Additional Outlets in Garage

[motzemog]

Hi everybody,
Great forum with vast amounts of information.

I have a question about adding some additional outlets in my garage for my workbench, but there seems to be a quirk in the wiring. The thing is that my existing single outlet in the garage seems to be wired to my GFCI in my 2 bathrooms and also the outlet that is on the back deck. So when I have my pond pump running in the backyard, the lights on in one of the bathrooms and a power miter saw going on in the garage (may sound like a lot going on,but it has happened), the circuit trips. It's a 15A circuit by the way. I would just add a new circuit for the garage all by itself, but the main breaker doesn't have any free spots available. Is there a way to get my additional outlets and not have the tripping issue?

[lep]

I am not an electrician but have studied and installed electrical wiring for some time. I think you need the additional breaker box with a new breaker for what you want to do. Then throw your additional garage outlets on the new breaker. You might also take the garage outlet off the GCFI if you need to saw on that outlet. 15 Amps is not a lot -- every breaker in my new 2-story garage is no less than 20 amps.

Last, you have to be careful about the NM cable (wire) you use when you install the new outlets. 12 gauge cable will ensure 20 amps, and 14 gauge will only ensure 15 amps. Also, look at the watts rating on your saw, divide by 120 volts to get the amps needed for the line. A circular saw can easily be rated at 1200 watts which when divided by 120 (volts) is 10 amps. 10 amps combined with your pond pump and lights in the bathroom could easily trip the GCFI. Also, GCFI are sensitive and tend to blow earlier than CB's. However, GCFI are helpful if for example an extension cord has been stepped on a lot, then starts to spark at a level so small it's unnoticeable -- if this occurs in a cord that's plugged in then a fire can start. Thus, I never leave an extension cord plugged in when it's in the house/garage and not being used.

[lep]

By the way, the 20 amps CBs in my new garage were installed by a master/certified electrician, with a new building permit, and the job obviously passed inspection.

[HayZee518]

is your garage attached to the house [part of the house] or remote from the house? whoever wired the place should have known to wire a dedicated circuit just for the bathroom and NOT wired outlets down stream of the GFCI. Is the breaker feeding the bathroom a gfci breaker or a regular breaker. A gfci breaker has a test switch on it.

[motzemog]

The garage is attached to the house and the breaker is definitely not a GFCI. So would the back deck and the garage outlet be considered down stream if they are tripping? Are there any DIY solutions for this? I'm pretty handy with adding outlets and wiring up switches etc., but if we're talking about adding a sub-panel, that is where it gets grey.

[HayZee518]

ok, because you said there's no more room in the panelbox, the use of twin breakers can be used. Challenger, Westinghouse, GE, Arrow-Hart, Crouse-Hinds, Square D all make twin or piggyback breakers. What you'll need to do is run some new, dedicated outlets for your fridges and freezer and use a twin breaker in the panelbox. These units are two breakers on a common one inch space breaker opening. Remove one or two of your present breakers and you can put in two twins, then wire your existing load to one side of the new breaker and the other side with your "new" circuit.