Originally Posted By: Greg Fretwell This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
A sub panel is usually installed to give you more circuits. It also allows you to “diversify” the load a bit better. Any single circuit may be running at an appreciable portion of it’s max but the feeder to the sub panel will probably be at a smaller fraction of it’s capacity so voltage drop is less.
The big breaker in the sub is just to allow a local disconnect. That is required if the garage is detached and you have more than 6 circuits.
Originally Posted By: jpope This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
The sub panel (equipment panel) in an attached garage requires an isolated neutral bus and a bonded grounding bus with grounds and neutrals separated accordingly (to put it simply )
Originally Posted By: jmcginnis This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
A “sub” panel is also installed, at times, for convenience and can actually decrease the overall expense of wiring a home by cutting installation time and thereby labor costs. In a very long ranch home for example, if the service enters the home at one end and you have a heavy circuit requirement (ie: kitchen) at the other end, it is ofter a labor cost savings to locate a “sub” panel in the vicinity of the kitchen and cut down on having many long runs of small conductors.
)