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How to run a 220 volt line in my shop?

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tes87gn

Member
Joined
Jun 7, 2001
Messages
160
Does anyone know how to run a 220 volt line in a shop? i have a good size air compressor and the 110 line i have just isn't quite enough for it and it keeps throwing the breaker open. any suggestions would be greatly appriciated.

thanks in advance, todd
 
Man, I don't know..... 220 is beyond amatuer electrican skills in my book. I don't know how experienced you are working with wiring, but my guess is, if you are asking, you might want to call someone....

Just my $.02

- Matt
 
If you can wire in 110, you can do 220. The only difference is the breaker picks up both positive sides of the breaker box feeds.

220 is more effiecient too, your motor actually won't work as hard on 220 as it does on 110 because of the phasing. (180º vs. 120º)

Pick up a Black & Decker wiring basics book at Home Depot or Lowes. That's how I got started. You can read it all or just the parts you need to plus the basics. Make sure you do things correctly and to code (if applicable) though. 220 is really no more dangerous than 110.

I rewired (2) houses about 90%. My first one was my introduction to wiring and no fires there!
 
Ummm....you'd better shut that thing off. Let me get this straight- you have a 220 air compressor plugged into a 110 outlet? Unplug it and hope you didn't hurt the motor. Thats a direct short through the windings. If its a 110 air compressor, then have someone check the amp draw on it, and see if it needs a bigger wire and/or breaker, or see if maybe the breaker is weak, tripping falsely.
 
You will need to replace two 110 breakers with one 220 breaker. Then run the new wire from the 220 breaker to the compressor.
 
Most compressors can be wired for 110 or 220. I'm running mine on 110 until I can get my garage wired for 220. I believe you just change the wires at the motor. I will have to look at my owners manual to see.

"220-221, whatever it takes.":D
 
I assume you are adding a circuit.

You need a separate wire and outlet for it.

Depending on codes you may need a breaker box in the shop area.

You may need direct burial cable if the shop is not attached to the house, underground wiring code applies.

If they are attached the new feed and breaker from your fuse box just needs to get run to the shop and the outlet installed.
 
Todd how is your exsisting wiring ran to your shop now?Over head or under ground?Is there a sub panel in your shop?Or do you just have out lets fed from the house?If you want E-mail me direct Liscensed Elect Contractor in MD. before I started Ripping Buicks apart ;)
 
Man, save yourself some possible grief and hire a licensed electrician. What little you spend may be well worth it. They do give estimates you know. ;)
 
myself and my buddy just wired up my new compressor a couple of weeks ago. we installed a seperate breaker(double,30) in the fuse box,and ran a direct wire from the compressor the the box.
 
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