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skinnywolfe OP t1_iw4hguz wrote

Reply to comment by peachfuzz0 in Running wire to power this 20x10 shed for an office. What wire do I need? by skinnywolfe

Right! I did buy a 100amp sub panel that I will hook up once it's time to rock and roll.

Solar is intriguing but south and west of the shed is pretty tree covered. Didn't now if that would put a damper on my generation potential

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peachfuzz0 t1_iw4i3it wrote

100A is a bit overkill for a shed, you can get away with 40 or 60 but if you have it already then keep it. 100A requires 2ga al or 4ga copper, which is not cheap.

If you can diy it, solar is a fun project. Plenty of YouTube videos about it.

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skinnywolfe OP t1_iw4iahj wrote

Would it be more beneficial to grab a smaller amp box in this case if it means being able to use a more cost friendly wire?

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peachfuzz0 t1_iw4injb wrote

Likely yes. 40a requires 8ga wire and that would give you 2 15A 120v circuits so roughly 3600W.

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soniclettuce t1_iw4vcrs wrote

The rating of the panel doesn't matter, just the size of the breaker that feeds the wires. If you want cheaper wire, just stick a smaller breaker upstream. And since you have conduit if you ever decide you need more, it should easy to pull new wire through. (Aluminium wire is pretty cheap though, as long as everything is rated for al connections, it would be worth looking into).

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horsemagicians t1_iw5iwgu wrote

You can but everything really comes down to matching breaker size. Just as long as everything at minimum matches the breaker then you’re fine. You could run 2 ought wire to it if you really wanted but nothing lower than 8 gauge.

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