Garage Sub Panel Red Deer: Wiring a Shop the Right Way

Heater trips the breaker every cold morning? Let's fix that.

I'm Mac, owner of Spark Electrical Services and a Master Electrician right here in Red Deer. I wire a lot of garages and detached shops. Most of the calls sound the same. The guy wants to run a heater, plug in a welder, maybe charge an EV, and the old wire out to the garage just can't carry it. So let's walk through how to do it right.

TL;DR: If your garage is more than a light and a couple plugs, you want a proper sub-panel fed from the house. That gives you room for a heater, a welder, an EV charger, and a compressor without nuisance trips. Size the feeder for what you'll actually run, get a permit, and let the wire get inspected. Call (587) 226-4240 and I'll size it for your shop.

Do I need a sub-panel or a bigger service?

Most Red Deer garages just need a sub-panel. That's a smaller breaker panel out in the garage, fed by one heavy feeder from your main house panel. It's cheaper than upgrading your whole home service and it's usually plenty.

You only need a full service upgrade when your main panel is already maxed out. If your house is on a 100-amp service and it's already tight, adding a heated shop with a welder can push you over. I check the load on the main panel first. Then I know whether a sub-panel works, or whether we bump the service.

A quick rule of thumb from my experience: a heated garage with a few power tools is happy on a 60-amp sub-panel. A real shop with a welder, a hoist, and a compressor wants 100 amps. Don't cheap out here. Undersizing the feeder is the number one reason guys call me back a year later.

How big does the sub-panel need to be?

This is the part that matters most, so let's go through what draws power.

• Electric heater. A common shop heater pulls a lot. A 5,000-watt unit needs its own circuit and a chunk of your panel.

• Welder. A 240-volt welder can spike hard when you strike an arc. It gets a dedicated circuit sized to the machine on the nameplate.

• EV charger. A Level 2 charger usually wants a 40 to 50-amp circuit on its own breaker. This alone eats a big piece of a small panel.

• Compressor. A shop compressor pulls a big surge on startup. It needs its own breaker too.

Add those up and you see why a 60-amp feeder gets tight fast. If you plan to run more than one of these at the same time, tell me. I size the feeder for the real load, not the wishful one. It's cheaper to run the right wire once than to trench twice.

Trench or overhead to the garage?

If the garage is 60 feet from the house, you've got two ways to get power out there. Underground in a trench, or overhead on a mast.

Underground is what most people want. It's clean, nothing hanging in the yard, and it's out of the wind. The catch is you're digging, and in Red Deer we go deep for frost. As a rough guide, direct-buried cable runs around 600 mm (24 inches) deep and cable in conduit can be shallower, but I confirm the exact depth with the inspector on every job because it depends on the method and the cover. We also bury a warning tape above the wire so the next guy with a shovel gets a heads up.

Overhead skips the digging. It's faster and cheaper up front, but you've got a wire span crossing the yard with height clearances to hit, and it's exposed to weather. On a long run to a shop I usually lean underground. It just holds up better over the years.

Either way, before anyone digs in Red Deer, call Alberta One-Call to get the buried utilities located. That's free and it keeps you from hitting a gas line.

Wiring a heated garage the right way

A heated garage is more than a heater on a plug. If you actually want to work out there through an Alberta winter, plan the circuits.

I like to split the load. The heater gets its own circuit so it isn't fighting your tools for power. Lights go on a separate circuit so a tripped tool breaker doesn't leave you in the dark. Then I run a good number of plug circuits around the walls so you're not chaining power bars. Add one 240-volt circuit for the welder or the EV, and you've got a shop that just works.

Insulation and the heater sizing aren't my trade, but I'll wire the panel so it's ready for the load you tell me you'll run. Oversizing the panel a little now is cheap insurance for the tool you buy next winter.

Do I need a permit for this?

Yes. In Alberta, adding a sub-panel or wiring a detached garage needs an electrical permit, and the finished work gets inspected by a Safety Codes Officer. That's not red tape for its own sake. That inspection is what confirms the feeder, the grounding, and the breakers are all right before you close up the walls.

When you hire me, I pull the permit and handle the inspection. You don't chase paperwork. And if you ever sell the house, that permit history shows the work was done properly, which matters to a buyer and their inspector.

What does it cost?

I won't quote a number I can't stand behind without seeing your setup, because the price swings on a few things: how far the garage sits from the house, whether we go trench or overhead, how big the feeder is, and what circuits you want inside.

From my experience, a straightforward 60-amp sub-panel on a shorter run is the low end. A 100-amp feed trenched 60 feet out, with heater, welder, and EV circuits inside, sits at the higher end. The trench length and the panel size move the number the most. I'll come look, measure the run, and give you a real price. No surprises after.

FAQ

Can I run a welder and an EV charger off the same garage sub-panel?

Yes, if the panel and feeder are sized for it. Each gets its own dedicated breaker. The trick is making sure the feeder from the house can carry both if you'd ever run them together. That's why I size for the real load up front.

How deep does the wire need to be buried to my garage?

For a Red Deer trench, direct-buried cable is roughly 600 mm (24 inches) deep as a general guide, and cable in conduit can be shallower. The exact depth depends on the method and cover, so I confirm it with the inspector on every job. And always get utilities located before digging.

Is a 60-amp sub-panel enough for a heated garage?

For a heated garage with lights, plugs, and a few tools, a 60-amp sub-panel is usually fine. But if you're adding a welder, a hoist, a compressor, or an EV charger, I'd move you up to 100 amps so you're not tripping breakers all winter.

Do I really need a permit for a detached garage sub-panel?

Yes. In Alberta a sub-panel and detached garage wiring both need an electrical permit and a Safety Codes Officer inspection. I pull the permit and handle the inspection as part of the job, so it's done by the book.

Should I go trench or overhead to my detached shop?

For most Red Deer shops I lean trench. It's out of the weather and out of your yard, and it holds up over the years. Overhead is cheaper and faster up front but it's exposed. I'll help you weigh it for your specific run.

---

If you're planning a heated garage or a detached shop in Red Deer, let's size it right the first time. I'll come look at the run, check your main panel, and give you a real number. Call me, Mac, at (587) 226-4240 or reach out through Spark Electrical Services and we'll get your shop wired up.