Electric in the Shed

[TechBoyJK]

It's going to be a year or two before I can afford to have a power line ran out to my shed, which is about 75' from the house.

I keep my mower and some other stuff in there, and I'm trying to figure out an interim solution. I'd want at least enough power to run a small air compressor for a few minutes as well as have enough juice to charge the battery on my riding mower.

1) I'm thinking of just getting a battery pack with a 120V outlet plug that I can charge up in the house and take out there if needed.

2) Was also considering maybe getting a small solar panel I could install on the roof of the shed that I could somehow wire to a battery that feeds into an outlet.

Thoughts? The portable battery with outlet would be practical and easy. Plus I can use it elsewhere, even take it camping. The solar panel idea is nice because I'd have a small source of electricity I could tap into if the power went out.

 

[NutBucket]

Option 3: Buy a 100' 12ga extension cord and use as needed. Mower battery can be brought in the house during winter.

 

[boomerang]

Besides bringing the battery indoors for the winter, buy yourself a portable air tank that you can fill using your compressor.

http://www.ruralking.com/5-gallon-a...YEIFX25et-Uy_OTLX_DRC8UsKkeRdkC9AgxoCcsTw_wcB

 

[NutBucket]

Yep. Meant to add that running a compressor off a battery/inverter is going to require a LARGE battery. Probably cheaper to get Manuel or Jose to dig a trench and run the the conduit to the shed.

 

[NetWareHead]

This is not as expensive as you think. You'd need a few hundred dollars total but IMO its better spent on real AC power than trying to get the same performance out of solar or battery packs; especially for an interim solution. You are going to want/expect enough power (and constant power) to run tools so you need AC current at the shed.

http://www6.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/Trencher_18/T-4-HS18/ A trencher rental like shown can dig a 75 foot trench in no time and you might even do it quick enough to only pay for the 4 hour rental. Look up code for the depth of underground cable in your area. The only hand work you will need to do is perhaps laying some gravel under the wire or conduit, then some buried caution tape followed by the fill. The lawn should regrow after a season. Make sure you call digsafe before digging to locate any utilities in your yard.

Id do conduit one or two sizes bigger than needed for future expansion and for ease of pulling cable through it. You can run a single 120 volt 20 amp cable or go for a heavier wire for a subpanel in the shed. If you are going to run heavier loads, consider upsizing the wire to account for voltage drop over the longer distance. Leave pull string(s) in the conduit tied off at both ends. Or just direct bury UF cable. Check code in your area if you need to ground an outbuilding separately from the house through a grounding rod(s).

 

[NutBucket]

Minimum I would run to that building would be 3 8-gauge conductors for a 60 amp sub (allows for a 30-amp 220V outlet). Most likely it would need a separate ground rod. I think a 3/4" conduit is sufficient. Also, if you're already running cable you should pull some cat6. Never know if you'll want to add a security camera or whatever.

 

[NetWareHead]

Also, if you're already running cable you should pull some cat6. Never know if you'll want to add a security camera or whatever.

A good idea but Id probably run a separate conduit for datacomm. Keep it away from wires to minimize electrical interference.

 

[NutBucket]

I can't imagine there's any code that would allow both in the same conduit.