Electrical supply to barn and garage

[RayinEastTenn]

Hi folks, new member here. I am in the process of buying a small farm at the foot of the Appalachians here in East Tennessee. There is a remodeled farm house with a 200 amp service located on the exterior, a 4 stall barn with inside workshop about 100 feet from the house, and a 2 year old detached garage about 75 feet from the house. I am having the place inspected next week and I will be there for the inspection. My concerns are these;

The service to the barn consists of a romex cable which runs from the service panel, under the front porch, up a short pole, drapes over a ceramic insulator, and runs to a small sub panel in the barn.

The service to the garage seems to come from underground and goes right straight into a lighting and outlet circuit.

How much of this is incorrect and what should my concerns be. I see a lot of money to correct things.

 

[Stuff]

Hard to tell remotely. That's what you are paying for the inspector. Is it an electrical inspector or a home inspection? Most home inspectors are generalists so if you have specific concerns get a specialist.

Is the Romex (NM cable) to the barn grey? Grey is UF that might be OK if light resistant. Is it in the air lashed to a supporting cable or self supporting? Is it protected from physical damage where you can touch it? Code interpreted by local government.

Garage might be OK - depends on wire type. Should be a disconnect switch at the garage - can be simple snap switch.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[RayinEastTenn]

Hard to tell remotely. That's what you are paying for the inspector. Is it an electrical inspector or a home inspection? Most home inspectors are generalists so if you have specific concerns get a specialist.

Is the Romex (NM cable) to the barn grey? Grey is UF that might be OK if light resistant. Is it in the air lashed to a supporting cable or self supporting? Is it protected from physical damage where you can touch it? Code interpreted by local government.

Garage might be OK - depends on wire type. Should be a disconnectressr switch at the garage - can be simple snap switch.

The NM cable to the barn is grey and it is self supporting. Should it be buried in conduit? As far as thr garage goes, I want to have more than a string of lights and a few outlets. A compressor and 220 for a welder are in my plans so a service panel will be necessary. I am guessing that a 100 amp box will suffice. By the way, the inspector specializes in electrical.

 

[Stuff]

Not all UF cable is sunlight resistant so you need to read the label. If it is resistant it does not need to be buried. If it is buried UF cable does not need conduit. If aerially suspended it needs to be lashed to a messenger wire. If run along a fence or another way it is up to the locals if it needs protected.

If it is UF to barn see how many conductors. Might only be 120v going into panel. Panel also needs proper grounding. With animals/livestock there are additional bonding/grounding rules.

For the garage - what is buried? If conduit see if wires can be pulled and replaced. Might be easier to get aerial cable run (quadraplex). No matter what it is going to cost you money to get 240v out there.

 

[WorthFlorida]

You can check with the building department to see if any permits were pulled for this home site. If electrical permits were signed off you're probably OK. If in doubt hire your own licensed electrician to check things out. If no permits were pulled, that could be a problem and you can insist that permits be filed for and ask for an inspection. Your homeowners insurance may not cover any claims that might have resulted from improper electrical work.

 

[FullySprinklered]

Rules and enforcement vary quite a bit in this country. Bottom line, try to get it done right, safe, and proper within the requirements of the local statutes.