Power room to house wiring

[kiteoregon]

I have a power room where the generator, batteries and inverters are located. I have built a shop / house and have run 2.5" PVC conduit from the power room into the house on the North wall(roughly 65' underground). My breaker panel for the house is located in the garage. I plan on running a 14kW generator, roughly 63.5 amps. Math would suggest I need an 80a breaker, I am thinking 2 AWG aluminum for the ~65' run between the house and the power room. How do I get from the North wall in the house where the conduit ends over to the garage. Do I need a junction box on the North wall and transition over to copper for the in-wall run? Can I just extend the conduit in the walls through the joists and term at the breaker box?

This is new construction, so easy access to wall and floor joists. Most of the house is wired, but not terminated at the breaker box just yet.

Thanks.

 

[Rednecktek]

Well here's an issue I've run into. I'm guessing you're going to want to take that 2AWG wire into the main panel with an interlocked breaker? Most breakers top out at 4AWG wire size holes, so you're not going to get 2AWG in there.

Fortunately, I ran 4AWG aluminum from my pump house to my cabin at 315ft and the inspector only downgraded me to 60a max on that line, so I would think you should easily get 80a out of a 65ft run.

Aside from that you can treat it just like any other high amperage run like your range or dryer or L3 Tesla charger circuit. Just use the appropriate size conduit elbows and penetrations and bushings as normal.

 

[Shimmy]

I have a power room where the generator, batteries and inverters are located. I have built a shop / house and have run 2.5" PVC conduit from the power room into the house on the North wall(roughly 65' underground). My breaker panel for the house is located in the garage. I plan on running a 14kW generator, roughly 63.5 amps. Math would suggest I need an 80a breaker,

Personally I would say that you should go with a 100A breaker, and a case could be made for 110A. Is the generator rated 14kW or 14kVA?

I am thinking 2 AWG aluminum for the ~65' run between the house and the power room.

Personal opinion, but I would be looking at 1/0 aluminum.

How do I get from the North wall in the house where the conduit ends over to the garage.

If you want to go by the letter of the code, you need a disconnect when it comes inside the building, so the (code compliant) options would be to intercept it and run it outside to the garage, provide a disconnect where it comes in and run a feed to the garage. It doesn't have to be in conduit; you can use Romex if your jurisdiction allows.

Do I need a junction box on the North wall and transition over to copper for the in-wall run? Can I just extend the conduit in the walls through the joists and term at the breaker box?

Nothing wrong with using aluminum for the bigger wires, but the smaller conduit (or Romex) you get from copper makes putting it in the walls.

 

[kiteoregon]

I do have a breaker panel in the power room with an auto transfer switch for the generator.

I was under the impression that code would require me to have a disconnect right where the "service" enters the house, my challenge is that the entrance is on the north wall where the conduit ends (in wall) and my breaker is across the room in the garage. Can I get away with bringing the "service" wire up the wall, across the floor joists and term in the breaker panel?

In the power room the entrance is on the South wall, the panel is on the North wall. So I guess the same situation or question about the disconnect and the line enters either building?

 

[Shimmy]

I do have a breaker panel in the power room with an auto transfer switch for the generator.

I was under the impression that code would require me to have a disconnect right where the "service" enters the house, my challenge is that the entrance is on the north wall where the conduit ends (in wall) and my breaker is across the room in the garage. Can I get away with bringing the "service" wire up the wall, across the floor joists and term in the breaker panel?

In the power room the entrance is on the South wall, the panel is on the North wall. So I guess the same situation or question about the disconnect and the line enters either building?

Technically no. What about the outside wall of the buiding rather than on the inside?

 

[kiteoregon]

The outside wall of the house is our covered patio, so I don't really want a disconnect box where everybody will see it all the time.

 

[Shimmy]

The outside wall of the house is our covered patio, so I don't really want a disconnect box where everybody will see it all the time.

Can always build some casework for it.

 

[kiteoregon]

I think the real answer is to move the breaker panel to the N. wall in the house and move the breaker panel in the power room to it's on the S. wall. If not I would end up with 2 additional disconnects to be code compliant.