Yeah, I get that urge to cut corners too, especially when you’re staring at a muddy trench and thinking, “Does it really need to be this deep?” I’ve learned the hard way that shortcuts just mean headaches later—like when a shovel finds your wire five years down the road. Curious if anyone here has strong opinions about running separate circuits for lighting vs outlets in a garage? I’ve always split them up, but I know some folks keep it all on one.
Title: Why Does Running Power to a Detached Garage Feel So Complicated?
Splitting lighting and outlets into separate circuits is the way to go, hands down. I’ve seen too many DIY setups where everything’s on one breaker, and it always ends up biting someone later. If you trip the breaker with a power tool or compressor, you’re left working in the dark. That’s not just inconvenient—it can be downright dangerous if you’re in the middle of something.
I get why people want to keep it simple, especially if they’re just running a couple lights and an outlet or two. But garages have a way of collecting more “stuff” over time—suddenly you’ve got a fridge, a charger for the mower, maybe a heater in the winter. It adds up fast. Keeping lighting on its own circuit gives you a buffer. You can overload an outlet and still see what you’re doing while you sort it out.
I’ve also had to troubleshoot a few jobs where someone buried the wire too shallow or skipped conduit because “it’s just a garage.” Five or ten years later, they’re calling me because they hit the cable digging for a new flower bed or trying to run irrigation. It’s never worth the hassle. Inspectors are strict about trench depth and conduit for a reason—it keeps everyone safe and saves money down the line.
One thing I do see debated is whether to run 12-gauge or 14-gauge for lighting. Personally, I stick with 12 everywhere, even if it’s overkill for lights. It costs a bit more, but it means I don’t have to worry about someone swapping out fixtures for something heavier-duty later.
Anyway, I’d say keep things separated and follow code to the letter. It might feel like overkill at first, but it’s way easier than tearing up a finished garage to fix something that could’ve been done right from the start.
