22 gauge

As a general guideline, you’d use 12 AWG copper conductors with a 20 ampere breaker, and 14 AWG copper conductors with a 15 ampere breaker. Since the receptacles are in a garage, they’ll have to be GFCI protected. This protection can be provided by a GFCI receptacle, or a GFCI breaker.

So, that said, I’d use 2AWG, wet-location-rated (THWN or XHHW-2) aluminum wire for both hots and the neutral with an 8AWG or 6AWG (8AWG works, 6AWG might be more useful for grounding electrode conductors though) bare copper ground wire. That will give you 70A at the garage without coming close to filling a 2″ conduit.

A 20-amp circuit, protected by a 20-amp breaker or fuse, must be served by 12-gauge or 10-gauge wire.

In general, conduit is required where the cable is exposed to possible damage or exposed to the elements. A sheathed cable protected behind drywall generally does not need conduit. If there is open framing (common with detached garages, uncommon with attached garages) the local electrical code will vary.

Combining metal boxes and PVC conduit is fine, but unlike an all-metal system, PVC requires you to run a separate ground wire and bond it to each metal box or light fixture with either a screw or a special grounding clip. Then it’s simple to cut the pipe.

Re: Exposed romex NM cable is permitted to be run exposed on the surface of the building finish. In a house or a finished garage, electrical cable is protected from damage by permanent wallcoverings like drywall, plaster or even wood, but that’s not the case in an unfinished garage.

The basic rule for garage receptacles is that one receptacle outlet needs to be installed in each vehicle bay and not more than 5 ½ feet above the floor.

six feet

48 inches

NEC 210–52 Generally, receptacle outlets in habitable rooms shall be installed so that no point along the floor line (measured horizontally) in any wall space is more than 6 feet from an outlet in that space. An outlet shall be installed in each wall space 2 feet or more in width.

Technically, you can have as many outlets on a 15 amp circuit breaker as you want. However, a good rule of thumb is 1 outlet per 1.5 amps, up to 80% of the capacity of the circuit breaker. Therefore, we would suggest a maximum of 8 outlets for a 15 amp circuit.

Standard receptacle Standard receptacles are the regular outlets that are found throughout the rooms in your house. You can plug nearly all small household appliances, such as TVs, radios and computers into a standard outlet. This is because dryer outlets have pins for both 120 volts and 240 volts.

Additional reasons not to paint the receptacles is that paint may enter the receptacles and cause improper current transfer, improper grounding, or shock. It also happens to be a violation of the National Electric Code (NEC), cited below. From the National Electric Code (NEC): 110.12 Mechanical Execution of Work.