Trench, Conduit and a New Subpanel for a Detached Garage in Washougal, WA
We dug a trench from the house to the detached garage, laid 3/4-inch PVC conduit, and put in a new subpanel in the garage with a disconnect on the house end. A 200-amp service upgrade at the house is the next phase.
Feeder
3/4-inch PVC, underground
Garage
New subpanel
House end
Outdoor disconnect
Next phase
200-amp service upgrade
Scope of Work
- Dug the trench from the corner of the house to the detached garage
- Laid 3/4-inch PVC conduit and ran the feeder to the garage
- Put in a new subpanel in the garage and a disconnect on the house
This Washougal homeowner wanted real power out in the detached garage. We dug a trench from the corner of the house, laid 3/4-inch PVC conduit, and put in a new subpanel in the garage with a disconnect on the house end.
Digging the trench
The run goes along the side yard from the north corner of the house to the garage. We dug it ourselves and laid the PVC in the bottom. Conduit in the ground means the wires can be pulled out and replaced later without digging the yard up again.
Why a subpanel in the garage
One circuit run out to a garage gets you a light and an outlet or two. A subpanel lets the garage have its own breakers, so a saw, a compressor and the lights can each be on their own circuit. If something trips, you reset it in the garage instead of walking back to the house.
The spot was marked on the garage wall ahead of time, and that’s where it went. Our detached garage subpanels page has more, and our guide to wiring a detached garage or shop goes through the planning.
What’s next
This was phase one. Phase two is swapping the main panel at the house and moving up to a 200-amp service, with new bonding and grounding and a surge protector. Doing the feeder first means the garage is ready to go when the new service is in.
Planning power for a shop or detached garage in Clark County? Call 360-828-7143 or get the garage feeder planned.
Real Reviews
What customers say about our outbuilding work
My complex had this day blocked out for garage motion-detect lights installation. What we got was great, friendly service from Brandon who installed new wiring right to the box (no fire worries now!), a nice looking light and a thorough clean up. He said Newman does private work, too, so now “I have a guy” if I need electrical work in the future.
James did everything I expected and quickly with a minimum of power interruptions, which is important because my wife is on continuous supplemental oxygen and we had to use a tank for less than an hour while James completed the wiring. He hauled my 7.5K generator down to the garage and fired it up to test that all worked as needed. Thanks Newman and James.
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