How To Wire A Subpanel Circuit Breaker Box

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.

How to wire a subpanel circuit breaker box. 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. 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. However if there is a long distance run for the feed the next larger wire size should be used to. The wiring feeding the subpanel must match or exceed the rated circuit breaker size not the calculated load of the subpanel.

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. Peel back the insulation to reveal the wires. A wiring diagram is a streamlined standard pictorial depiction of an electric circuit. A typical amperage and voltage for a subpanel might be 30 amp 240 volts.

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. That means that if the breaker is rated for 50 amps the feeder cable wiring should be rated for 50 amps or more. Connect the bare wire to the ground strip in the subpanel. Swing the breakers down toward the center of the panel and snap them in place.

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. The feeder breaker in the main panel acts as the main disconnect for the subpanel. It shows the components of the circuit as simplified shapes and the power as well as signal connections between the devices.

Hook the breakers onto the clips along the outer edge of the subpanel while holding the breaker at a 45 degree angle. 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 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 subpanel connects to the main service panel with a thick three wire cable. When planning the wire size for a sub panel or any panel for that matter it is important to factor in the length of the distance to the panel from the source and the amperage of the sub panel. Variety of square d breaker box wiring diagram. Wire the circuit breaker to the other end of the.