Normal cost to install dedicated circuits for the tank?

ojonas81

New member
I am in the planning phases for a new tank. Tank have been ordered and everything is moving along fine. Since I want to do this build right from the beginning I want to have it run off 2 separate dedicated 20A circuits.

Had a guy from a local electric company over here today to give me an estimate and he quoted $350 for the whole thing (including a smaller circuit job not related to the tank). Is that in the ballpark of what is should cost or should I keep looking around for a better price?
 
It's an was job to do, if you handy you could do it yourself. Unless its upstairs then you would do some wall fishing which can get tricky if not impossible. I got lucky when I ran my own because my tank has no choice but to stay in the basement.
 
I paid 250 for mine (one circuit) - 50 ft of cable, small depth gfi (on an outside wall w. cinderblock walls), one breaker, and about 3 hours of labor.
 
being an electrician the cost of 3 breakers on average is around 10 bucks 250 foot coil of 12 gauge wire is near 75 bucks plus a couple of receptacles and boxes that to me is a pretty fair price
Considering most electricians including myself charge 100 dollars just to walk in the door I would make sure is has a license and you should be good to go

make sure it is GFCI protected circuit
 
I would really imagine the distance from the breaker box is the key. The main cost is the labor, so the further the tank is the longer the job may take. That is the key. The electrician that did mine also dropped lines for my table saw and a dedicated line for my OTR microwave, it was about $350 but my tank is in the basement not too far from the box, and the table saw is a straight shot as well, so it wasn't a hard job
 
adding a dedicated circut is crazy simple. in the breaker panal are simple pop out little plastic squares. You can pop them out with out even shutting off power. When the are out they can not shock you. Old ones only ran 1 circut, but they made new ones the same size that run 2.

Pop out an older one with the switch off. Take its wire and attach it to one of the 2 screws. Attach one of you lines to the other. Push it back into place. Turn it back on. You have 1 of you 2 circuts in place.

Now the question is if the electrician will be fishing the lines through the walls. They deserve to charge more if more trouble is involved.

You can run the line outside along the wall and back in at the back of the fish room. Done that way you may spend as little as 50 dollars.
 
adding a dedicated circut is crazy simple. in the breaker panal are simple pop out little plastic squares. You can pop them out with out even shutting off power. When the are out they can not shock you. Old ones only ran 1 circut, but they made new ones the same size that run 2.

Pop out an older one with the switch off. Take its wire and attach it to one of the 2 screws. Attach one of you lines to the other. Push it back into place. Turn it back on. You have 1 of you 2 circuts in place.

Now the question is if the electrician will be fishing the lines through the walls. They deserve to charge more if more trouble is involved.

You can run the line outside along the wall and back in at the back of the fish room. Done that way you may spend as little as 50 dollars.

The process is easy but you must have the knowledge to do it safely. Running a new circuit based on four short paragraphs on a fish forum is not wise IMO. The fact that you advise to work on a service panel with the power on is terribly irresponsible. Although you may have a working knowledge I would think twice before giving dangerous advice.

To the OP: I think that is a good price as well.
 
+1 on the job...layman don't need to go digging around the power box and $350 is a small price to pay for job done correctly and safely...I'd do it
 
I agree. It is an easy job, but the price quoted is more than reasonable. I would of course think he would at least watch a u-tube video before tackling it himself. I am sorry, I was just filling him in on what needs done.

To me it is straight forward, but with the cost to have it done so cheap, why would he bother,,, unless he is on a very tight budget,,,, then if he wanted, it is 100% a job that can be done alone.

Any experts want to chime in on if the main power needs shut off for this??? I am pretty sure that is not needed. It would not hurt of course, but at no point is the worker exposed to any live wires. The only live connection that could be touched is if you somehow pressed up against the tiny exposed part of the wire that connects with the screw, before you pop the box out (shouuld not happen, but who knows). I again, would encourage watching a couple u-tube videos,,, or better yet, if the money is of little issuue, pay for it to be done.

I just think many things can be done by the home owner, if they are tight on budget.
 
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I agree. It is an easy job, but the price quoted is more than reasonable. I would of course think he would at least watch a u-tube video before tackling it himself. I am sorry, I was just filling him in on what needs done.

To me it is straight forward, but with the cost to have it done so cheap, why would he bother,,, unless he is on a very tight budget,,,, then if he wanted, it is 100% a job that can be done alone.

Any experts want to chime in on if the main power needs shut off for this??? I am pretty sure that is not needed. It would not hurt of course, but at no point is the worker exposed to any live wires. The only live connection that could be touched is if you somehow pressed up against the tiny exposed part of the wire that connects with the screw, before you pop the box out (shouuld not happen, but who knows). I again, would encourage watching a couple u-tube videos,,, or better yet, if the money is of little issuue, pay for it to be done.

I just think many things can be done by the home owner, if they are tight on budget.

I am a DIYer as well but there is very much wrong with this post. Not much goes wrong when you DIY a door and you have problems. DIY electrical the wrong way and you lose your life and the lives of your family members. Do not take this the wrong way but you should think twice before attempting what you see as very straightforward.
 
ok :)


But, watch a quick vid on replacing a circut breaker, just for fun. Perhaps i am foolish, but when my my step mom's circut fried, I just watched a video, went,,, oh, and fixed it in about 12 minutes, for 12 dollars. No one, knows the capacity of any one else, so I bow to your logic here.
 
Jerpa is right, it is very easy to run a dedicated circuit but you have to have an understanding of the proper way to do it and according to electrical standards so you don't have a fire, shock yourself, and can pass any future possible home inspections. I would go with the $350 since it sounds like you do not have any interest in running your own dedicated line, that is a good price from a licensed electrician~
 
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I did mine myself it is very simple, however I would not in a million years leave the power on while screwing around, Sorry to many varibles could go wrong. Plus last I checked a simple slip and it might just stning a little. To the OP if you arent a DIYer and dont feel comfortable doing it and really need?want it Go ahead and pay it. Like stated earlier make sure he has local permit's and insurance in case something happens.
 
i just ran two dedicated 20A lines for my current build and parts cost me about $50. I already had 12 gauge wire so that saved me. I know its not pretty but it is in the unfinished side of the basement where the plumbing will run to the sump
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being an electrician the cost of 3 breakers on average is around 10 bucks 250 foot coil of 12 gauge wire is near 75 bucks plus a couple of receptacles and boxes that to me is a pretty fair price
Considering most electricians including myself charge 100 dollars just to walk in the door I would make sure is has a license and you should be good to go

make sure it is GFCI protected circuit

Where do you get 12-2 romex for 250ft for 75 bucks? Its more like 230$ at menards and home depot?

to the OP- prices vary due to region, but your price does not seem out of line for a qualified electrition. If safety is the primary intrest, the quality of the job is equal to the quality of the man.
 
I am a DIYer as well but there is very much wrong with this post. Not much goes wrong when you DIY a door and you have problems. DIY electrical the wrong way and you lose your life and the lives of your family members. Do not take this the wrong way but you should think twice before attempting what you see as very straightforward.

I could not agree more! People who have no clue on electric should not be giving this advice, but then again it very well could slim out the gene pool. If you are not familiar with what is in an electric panel and how it all works Do Not Do This Your Self. I forget who posted the picture and said I know its not pretty but, its also not any where near to meeting safety code just a heads up. Do not follow these examples.
 
Could you use 220V coming into the circuit box with 110V/120V lines coming out? The reason I ask is we're about to wire a building that we're building right now and I don't know how to plan the wiring.
 
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