I have 2 outlets in my garage that I want to get working. When I traced the wires to my basement I noticed that the wire from garage to basement is not hooked up into panel box because there is no open slots. How can I wire up these outlets.
2 Answers
You'll need to either 1) connect the home run cable to an existing circuit (in an outlet box, for example) or breaker in compliance with applicable codes, or 2) create space in your panel by using tandem outlets or other approved devices.
Without more information, that's as far as I can go. Update your question if you want more detail.
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There is an outlet right beside the panel box for our drier...Can I connect it to that?– SteveJan 12, 2016 at 19:34
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Probably, assuming 1) it isn't on a circuit with 37 other things, and 2) it's wired with the same wire gauge as your garage and the breaker is appropriate for the circuit as a whole. If it's all 12ga. and it's a 20 amp breaker, it's probably fine. Probably. Jan 12, 2016 at 19:35
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NEC requires major appliances (including dryers) to have a dedicated circuit. So if there is (or could be) a dryer on this circuit already, you can't use it for garage circuits. A new circuit on a tandem breaker is the better solution both safety-wise and functionally. A tandem breaker is ten's of dollars.– gregmacJan 12, 2016 at 19:47
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True, but it's often the case (around here, anyway), that the panel breaker is all by its lonesome. In that case, simple is nice. Jan 12, 2016 at 19:54
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Do not "double tap" two wires directly on the same breaker, but you can use a wirenut and a short black jumper wire in the breaker panel to feed this circuit, along with another existing one, from the same existing breaker.
If you can spend a couple bucks though, I would more highly recommend replacing one of your existing breakers with a tandem breaker (like the ones outlined in yellow below).
These breakers will let you add more circuits to an already full breaker panel. Most panels support them. Check the label on yours to know for sure. They're nice because they keep the new circuit isolated from others, letting you draw more overall current from the outlets, and reducing the chance you will have to go reset an overloaded breaker.