Pole barn / shop sub panel
I’m planning to build a 24′x48′ pole barn. I’ll be using about half of it (24′x24′) as a workshop.
The person who wired our house ran some 8/3 wire from the main panel to the side of the house. I plan to continue that out to the pole building. The total distance from the main panel will be about 170′. Am I correct that 8/3 should give me a 40amp feed to the building?
What I’m trying to figure out is if 40 amp will be enough for the tools I plan to use out there. Here is a list of the major stuff..
Air compressor 230v 15amp (3.7 running HP)
Mig Welder 230v 19.5 amp
Misc. saws (3/4hp 8amp 115v, 1/2hp 9amp 115v, etc.)
Table saw 120v 13amp 1.5hp
Do I have to figure out every light and outlet I will need to or is there a way to estimate that stuff?
Will only YOU be working out there? That makes a big difference. You can’t run a saw and weld at the same time unless you are superman!
Figure the loads that will be run simultaneously including lighting. Also for non 220 equipment you want to balance the load as well as possible between the two legs. You would have two 40A 120 volt legs assuming no 220 load. So you might have 4 20A 120 volt circuits. It also looks like you need 20A and 30A 2 pole 220 circuits. You would not add all these up as you would not be using all of the load at any one time.