Dedicated Circuit

univera

I have a former general contractor coming out tomorrow to do various work, some of which is electrical in nature. He works for $25.00/hr. (because he wants to stay busy and out of the house and away from the wife...) Anyhow, he seems to understand the concept of a dedicated circuit. What exactly is recommended in this scenario: I will be having a flat panel put up in the next couple of weeks. My number one priority is a dedicated circuit for my audio gear. I know that it is important to isolate the digital domain as well. I would appreciate the ideal situation and then I will see what is realistic or attainable. I am assuming a seperate dedicated circuit for the AVR, cd/dvd and t.v.respectively is ideal? What voltage/amperage is needed at the box, particuarly for the audio end? Do I need to use special wire for best performance? I do plan on using a power condition as well, although I don't currently own one.

EDIT: After researching previous threads, I believe that one 20A circuit with a power conditioner will suffice. Is there any reason NOT to use a 20A when one has the opportunity? I will be using a Panamax 5100 ex which has 2 seperate high current outlet banks for amps only, so they are isolated and not subjected to current limiting. http://www.panamax.com/pdf/M5100EX_L548A.pdf

FYI: If you own an older Panamax 1000, it has a fatal flaw that will cause it to crap out at some point (like mine.) Panamax will sell you any, brand new, upgraded conditioner at 1/2 price plus shipping if you get an RMA and return the cord off the old unit. Its almost worth buying one off Ebay and returning it. Just tell them that it is displaying an "overvoltage" indication. I don't believe it even has to be malfunctioning to get the upgrade.

Tony Jachyra

A dedicated circuit is an attempt to isolate the circuit from any motor noise, which tends to cause havoc on sophisticated electronics. To size the circuit add up the amperage requirements of your equipment. Most equipment draws about an amp. I generally try to keep the total load on a circuit at about 75% of its rating. So 20 amp circuit would have no more than a 15 amp draw. I would defiantly invest in a power conditioner. I been using a Panamax on mine for many years and all my equipment is still in perfect working order. I still have the sales brochure from mine, which gives a lot information on what a power conditioner for home entertainment does. If you would like I can pdf it to you.

venomclan

Hi Univera,
I think that a dedicated circuit is the way to go and is my next upgrade. If you do get a power conditioner, be sure that it is capable of a 20 amp circuit. I have a Belkin PF60, and the manual says to only use with a 15 amp circuit. I called the company and verified also. So you may want to pick the right conditiner first. Through all my research, I think that 15 amps is enough for most systems. With all my gear running and 36" CRT, I only use 3.6 amps. Well within circuit limits. Check out htguide.com where the subject has been discussed a lot. Good luck.
Venom

jdhdiggs

My own pref (the one I'll be using in the dedicated HT room) is:

1 15 AMP Dedicated to the DVD/PRE/computer/tuner/whatever else not listed
2 20 Amp circuits for amps /Subs
1 15 Amp circuit for the projector/TV.

This is serious overklill, but I'd rather have too much than too little.

joeparaski

I agree on the overkill....in the new setup which is underway, I've wired the system with FOUR seperate 15 amp lines.

I-SIG

I'm planning on a trio of dedicated circuits. Two for the living room and one for the bedroom. All will be 20A capable. My problem is that I'm gonna have to crete a small sub-panel. I'm gonna wire it with at least #6Cu (which heavily down-rated for in-home residential use) as a feeder then split off two 20A circuits for the LR. I may only put a 40A single pole breaker in my main panel as I only have one spot remaining, but can upgrade it to a 60 in the future when I finally do a bedroom rig.

I'm thinking to put my SVS and Parasound on one circuit and the rest on the other circuit and use the 15A circuit for fans, lamps, etc.

The main advantage to these big circuits is lots of Cu to supply plenty of electrons and to keep voltage drop and flicker under control. At you panel, you should have 120/240VAC +/-5%.

Wes

dorokusai

Do you have problems with the current circuit? Unless your popping a breaker, or have a large machine/motor running on that same line, a dedicated line will do nothing but make you feel better.

It's a neat idea but if your power is dirty in the first place, it won't solve anything.

faster100

it's kinda like 400 dollar outlets ?

univera

dorokusai wrote:

Do you have problems with the current circuit? Unless your popping a breaker, or have a large machine/motor running on that same line, a dedicated line will do nothing but make you feel better.

It's a neat idea but if your power is dirty in the first place, it won't solve anything.

DK, I don't have any apparent, known issues whatsoever. I do have a ceiling fan in the area, but I haven't checked to see if it is on the same breaker. I just gathered from reading posts that this was an advantage and would improve the noise floor. If you say I don't need it, I would listen. You seem to be very level headed in your approach. I will definitely be using a power conditioner for peace of mind and to clean up video/isolate amp section. FWIW, I haven't actually tested anything in terms of current, etc.

dorokusai

Don't get me wrong, because if it's easy to do on your end....just do it. It's something you're not going to "lose" anything by doing.

I went dedicated out of sheer boredom, but there was no perceived benefit. I know a couple folks who have also ran DC's and HAVE noticed a difference, and I respect their opinion greatly.

If you can hear that ceiling fan turn on/run thru your speakers, when they are on(No signal, just on)....move it, if not....well, that's up to you.

jdhdiggs

I agree with Doro, 99% of people don't need more than 5-10 Amps

In my case it is easy to do (open spots in the panal, no walls yet...) and I'll have close to 3,800W of amps (7x400 + 1000) on the 2 20A circuits and I'd prefer to have the other high power item (PJ) on a seperate circuit from the processor/DVD/comp/anything else.