8ntruck 6,998 #1 Posted September 8, 2022 Has anybody out there rigged up temporarily electrical power in their storage shed? I have a shed that my two horses are using as a stable. It would be nice to have a light and an outlet there when I'm Worthing on the horses. It is at the back of the lot, maybe 50 feet from the house. I don't really want to run permanent power to the shed. I'm thinking of mounting a cord reel inside of the shed that will store enough cord that I can pull it out and plug it into the house when I need it. A hand crank reel would be a neat and easy to store the cord when not in use. 3 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 15,436 #2 Posted September 8, 2022 I ran a regular extension cord 100 feet to my shed. I buried it where there was traffic. Made sure it was plugged into a GFCI outlet. Lasted 4 years until I built the pole shed and ran 40 amp service underground. 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ebinmaine 67,444 #3 Posted September 8, 2022 Our outdoor workshop has its own power but the 2 portable garages don't. We ran a VERY heavy duty 100 foot cord from the outdoor workshop over to whichever portable needed power. When the new pole barn is built it'll have the same cord for awhile. Power will be run to it at some point but not right away. I do like the retractable cord idea for keeping your power convenient but also out of the way when not needed. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,214 #4 Posted September 8, 2022 (edited) Keep in mind the load you're likely to put on the cord. Safe loading for 100' (ALL of these grounded, of course!): 16 Gauge for 1-10 Amps (this is the most common "big box" store gauge!) 14 Gauge for 11-13 Amps (also fairly common) 12 Gauge for 14-15 Amps 10 Gauge for 16-20 Amps (think battery jumper cables!) Lighting and charging battery tools is no sweat, as you can see. If you want to use an air compressor or angle grinder or other plug-in power tools, though, you may need heavier cable. Edited September 8, 2022 by Handy Don 2 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DET 105 #5 Posted September 8, 2022 I have a HF hose reel with 200 ft of extension cord on it. Unwind it when needed and reel it back on when done, works good. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff-C175 7,201 #6 Posted September 8, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, DET said: hose reel That's what I use also. I have two of them. Both picked out of junk piles. When they start leaking all over the place as hose reels, the owners throw them out. They're still typically fine for extension cords. 3 hours ago, Handy Don said: 16 Gauge for 1-10 Amps (this is the most common "big box" store gauge!) 14 Gauge for 11-13 Amps (also fairly common) 12 Gauge for 14-15 Amps 10 Gauge for 16-20 Amps (think battery jumper cables!) Which reflects the 'up-sizing' that I would recommend. It's the VOLTAGE DROP that dictates up-sizing the conductor gauge. If I were running an extension cable to an outbuilding 50' away, I would definitely use at least 10 ga. cable. 3 hours ago, Handy Don said: If you want to use an air compressor or angle grinder or other plug-in power tools, though, you may WILL need heavier cable. Fixed it for ya Don! When a motor starts, it draws a LOT more current than when it is running. That current draw will cause a voltage sag on a long cable. Motors do NOT like that!* Causes them to draw even more current to get started. Easy to eventually burn out a motor that way. * Never anthropomorphize inanimate objects. They don't like that! Edited September 8, 2022 by Jeff-C175 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
