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Author Topic: Surface mount or behind the wall for electrics in a new shop  (Read 10092 times)

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Offline Dovetail65

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Surface mount or behind the wall for electrics in a new shop
« on: September 20, 2011, 01:00 PM »
Surface mount or behind the wall for electrics in a new shop(well new for me).

The last shop I really planned and all the electric(still used conduit) was behind the walls. It was a smaller space 3 car garage. This time I am leaning toward surface mount because of the size difference and no matter how I plan I think I may change stuff around. I am still not sure though because I will stud and drywall up some of the shop walls which right now has no drywall at all.

Maybe electrics in wall in the office part and surface in the main shop? Any reason not to surface mount electrics in a shop?  All metal conduit or EMT will be used.

Same question for plumbing pipes, hide it because copper is not very strong? It is a heated space.

Comments?
« Last Edit: September 20, 2011, 01:03 PM by Dovetail65 »
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Offline optimistisch

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Re: Surface mount or behind the wall for electrics in a new shop
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2011, 01:47 PM »
Electricity:
I would recommend to mount it on the wall. It is usual that you will change or adapt the electric installation by the time to new needs or if you generate new ideas how to place the machines. In wall installations do not provide the opportunity to change it easily. No matter how long you plan and sit down and think, after a short while you will find out what to change, that is a normal process.

Piping:
If you have a heated place the pipes will give the heat more easy into the room if also installed on the wall, given it is more ugly.
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Offline Tom Bellemare

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Re: Surface mount or behind the wall for electrics in a new shop
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2011, 02:18 PM »
Surface mounting makes the walls less useful for mounting other things.


Tom
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Offline Alan m

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Re: Surface mount or behind the wall for electrics in a new shop
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2011, 02:24 PM »
in my shop ( small , maybe 20+feet square) i have trunking (1.5 inch square u section with cover) running around the wall (just below the upper cabinets). the sockets then drop out of this. this is a great system as you can open the covers the whole way round and make changes. all you have to do is drill a hole and attach the socket then run the wire.
so far i have made 3-4 changes and done most of the work(first fix and some 2nd) myself before the expensive sparky came to wire it up.

as for the heating . the pupes make great radiators. i know they are more vulnerable to knocks etc but at least you know they are there and can avoid them with screws etc

tom . as i have my trunking in level all round , i found it very helpfull when putting up cabinets
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Offline Ken Nagrod

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Re: Surface mount or behind the wall for electrics in a new shop
« Reply #4 on: September 20, 2011, 02:35 PM »
Quote from: Alan m on September 20, 2011, 02:24 PM
in my shop ( small , maybe 20+feet square) i have trunking (1.5 inch square u section with cover) running around the wall (just below the upper cabinets). the sockets then drop out of this. this is a great system as you can open the covers the whole way round and make changes. all you have to do is drill a hole and attach the socket then run the wire.
so far i have made 3-4 changes and done most of the work(first fix and some 2nd) myself before the expensive sparky came to wire it up.

as for the heating . the pupes make great radiators. i know they are more vulnerable to knocks etc but at least you know they are there and can avoid them with screws etc

tom . as i have my trunking in level all round , i found it very helpfull when putting up cabinets

Alan,

Your radiators must give off one bad smell!  [big grin]

Spell Check!  I know you're one of the guys that hates it, but heck, it'll save you from embarrassing moments and help us understand stuff better.
« Last Edit: September 20, 2011, 02:37 PM by Ken Nagrod »
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Offline Alan m

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Re: Surface mount or behind the wall for electrics in a new shop
« Reply #5 on: September 20, 2011, 06:58 PM »
sorry.
i usually use spell check but there wasnt enough time with all the pupes around [wink]
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"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Offline Sparktrician

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Re: Surface mount or behind the wall for electrics in a new shop
« Reply #6 on: September 20, 2011, 08:28 PM »
I use black iron pipes for compressed air, so crushing isn't an issue, and I keep it around 48" aff so it doesn't interfere with upper cabinets.  I've gotten into the use of surface-mount raceway around the shop for the electrical stuff.  It allows for considerable flexibility in terms of accommodating new requirements.  (I do have to put a small basket at each end of the raceway, just in case Alan's pupes slip and fall off...) 

 [eek] 
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Offline Holzhacker

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Re: Surface mount or behind the wall for electrics in a new shop
« Reply #7 on: September 20, 2011, 08:32 PM »
I've also done both and would recommend surface mount.
- Easier to add, modify, make changes etc
- A lot of installation time saved by not having to drill studs for pipe runs
- If run along the top or bottom with drops coming up or down shouldn't interfere with anything else
- I prefer plumbing inside the walls
- Also allows you to zip tie any cords to the pipe to keep them out of the way better
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Offline WarnerConstCo.

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Re: Surface mount or behind the wall for electrics in a new shop
« Reply #8 on: September 21, 2011, 06:45 PM »
I say run all 120 volt stuff in the wall.  Put a receptacle every 4 to 5 studs. 

I have one 240 volt line in the wall for my DC and ran another in the wall for my RPC.

All of my 3 phase is run in EMT on the ceiling and either run down the wall to the machine or I have a SJO cable (buss drop) down to the machine.

If I move, I wanted to be able to pull out all my 3 phase plus have the flexibility to move machines around as I added more.
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Offline Reiska

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Re: Surface mount or behind the wall for electrics in a new shop
« Reply #9 on: September 22, 2011, 07:35 AM »
How about using office type aluminum ducts for wall-side surface mounting of outlets which also enables you to add more cabling in the future and move the existing sockets around and route power cabling via the ceiling to central points in the ceiling to have drop down outlets for equipment in the centre of the room with wallsocket pylons?

Like these: ?

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Offline Sparktrician

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Re: Surface mount or behind the wall for electrics in a new shop
« Reply #10 on: September 22, 2011, 04:57 PM »
That's really just a high-dollar version of industrial raceway. 

 [smile]
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- Willy -

  "Show us a man who never makes a mistake and we will show a man who never makes anything. 
  The capacity for occasional blundering is inseparable from the capacity to bring things to pass."

 - Herman Lincoln Wayland (1830-1898)
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