I have a shed that is about 100’ from the main house that needs power. I’ve gotten estimates to permit and trench from the main house but would require cutting through some concrete which increases the cost. Are there other viable power options for a detached shed? Looking to power shed lights, power tools, maybe a TV. Peak usage would be a few hours/week.
Have you priced running power from the house against a generator? If you’re only going to be running it a few hours a week it’s only going to cost you a few bucks in fuel a week, you can store it in the shed and pull it out to use, and otherwise you have emergency power for the house, if needed.
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Running power is about $3500. Seems like a lot for such intermittent use. I’ve never had a generator which is what I’m looking at now, but I’m pretty ignorant about the whole thing.
How much concrete? It is not possible to tunnel under it?
I actually had a similar problem about 15 years ago. What worked for me was to install 12 VDC fluorescent lighting (originally intended for RV use) and run them from a single marine battery in the shed. That took care of lighting and could even run a radio or TV with an inverter. The only problem was that I had to bring the battery to the house to charge it, but I could also drag a heavy-duty extension cord out to the shed if I needed it. I had to charge it about every six weeks. Due to trees around the shed, solar was not possible.
I then used a generator when I needed “real” power. The generator did double-duty for use during power failures, when I would wheel it up to the house. I did not actually wire the shed for 120 VAC. (The lighting was an NEC Art. 725 system.)
Total investment was less than $500…and no permit.
Going through some concrete? It may be that going in a round about direction which avoids the concrete (although longer) may be cheaper.
Due to the foundation of the house, and the surrounding area, there is approximately a minimum of 10 feet of concrete to go through. Plus 100’ of trenching. Connecting to the main power would also require a permit which increases the total cost. I do have available roof space and sunlight for solar power, and given my power needs are not constant, mostly on weekends, etc., I think this may work, I just don’t know anything about it.
I see products for solar panels, inverters, batteries, etc. which describe watt hours, amps, etc. so I’m reading but i’m vastly unqualified to assess the viability. Like, I want to run a miter saw and a table saw with some LED lights…so I need…[stuff] 
You need to consider what you’re running out there, for either the generator or wiring option really. When you say power tools, do you mean cabinet saw and planer, or hand tools like circular saws and drills? Big difference. Your lights can be pretty low draw and still very effective.
Frankly, for the kind of timeframes you’re talking about(a couple hours a week), I’d just get a heavy extension cord(10 gauge). Or maybe worst case a Welder’s Extension Cord(8 gauge). Get a nice cord storage reel and a power distribution system(big surge protector) in the shed to split the power in there so you only have to take a couple minutes to run the cord for each time you go out there to work/veg.
Here’s some info on sizing an extension cord for the power draw and length, but suffice to say, this is a job an extension cord can do.
Enjoy,
Steven
(See my previous post for my solution.) Yes, I agree that using a properly-sized extension cord is a good alternate solution, but it dawned on me that 90% of the time I just needed some light in the shed. That’s why I used the battery. After all, who wants to drag an extension cord out to the shed just to look for some wood screws? And I was already thinking about a 4400 watt generator to use if the power goes out at my house, so it was pretty much a no-brainer for me.
Right now, the power needs are had tools like a miter saw, table saw, drill press, belt sander, etc. I’d like a planer and a lathe, but those are future additions. Currently I am running an extension cord to do work, but it’s a pain to unwind it and setup. Many times I’m just running out to the shed to grab some tools for inside the house which unwinding isn’t really convenient. Or the kids will want to go out there and they aren’t going to unwind the cord. I’m willing to do that, but I’d prefer a better long term solution.
I like the battery idea, but rather than charge in the house I’d want solar panels I think. Not sure how much power generation I’ll need or the battery capacity to store, or the draw from the batteries required, and now i’m down the rabbit hole of youtube.
Does that quote include the trenching and re-pouring the concrete and everything (like fixtures and such)?
This is straightforward, and you don’t need youtube. In fact, I daresay you’re going to be better served going to us or a forum on reddit specific to this than listening to some ignoramus on youtube with a lot of views. It’s not complicated, not really.
Basically, the process is :
Determine your electrical load. You probably want an interior light, and I recommend you make it motion activated. You probably want a workbench light. You probably do want an outlet good enough for charging tools. You probably want pretty bright bulbs, but LED of course. You may want 1-2 outdoor lights that come on at dusk using a sensor.
Multiply daily electrical load by 3-5 to determine battery usable capacity.
Determine which battery chemistry you want. If you can mount it in a spot where fires aren’t going to spread, I recommend lithium-iron for the longevity. Lead acid may or may not be cheaper upfront. (probably not cheaper)
Now that you know your electrical need and your battery chemistry, you go on PVwatts and determine how big a solar panel you need. You choose the worst month, assuming full electrical load for that month, and you decide which face of the shed’s roof you are going to use when you enter the data on PVwatts.
Once you have determined this, now you just need your inverter/battery charger. The size of the unit was determined by the wattage of your panels from the step above.
Then you just order all the stuff and install it. It’s not that bad, and as you can see, any random idiot on youtube can get it to at least work.
Solar panels sound like they would work for you. My shed roof had no exposure. There are tons of sites that will make recommendations for a panel/battery combination.
Charging the battery was not as onerous as I expected. It was certainly no worse a chore than hauling a similar battery to a bass boat to go fishing. I already had a (deep cycle) battery charger sitting in the garage and ready to go. It would normally take about 5 hours to charge it completely. A couple times I left the lights in the shed on overnight and I know that they would stay on steadily for way more than 24 hours at a time.
Another option might be to have your local electric utility run the line and set a separate meter for the shed. You’d have to install a service panel with a weatherhead and do the internal wiring for the shed, but that might be a viable long-term solution. There’s usually a minimum monthly charge per meter whether you use any power or not, but it’s typically not much.
Why not just run overhead wiring?
Put up a few poles, string the cable, hang the wire, PROFIT!
A separate meter in my area has something like a $20K startup cost. That’s a non-starter.
Another vote for overhead wiring.
I’d set the post myself in concrete. One should be all that’s needed for a 100 ft span.
A electrician could easily do the wiring in a couple hours. He should install a sub panel in your garage.
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One warning on generators.
Get a propane or natural gas generator.
I struggled to keep an emergency generator working. Used fuel additives. Started it once every two months. Darn fuel system still clogged and it needed servicing.
I sold the thing and got a whole house generator that uses natural gas.
For a shed, something like this is perfect.
Propane tank sits on the generator stand.
You replace it just like the tank for your barbecue grill.
Overhead wiring can be surprisingly expensive (depending on the requirements for permitting in your jurisdiction). It’s not just like putting a heavy-duty extension cord up overhead on a pole. The pole itself (assuming you need just one) is going to have to reach at least 12’-14’ above grade. And you’ll probably need a service head at each end.
As far as solar/batteries/inverter as a solution, this is definitely not going to work for the operation of power tools unless you invest in a fairly substantial and expensive system.
Here is what I am thinking:
45 watt solar panel arraythat goes through a regulator and into a 12 volt, 35 amp hour battery. The battery is connected to a 3000-6000 watt inverter that I can connect all manner of lights and tools to.
I’m not sure if one battery is sufficient to store energy for my intermittent needs, so I am thinking a second battery in parallel may work. As long as I dont have a long period of usage, the solar should keep the batteries topped off. Over time as the batteries deteriorate in efficiency I can replace them.
Pricing this out, it looks to be around $600. Does that seem crazy? Most of the power tools are 15amp so if I am doing the math right, 15amp would draw 15*120v or 1800 watt pull from the inverter. I think that’s how it works.