Two other things, if your garage is detached and you ran more than one multi-wire branch circuit you h ave a code violation on your hands. Obviously this wasn't inspected as this would have been a glaring violation.
You are only allowed ONE circuit to a detached structure. After that you need to run a feeder and install a panel.
Also, if you are "paranoid" you should NOT be doing this work. This means you are scared and nervous. NOT a good mindset to enter in with.
Electrical work demands respect for the potential issues and problems that can arise, immediately and later on.
--- In DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com, S_Wilson <virtualwilz@...> wrote:
>
> With electrical work, if you're not paranoid, you're not being realistic.
> An obvious hazard to having outlets and lights on the same circuit is
> that if you are using an outlet in the garage on a dark night and you
> trip the breaker, you will be in the dark.
> A 14 gauge feed line would indicate its a lighting circuit and may only
> be a 10 amp breaker. It won't take much to trip that breaker with an outlet.
> I understand the frustration of such a limiting circumstance but for
> safety and for convenience you should consider if its possible to add
> some 12 gauge wires to that feed to the garage and add a couple of
> breakers so you have a safer area. Its a good idea to keep lighting and
> outlets separate so you don't find yourself in a hazardous situation.
> I did that in my garage, it wasn't easy as the garage is detached. I
> only had the 1 hot and one neutral to begin with. I added one more
> neutral and 2 hots. It involved a lot of going under the house and
> opening walls to the sub panel. I had to add new conduit and snake 3 new
> wires through an existing conduit under a concrete slab that was about a
> 30 foot run. It was hard but the payoff was huge. My garage is a lot
> safer now but it wasn't easy.
> Every house is different, sometimes its possible, sometimes impractical.
>
> Steve
>
> On 1/21/2012 8:20 PM, jmr1290 wrote:
> >
> > Thanks, that worked. That was one of those times I was just being
> > *too* paranoidly careful. :-)
> >
> > --- In DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
> > <mailto:DoIt_Yourself%40yahoogroups.com>, "Bill Chmelik" <Chmelik@>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > If it was me, I would just spread the wires so that they do not
> > touch, get a
> > > voltmeter, turn on the power and figure it out...
> > >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
> > <mailto:DoIt_Yourself%40yahoogroups.com>
> > [mailto:DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
> > <mailto:DoIt_Yourself%40yahoogroups.com>]
> > > On Behalf Of jmr1290
> > > Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 9:15 PM
> > > To: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
> > <mailto:DoIt_Yourself%40yahoogroups.com>
> > > Subject: [DIY] Re: electrical question - two switches and outgoing power
> > >
> > > Also, the two cables originally coming into the top of the box --
> > how do I
> > > tell which one is line and which load? From up in the attic, I know
> > one of
> > > them comes from the breaker box, and the other goes to the original
> > fixture,
> > > but I can't see through the wall ya know. I already removed the
> > switch that
> > > was in there, so can't turn the breaker back on (I guess I could've
> > used the
> > > multimeter and figured it out before I took the switch out?)
> > >
> > > I know just enough about wiring to be dangerous.
> > >
> > > --- In DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
> > <mailto:DoIt_Yourself%40yahoogroups.com>, Joy Rex <jomarex@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > The two books I'm looking at don't seem to cover this exact situation.
> > > >
> > > > I have a switch going to the garage door opener, and then the power
> > > > continues on to some always-hot outlets in other rooms. Is there any
> > > > reason I couldn't add another switch just for lights in the garage?
> > > > Just add another set of black pigtails for the other switch and add
> > > > the white wire to the rest of them? That's a lot of wires, but I got
> > > > a big double box.
> > > >
> > > > I hope that makes sense...
> > > >
> > > > thanks
> > > > Joy
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------
> > >
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> > > send an email to: Interior_Motives-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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> > >
> >
> >
>
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