical opinions appreciated!

JT

Torch76 said:

-Just one 220V hookup for the air compressor? Or is there something else needing 220.
-How many 110V outlets?
-I was planning on going with lights overhead just the workshop, not the car stall, on two different switches, so that I had control over the light levels. What light layout, and how many, would you suggest?

JT

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1) Just one 220V hookup should be fine. I didn't have any and made it just fine with a 110V compressor. If you have other things that need 220V, chances are you won't need to use them at the same time as the compressor (unless you're thinking air conditioner, which in the Midwest is a GREAT idea).

2) Do item 3 first. Then see how much money is left. One or two outlets with a power strip and a few extension cords will take care of most needs.

3) As many lights as you can possibly afford, or until you run out of ceiling space, which ever comes first. No matter how much lighting you have, there will be times you'll wish you had more.

keep it simple

I built most of my -4 in a basement and garage. Good overhead lighting is key. Put them in both bays, as you will find its nice to pull the car out and have additional room at times. Electrical outlets aren't a big deal if you have a decent extension and a power strip. The air compressor may be best as a lay down mobile type. You don't need industrial output for an RV build. With a mobile one, you can pull it outside while working to keep noise down. I actually put mine in the attic of my first house, and ran the air line through a hole in the cieling. Save your money for airplane parts.

I have to respectfully disagree, get as many plugs as your breaker will handle, with at least one in the ceiling (for a retractable outlet reel). Nothing is worse than dragging extension cords across to all the corners or your shop. They will get tangled on the one thing in the room you do not want them to. Plan out where you will keep your saws, bench sanders, grinders, etc. and get a plug over near them.

Also, put an outlet near the shelf where you will keep the battery chargers for all your power tools.


Is your interior drywalled? If not, run some air lines through the walls and air outlets to opposite ends of the shop.

It makes it so much easier to jump into the shop and do a 20-minute work session if you are not spending the whole time setting up.

A 20 amp socket every 4 feet, 48" off the floor is optimal, but a lot depends on how much unused space/capacity you have in your existing breaker box.

If you're going to buy a 220V vertical tank compressor, go out back, pour a little concrete pad against the existing foundation, and frame up a compressor enclosure that matches your architecture. Put a louver vent down low in the door, and another near the top, as compressors throw off a lot of heat. Pipe it through the wall. Put a 1/4 turn ball valve on the shop side. You'll enjoy NOT listening to the compressor while you work.

If you think you'll ever want an air conditioner, now is the time to wire for it. Spend freely on insulation too. It is wise to make your new domain comfortable. You'll find more money for the airplane later. Everybody does.

Welder and oven power supplies, same deal.

Put in enough lights to blind the unwary

I'm in the same boat .. just moved into a new house (new build too) with a 2 car garage a little smaller than yours.

Didn't think to ask for 220V ... but I have ... 1 outlet on each wall, and 2 on the ceiling ... one is separate, to power an eventual workshop heater.

I may setup a compressor in the basement and run some piping ... not outisde, I'm in a regular suburb, neighbours way too close ... my garage is drywalled and fully insulated, but that doesn't stop you from running a pipe through it ...

my only omission that's going to bug me is not having planned for a lot more lights. I can still do it, but the ceiling is fully and highly insulated to living space above, I want to put as few holes in that ceiling as possible.

How's your garage floor slope? Mine is terrible at 2.5% ... driving me nuts ...

I have one termination left to do on my 24x28 workshop (for the A/C disconnect--hoping to add a mini-split next year). I put 110V outlets every four feet, two more in the ceiling, nine overhead lights. Also, a 30amp outlet for machine tools, a 30amp disconnect for a large compressor, and a 50amp welder outlet (all future expansion). A few more weeks and I can get back to building the airplane again

Get the lights in even if it means running conduit on the ceiling. It's a garage, just paint the stuff. And make sure they all do some good with the door up. I have one that works great... In winter. I need to move it. With the door up it's mostly blocked.

For Christmas my wife had an electrician come in and install a couple of 4 way 110 outlets on the walls, and 220 for the compressor. When I re-wired it for the 220 pigtail I found that it was wired wrong from the factory - there was a loose wire in the box! Anyway, I also have a 4' strip over the small work bench.

Given the choice between more outlets and more light... Let there be light.

FresnoR said:

I have to respectfully disagree, get as many plugs as your breaker will handle, with at least one in the ceiling (for a retractable outlet reel). Nothing is worse than dragging extension cords across to all the corners or your shop. They will get tangled on the one thing in the room you do not want them to.

Click to expand...

Absolutely! I just hung one near the garage door opener and used the outlet that was already there, but it made it a thousand times easier and kept the shop neater than using extension cords, having them lying all over the floor...

And overhead air drops for compressed air...several of them. Same rationale.

I've never had 220 volts for the compressor... but a big step up was when I got a quiet, oiled compressor to replace a cheaper, noisy oil-less compressor. You might do well to spend money on a better compressor than on 220 volts.

You don't need a lot of breakers for the 110 volt circuits -- how many power tools can one person operate at once? And what tools will that be? Drill press, belt sander, band saw are the main ones, and those will in general be fixed location. Portable tools might be a heat gun and a big electric drill.

Lights on their own circuits; compressor on its own circuit; and wall outlets.

Figure out what you really need and design to that -- don't overdesign your electricals.

BTW, I'm in a rental house with a single outlet in the garage.

And Van tells the story of one builder who designed and built the ultimate shop, and when he was done, his creative urges were satisfied. He never built anything in the shop, he just built the shop.

When I wired my shop:
110 outlet every four feet
220 outlet every six feet
220 60 amp for tig welder
220 dedicated for air compressor
Several banks of eight foot lights, switches at front and rear of shop for all the banks.
Separate 200 amp braker box for shop.
Everything in conduit or metal flex so no rodent damage
Twenty four inches of insulation in roof, six in walls
Multiple skylights
Wired for telephone at my wife's insistance.
The more lights, outlets and power the better