The newย Pro Tool Reviewsย workshop and storage facility is handier than your favorite pocket knife. The problem isย thatโlike all construction projectsโitโs gone up in stages. Because of this, weโve used it for weeks on end with temporary power. How? By using a long (really-long) 10-gauge extension cordย wiredย to a quadโand then onย to other extension cords. Considering we reviewย professional power tools on a daily basis, it was a top priority to get that permanent service wired up and operational. In this interim period we felt a lot like that great paint and body man you know whoย performs six-figure restorations on the rarest of cars, yet drives a โ76 Nova still in primer. It was time to runย steel building electrical conduit and finish the job.
Enough was enough, so we reached out for the first piece of scrap cardboard we could find and started scratching out a diagram for the new electrical layout. After a couple hours, we had it down to a science, so we thought. Little did we know that by the end of the project weโd be on our 15th revision of said layout.
Planning Our Steel Building Electricalย Conduit Runs
Being this was a steel building with I-beam structure, we knew weโd be running lots ofย conduit. Weย would also need to do a lot ofย offsets for outlet boxes and measureย correct distances to start theย 85 degree bends to getย the correct overall length. We opted to useย ยพโ conduit for our main โtrunkโ lines down the full length of the shop. We then ran ยฝโ conduit off the ยพโ, much like a spider system. When completed, ourย steel building electrical conduit layout would be both efficient and flexible.
After consulting with a fewย professionalย electricians, we concluded the best wire to run was 12-AWG stranded copper THHN throughout the building for the 110v lines. The welder and other 220v stuff will come later. We also decided to run a quad anywhere there would be an outlet; itโs pennies difference, so why not have 4 outlets instead of just 2? We alsoย separated each quad into 2 circuits. This would ensure that plugging both a grinder and a vacuum into one quad wouldnโt trip one of our 20Aย breakers.
Other than outlets, the only other electric needs in the shop were the overhead bay lights and the LiftMaster Elite Series garage door openers to raise our insulated Clopay commercial shop doors.ย We ran one circuit for the lights, since they will eventually be LED products, and one circuit for the twoย LiftMaster door garage openers.
The power coming from the utility company will be running through a Square D 40-circuit 20-space 100-amp main breaker load center.ย This not only took care of our immediate needs for terminating the steel building electrical conduit, but also gave us plenty of expandability as we grow in the near-future.
From Computerย to Shoppingย Cart to Truck
Step one of planning your project wasย popping open the laptop and filling the Loweโs virtual shopping cart with all the required electrical goodies. After some quick searching and entering the correct quantities, the Loweโs website made it very easy to complete the order, and our local store hadย it ready for pickup when we got there. Off we went with our shopping carts to load the truck and head back to the shop.
We really did a great job at planning for this venture, with exception of one thingโIโll get to that in a minute. Typically,ย we hit around the 75% mark, and needย to make additional trips to the store to wrap up the project. Not this time, we nailed all of our supplies except for oneย thing:ย Wire.ย You really need to know how much wire you need to purchase and pull. Also, make note that you wonโt likely be pulling the same amount of all wireย colors. Green is ground, and you only need to run one ground throughout (if you do it right). White (neutral) can also be shared withย two-pole breakers, so it goes a long way as well.ย Your Black (common) wire will go quickly, and if youโre running dual circuits for each quad, youโll need some Red wire as well. In our case, even knowing this we should have purchased more Black.
The Real Work
First to determine was where exactly to put the Square D 100-Amp Main Breaker panel, then run our conduit from there.ย Some quick work with 2x4s, a miter saw, and some screws had us a mountable surface for the panel. ย Next we ran our ยพโ conduit from the panel, up the end wall and followed the roof girders down the full length of the shop.ย This job would be near impossible without a ยพโ-in EMT Conduit Bender and ยฝโ-in EMT Conduit Bender. We used a couple of Klein benders, and they were flawless and well-built.
Each electrical box must have an offset bend in the conduit, so the conduit can be strapped within 3โฒย of the box. I would try to explain the details in making this offset, but the words would be too many to count, and the YouTube videos are plentiful. The best advice I can give to those starting out is just start bending and note how the marks on the bender line up with both your fulcrum point and your bend. Conduit is fairly cheap, and youโll learn from your mistakes. Of course, you could hire a professional and marvel at the speed and fluidity as they mold the conduit withย a masterโs hand.
Once the conduit and electrical boxes are in place, then itโs time to chase the many wires inside the conduit. There areย several choices on how to stuff your conduit with your choice of copper: push, pull, suck, orย blow. I was amazed at how easy the stranded copper could be pushed through the conduit, especially in larger bundles. A fish tape can be used to pull the wire as neededย and will also give you more ability to โman-handleโ the wires where they need to go. Using compressed air, a โparachuteโ and a string, you can blow string through the conduit, then use the string for pulling wire. Finally, the method we used most, involvesย taking nylon pull string, tying on a โparachuteโ made from a piece of plastic bag, and then use your favorite dust extractor or vacuum to suck the string to your desired location. You then pull the wire(s) with the string through the conduit.
Securing Stranded Wiring
Onceย you pullย all wires to their respective locationsย you can beginย terminating them at the outletsย andย switches. Using stranded copper wire has a different feel when wiring up anย outlet orย switch. Typically, with solid copper, you can strip the wire, make your hook/bend, then secure the wire by tightening the screw. With stranded wire, if you follow the same procedure, you get a few or more loose strands of copper that wonโt be properlyย secured by the screw. Knowingย some tips and tricks of the trade willย aid in your stranded-copper wiring efforts.
When stripping the insulation from the stranded wire, donโt fully remove the insulation. Pull the insulation to expose about an inch ofย copper, but leave the insulation on the wire. Now grab the insulation thatโs still hanging on the end of the wire and twist the stranded wire in the opposite direction of itโs current state; when looking at the end of the wire, twist the wire counter-clockwise.ย Wrap the wire clockwise around the screw terminal and tighten screw securely.ย You can now trim the wire and insulation with your favorite wire-cutters, side-cutters, or dikes.ย This will give you a secure, neat and tidy connection at each terminal.
The conduit itself can be used as ground, but we went ahead and ran a ground wire that was terminated at each box and outlet. Even if the conduit separates over time at one of the many junctions, our ground still offers protection through the 12-AWG THHN stranded copper. The other end of the ground wire terminates at the 100 Amp panel, and then finally at the two 8-foot copper rods driven into the ground, outside the shop.
Testing the Steel Building Electrical Conduit Runs
After completing all the outlets and switches, it was time to test our circuits.ย Without power running through the panel, we tested each circuit to ground, using a standard voltmeter. Once we confirmed all circuits were worthy of current, we turned on the main 100 Amp circuit, then began turning on one breaker at a time. Voila, our shop now had power and lights. After having dealt with temp power for so many weeks, itย wasย reallyย nice to walk in an flip a switch to turn on the light. It was even better when we could just walk over to any of the 48 outlets in the shop and plug in aย tool and/or charger of our choice.
To sum it all up, this is really a job for the professional electrician, but since we have many great electricians in earshot of a phone, we tackled this one on our own. All the tools, products, and supplies weย used can be found atย your local Loweโs store. So if your shed needs lights, or youโre sick of your carport not having any/many outdoor outlets, check with your local building/permitting codes, load up your cart on the Loweโs App or website, and keep safety first.
