Dedicated AC Wiring question-Isolated Ground

mmadden28

disneyjoe7 wrote: »

BTW I never seen a break circuit cut the outlet voltage when a 15A device DIED. It just smoked never kick the breaker, if your likely smoke then fire.

Can you translate that?

disneyjoe7

mmadden28 wrote: »

Personally though, I wouldn't feel safe knowing that 30A would be required before my shorted 15A device would trip the breaker, possibly resulting in shock or fire.

If I went to someone's house to repair a TV I was told it smoked first somethings fire also, but it never trip the break circuit. So to think that the break circuit wouldn't trip because of a 30A break with 20A outlet, I don't think that's a problem because I never seen a 15A - 20A breaker trip with a 15A - 20A outlet.

mmadden28

...I was told it smoked first somethings fire also...

Are you drinking?

My wife has been quite successful at tripping my 15a breakers when she uses her hair dryer. That is why I moved the damn cable box off that same circuit
I've tripped the breakers many times hooking up too many xmas lights or the lights for my Halloween display.

If the breaker never tripped because of a blown TV in your example, that's because the TV did its own circuit breaking, so to speak, by burning out the conductive path thus current stopped flowing, but the outlet is still live and has potential to continue to short out until its unplugged, esp since the TV is not in an undesigned and unsafe state. Of course that is why most devices have fuses, so that they blow first-but it really all depends on the cause of a short and where the short is. I don't think you're likely to have a circuit trip because aof a natural failure of a device. If its connected to a 30A breaker its more likely,...welll you know what I'm saying.

A few months ago, my wife was doing something in the laundry room (certainly wasn't laundry :eek::D:o) and screamed and told me to come right away--She said the washing machine was sparking from behind-She was freaked out:eek:. I took a quick look, and as I moved the Broom sparks flew everywhere!! :eek: :eek:. I quickly ran down to the basement shut the breaker off as it hadn't tripped. What I found was that the metal cover for the 220/30A(?) circuit for the dryer didn't have its screw in so it just fell off when the broom was placed near it. The plug itself was not all the way in so cover plate fell right down onto the exposed blades shorting the hot lines sending LOTS of sparks flying and melting a pretty good size chunk out of the cover. I was amazed that the breaker didn't trip but that's like because the cover melted enough away that it broke contact (which is why it stopped the first time until i moved the brook which bumped the cover). Had that cover remained in contact it very well may have trippped the breaker, but it may also have sent enough sparks or generated enough heat first to start a fire.

That's the kind of **** I'm afraid of.

disneyjoe7

mmadden28 wrote: »

Are you drinking?

Drinking NO NO :eek:


Smoking Ma Ya................ :cool::p:)

WilliamM2

If you can manage to trip breakers with Christmas lights alone, maybe your breakers are bad. If not, I would be thinking about re-wiring the entire house.

mmadden28

WilliamM2 wrote: »

If you can manage to trip breakers with Christmas lights alone, maybe your breakers are bad. If not, I would be thinking about re-wiring the entire house.

Lots of lights, but that includes some red and green flood lights shining on the house-not just the little tree lights. I am honestly at a blank right now for when I had the xmas lights trip a breaker-I could be mistaken. But definitely on the Halloween setup. 6 floods, 4 fog machines, thunder/lightning box. Those fog machines are little electric heaters and pull quite a bit of juice.

So far the only faulty breaker I've come across is the GFCI 220/30A for my pool pump. It kept randomly tripping. I replaced it and haven't had that problem again. :cool: Of course I get a tingley feeling eveythime I get in the pool-ahh who needed that piggy tail white wire anyway. :D

mmadden28

Well, I decided to just get 10/3. It was about $90 more for a 250' bunch, but with all the work thats involved to get it to my HT, I figured what they heck. I got 250' since I had at least another run to do for my 2 channel rig and it was cheaper than buying 100' of 10.3 and 50' of 12/3 not to mention cutting it close with the required lengths I needed for both runs.

So tonight I rough ran the cabling. Tomorrow I'll staple it up and cut to length to prepare for temination.

I still haven't fully decided if I'll split the receptical or just use a second in a double gang. Its pretty tight behind the HT. There is probably only two riser spaces I have access to and one have data and speaker wires in it, so its out, the other already has an outlet. I have maybe 6-8 inches between the existing outlet and the left edge of the essentially unmoveable entertainment center.
I'll either try to squeeze in to the right of the existing outlet or just go a little higher above the existing outlet.

The biggest challenge yet is getting the new cable up the wall. I had one helluva time getting my speaker cable runs up there.
Its an outside wall and those walls don't exactly line up with the walls in the basement.

Here's a hot of the small crevice I have to work with. Its about a 3/4" opening. Its solid wood behind that paneling.


Here's a shot through that crevice. As you can see its at least another foot or more just to the hole. I really hope I can somehow get the cable through that existing hole, or else I'll have to drill a new hole. And it was no easy task when I did it for the speaker wires-I had to use a 4' long cable installer drillbit and on an angle.


I already tried pushing the fairly stiff 10/3 cable up through the existing hole, but its too tight. I'll try putting some fish tape down from above and maybe pulling the cable up. I may even try some cable lube if its too tight.
If it ends up being near impossible-I may just put the outlet in as a floor box :rolleyes:
As soon as I get it all done, I'll do some more testing to see if any of my Voltage drops changed, and more importantly if I noticed any SQ change.

mmadden28

OK, the new circuits are in (2 - 20A circuits on a split recptacle PS Audio Power Port with 10AWG/3 Romex).

I had to drill a new hole. ugh! Its a single duplex in a double gang box for future axpansion or if I decide to un-split it.

I'm still evaluating, but its positive thus far. :cool::D
I almost think there might little or no voltage drop right now-even under full load. Still collecting data.
I can say this much or sure so far-My light sno longer dim from the surge of turning the AVR and amp on. :cool::D They stay solid.

disneyjoe7

Sounds cool. :cool:

JoeLR

Thanks to all who participated in this thread...it will save me time when I decide to finally upgrade things at home; some very knowledgeable people here

davistrembley

I also want to thank you all because with your help i saved bucks from hiring an electrician.

K_M

Do you guys get permits for this stuff, and have it actually inspected and all?

pitdogg2

Davistrembley
Reported

audioluvr

davistrembley wrote: »

I also want to thank you all because with your help i saved bucks from hiring an electrician.

Nothing like drumming up a 10 yr old thread.

K_M wrote: »

Do you guys get permits for this stuff, and have it actually inspected and all?

Pfffsht. He11 no! What doesn't kill you makes you stronger (or at least smarter one would hope...)