How To Wire A Subpanel Circuit Breaker Box

Variety of square d breaker box wiring diagram.

How to wire a subpanel circuit breaker box. Use a wire cable to supply the sub panel from the main panel and insert the conductor connections before re installing the panel cover and restoring power. Connect the bare wire to the ground strip in the subpanel. Take the electrical cable from your subpanel to the main electrical box. A subpanel connects to the main service panel with a thick three wire cable.

The feeder breaker in the main panel acts as the main disconnect for the subpanel. The circuit loads placed upon the sub panel will determine the size of the sub panel as well. Strip back the white wire and connect it to the neutral bus strip. A breaker box in a detached garage is usually a sub panel to the main circuit panel in the home.

However if there is a long distance run for the feed the next larger wire size should be used to. Install one circuit breaker for each colored wire entering the box. If the service panel does not have room for new circuit breakers and you cannot use tandem breakers a subpanel may be the answer. Remove the lowest amp rated circuit breaker from the main panel to make space for the new sub panel then route or extend the wires to the new panel.

In the sub panel box the neutral and ground wires will connect the same as they do in the main breaker box but the red and black wires will connect to the hot bar instead of. It shows the components of the circuit as simplified shapes and the power as well as signal connections between the devices. A typical amperage and voltage for a subpanel might be 30 amp 240 volts. Hook the breakers onto the clips along the outer edge of the subpanel while holding the breaker at a 45 degree angle.

Peel back the insulation to reveal the wires. Inside the covering you ll find a copper wire the ground wire a white covered wire the neutral wire a black wire the hot wire and a red wire another hot wire. The basic structure of an electrical subpanel is the same as a service panel with the main feeder wire leading into bus bars and circuit breakers branch wire circuits lead off of the circuit breakers into various parts of the house. Three will be insulated and one will be bare.

That means that if the breaker is rated for 50 amps the feeder cable wiring should be rated for 50 amps or more. The wiring feeding the subpanel must match or exceed the rated circuit breaker size not the calculated load of the subpanel. Wire the circuit breaker to the other end of the. The advantage of installing a breaker panel in the garage is that it allows you to have multiple circuits available while only needing to run one line to the garage from the house.