John T and others workshop electrical

Had some wire given me to use for my workshop set up in my new garage. 55 feet of 6/6/4 looks like aluminium stranded wire. Here's my plan. Run the wire from my 200 amp panel in the basement through conduit to the far side of my garage. The two sixes will go to a 50 amp CB and the 4 to the neutral bus bar. Other end goes to a small garage CB panel with the two hots going to either side and the 4 to the neutral bus bar in the garage panel. I would run a separate ground wire to a copper rod thru the garage floor into the earth below.
I plan to use 12-2 to the lights and outlets in the workshop area. Black to the CB, white to the neutral bus in the panel, and grounds to the ground bus in the panel keeping the ground and neutral bus separated in the garage panel. I will then have 220 available in the workshop for future needs.

Is this correct/safe Thanks

I think #6 AL is to light for 50 amp, #6 copper would be right, but it has been a long day.

# 6 AL SHOULD BE FINE, BUT YOU SHOULD GO ONLINE TO A WIRE CALCULATOR AND PUT ALL YOUR SPECS IN AND VERIFY

Would #4 Aluminum work?

I'm just a simple dirt farmer, so I really don't know much.

Braided aluminum sounds odd, thought feed wire is solid? Hum. What insulation is on it, should have some letters. Will depend if you can run in conduit, what rating it has for amps, etc. I'm just a little concerned about braided part?

Aluminum makes good feed wire, but do pay careful attention to using the right grease and that it gets clamped to the proper end clamps that are rated for aluminum wire. Mess that up and aluminum wire becomes a spark factory. Not good. Do it right with the right materials and its good.

If I entered the numbers right, this voltage calculator says you should be more than fine with #6, but I'm a simple dirt farmer......

Paul

Eh - never mind my thoughts on the braided wire - I think we mean stranded, and on bigger wire is common enough. My head was getting tangled up on a finely braided (woven) thought. Stranded aluminum should be just fine?

Paul

Skybow, good questions I can tell you are thinking this through and sincerely trying but NO its NOT quite correct (YES Billy Bob and Bubba, I know, save your breath, don't have a calf, you did it that way for years and never had a problem, it will "work")


Here's the deal: As I understand your question you are feeding a SUB PANEL in your garage that's fed from your homes Main Panel and want BOTH 120 and 240 (2 legs of 120) available in the garage Right?????


Some of your plan is correct some is NOT

1) "I would run a separate ground wire to a copper rod thru the garage floor into the earth below."

NO You need to wire the sub panels "Equipment Ground Buss" FROM the Main Panel Ground Buss TO the Sub Panel where it bonds to the Sub Panel's Equipment Ground Buss which is separate and isolated from the subs Neutral Buss. If you wire the subs Equipment Ground Buss down to a Ground Rod instead, that would be wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy to much resistance to conduct fault current back to the main panel. The purpose of the Equipment GroundING Conductor is to provide a dedicated low impedance return current path ONLY FOR FAULT CURRENT. The earth isn't a good conductor, there would be a lot of resistance from that rod driven into the ground back to the Main Panel where Ground and Neutral Busses are bonded together and Neutral is bonded to a ground rod there. That's why you need a low resistance wire conductor, NOT rely on earth (higher resistance) to conduct fault current.


"..... keeping the ground and neutral bus separated in the garage panel"

YES in the garage Sub Panel the Equipment Ground Buss and Neutral Buss are separate and isolated HOWEVER the Subs Ground Buss needs to be wired to the Main Panels Ground Buss NOTTTTTTTTTTTT to a rod driven into the earth.


WHAT YOU NEED TO RUN FROM THE MAIN TO SUB IS FOUR NOTTTTTTTTTTTTTT THREE WIRES

Two Hot Ungrounded Conductors L1 & L2,,,,,,,,,,,,,One Neutral Grounded Conductor (wires to sub panels Neutral Buss ONLY) ,,,,,,,,,,,,One Equipment Grounding Conductor (Wires to Sub Panels Ground Buss ONLY). The Equipment Ground Buss in the Sub Panel wires back to the Main Panels Ground Buss NOT to a ground rod.

According to the chart I looked at, No. 6 THWN or THHN Aluminum Conductor wire at 75 Degrees has a rated ampacity of 50 amps so you would protect it with a 2 Pole 50 amp circuit breaker in the Main Panel where it serves the Sub Panel (use anti oxidant grease/coating and correct torque).

All you have to do is run that fourth Ground Wire out to the Sub Panel (in addition to the three you mentioned) and it will be correct.

As usual Electrical or Legal questions draw more responses (some from professional electricians some not, but all well intentioned) then most any other topics, so see what other lay as well as professional opinions have to offer and do as you please. I'm long retired as a distribution design engineer and rusty on the latest codes so no warranty. CHECK WITH LOCAL AUTHORITY (if applicable in your jurisdiction) AND YOUR UTILITY PROVIDER, NOTTTTTTTTTT ME. Some posters may agree with me, some may have more or less to offer, ITS YOUR HOME AND YOUR RISK AND YOUR DECISION NOT OURS.

John T

Looks like the guys looked it up.

PS It makes some difference if the garage is part of the house or a separate outbuilding, but its panel is still considered as a SUB PANEL. If its an outbuilding and you're still carrying the Equipment Ground out, fine in that case to drive that ground rod you mentioned bonded to the Sub Panels Ground Buss. If the same building its not required as best I recall.

John T

Grounding? Scrap that aluminum and get some proper size copper wire run in conduit.

Rods are supplemental grounding. You need a ground conductor back to house panel.

John T's advice is good, as usual. Let me stress this though, check with your local AHJ first. In my area, no aluminum is allowed to be installed inside a structure. Service to an outside meter base is OK, but from there in it's not allowed.

Thanks for the quick reply. I have a handle on it now. I think I'll get the proper size 4 copper wire and not worry about it. Sub panel ground back to the main panel ground.....makes sense now. Thanks for the good explanation.
Skybow

If you use aluminum wire be sure to use the contact paste specifically for aluminum wire and all connectors have to be rated CO/ALR. Even so, it's a good idea to check the connectors for tightness every few years. Aluminum has habit of "cold-flowing" out of connectors, leaving them loose.