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Z
08-30-2006, 10:48 PM
I'm trying to electrify my storage/work shed. I've buried a 12 ga wire (set) 18" underground to (eventually) connect the shed to a 25 amp breaker on the house. I was told by a Home Depot dudette that I should really use a fuse box on the shed, so I purchased this: http://www.polsteins.com/prod-0080169-zoom.html.

The product didn't come with instructions, nor could I find anything on the internet, so I need a little help.

Note the picture does NOT show the 2 fuse holders that come with this product. These holders are part of a separate assembly which is attached to the box with a couple screws (I guess the photographer didn't have a screwdriver to install the fuse holders, so he/she just left that incidental part out of the photo).

I understand that I need to connect the hot wires to either end of the fuse holders. (If I'm only bringing in a single line, I presume I disregard the second fuse holder? - read on before you answer)

What I DON'T understand is what to do with the ground and neutral wires.

If you have a look at the photo above, you'll see a wire "bus" in the middle of the box. Do I use this bus to connect the ground wires or the neutral wires? Since there is only a single wire bus, do I just use a wire connector (nut) to connect the wires not connected via the wire bus?

OR, am I supposed to connect the hot wires with one fuse, the neutral wires with the second fuse and the ground wires via the wire bus?

While I'm on the subject of electrical setups - I'm putting in a 3 (pair) outlet electrical box. All 3 outlets will be powered off the same source. Instead of connecting all 3 outlets (directly) to the same source wire (with a single wire connector), is there any reason I shouldn't connect the first outlet to the source wire (with the wire connector), the second outlet directly to the first (via the holes on the back of the outlets) and the third directly to the second (via the holes in the back of the outlets)?

Can you tell how much I DON'T know about electrical wiring?

BigDaveZJ
08-30-2006, 11:24 PM
I'm no wiring genius, but is 12 gauge wire big enough for what you want to do?

Z
08-31-2006, 07:47 AM
I'm no wiring genius, but is 12 gauge wire big enough for what you want to do?
Yup. All I need is enough juice to run a light, some battery chargers and an air compressor. And a pond pump (I'll be pulling juice from an existing circuit that powers the pond pump).

By the way, I looked again at the box and the back of the wire cover has a diagram that I missed on my first few investigations. The wire bus is for ground. The two fuse holders are for "load". Is there load on the neutral wires? If so, then that answers my question (feed neutral though one fuse, feed the hot wires though the other fuse).

DJJordache
08-31-2006, 09:15 AM
I don't know for sure about the fuse situation without lookin at it, but I would daisy chain the outlets like you said but for the first one in the line make it a 20amp (or 15amp depending on fuse box rating) GFCI outlet to protect it and the rest of the outlets after it

nathaniel
09-01-2006, 07:03 AM
You can wire the outlets the way you described. Just return the fuse box its a waste of money and is designed for 220 power. It is for a close by power disconnect and additional protection. I would suggest using gfci outlets for ground faults.

Z
09-01-2006, 08:36 AM
You can wire the outlets the way you described. Just return the fuse box its a waste of money and is designed for 220 power. It is for a close by power disconnect and additional protection. I would suggest using gfci outlets for ground faults.

Thanks. After mulling this over, I realize that a fuse is just a connector, so if there are two fuses, I can connect hot to one, neutral to the other and it'll do just fine. I'm going to need a junction box anyway, so I'll just consider it a way overkill juntion box. I will be putting in a GFCI.

CurtP
09-01-2006, 08:53 AM
Did you use a direct-bury wire or at least use a conduit when you buried the power feed? I'd take that box back - it's a 30A disconnect. Like DJJordache said, a GFCI outlet should be sufficient, especially since you only used 12# wire.

It's fairly obvious that you're not quite sure what you're doing. My recommendation would be to contact an electrican who'll be familiar with the electrical code in your state and town. I'd rather make sure I was up to code than to make a mistake somewhere that could cause someone to get hurt or start a fire. Even if you don't hire them to do the work, at least get the correct information.

And PLEASE, don't listen to the idiots that work at the home improvement stores (Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, ect). They are almost always wrong when it comes to giving recommendations on anything.

nathaniel
09-01-2006, 07:41 PM
Thanks. After mulling this over, I realize that a fuse is just a connector, so if there are two fuses, I can connect hot to one, neutral to the other and it'll do just fine. I'm going to need a junction box anyway, so I'll just consider it a way overkill juntion box. I will be putting in a GFCI.

If you are going to use it don't put a fuse in the neutral line only the hot. The GFCI might not even work if there is a fuse in the neutral since there could be a potential difference between the ground wire and it. GfCI's are set to trip with ~5ma of current (maybe 15ma cant remember). I'm assuming the 12 ga wiring you used is direct bury.

I would also suggest that anytime someone wires up something like a shed or garage for 110v to use 10ga. then there is no worries as to how much it can handle.

nate
09-01-2006, 08:35 PM
How is this wired hooked up in the house, I take it your using a breaker off the house's box??

Z
09-01-2006, 11:20 PM
If you are going to use it don't put a fuse in the neutral line only the hot. The GFCI might not even work if there is a fuse in the neutral since there could be a potential difference between the ground wire and it. GfCI's are set to trip with ~5ma of current (maybe 15ma cant remember). I'm assuming the 12 ga wiring you used is direct bury.

I would also suggest that anytime someone wires up something like a shed or garage for 110v to use 10ga. then there is no worries as to how much it can handle.
Thanks for that bit of advice - guess I'll remove the neutral from the fuse, as I did put a GFCI as the first outlet on the "shed" circuit. Actually, I'm thinking about removing the fuse box after all the tips here, though it might come in handy to have an electrical disconnect in the shed.

The cable is housed in (electrical) PVC that will go from a weatherproof junction box to shed. I'll be grabbing power from a circuit that's dedicated to outdoor use.