Installed a 20 amp dedicated circuit

gerald porzio · « **Reply #20 on:** 12 Apr 2010, 03:33 pm »

The danger of ignoring code will only be to real in case of fire when the insur. co. fails to pay. Then we can enjoy threads discussing spkr. placement in a pup tent.

NeilT · « **Reply #21 on:** 12 Apr 2010, 03:34 pm »

Quote

I noticed that you have a garbage disposal on the same side of the box.[/i]

Not a problem, the 2 busses alternate positions on each side. Since the 2 circuits are adjacent , they are fed from opposite busses.

jtwrace · « **Reply #22 on:** 12 Apr 2010, 03:35 pm »

Quote from: gerald porzio on 12 Apr 2010, 03:33 pm

The danger of ignoring code will only be to real in case of fire when the insur. co. fails to pay. Then we can enjoy threads discussing spkr. placement in a pup tent.

Exactly! That's why I also recommended you read the fine print on your home owners insurance.

K Shep · « **Reply #23 on:** 12 Apr 2010, 05:09 pm »

Quote from: gerald porzio on 12 Apr 2010, 03:33 pm

The danger of ignoring code will only be to real in case of fire when the insur. co. fails to pay. Then we can enjoy threads discussing spkr. placement in a pup tent.

I agree that ignoring building codes is a mistake. Having worked in the building industry for a while my alterations are done per code.

Pulling a permit ?

http://www.sfdbi.org/ftp/uploadedfiles/dbi/Table1AA2Alterations.pdf

ctviggen · « **Reply #24 on:** 12 Apr 2010, 06:14 pm »

Quote from: jtwrace on 12 Apr 2010, 03:35 pm

Exactly! That's why I also recommended you read the fine print on your home owners insurance.

Why? If you pull a permit and get everything inspected, how could the home owner's insurance deny a claim?

ctviggen · « **Reply #25 on:** 12 Apr 2010, 06:14 pm »

Quote from: gerald porzio on 12 Apr 2010, 03:33 pm

The danger of ignoring code will only be to real in case of fire when the insur. co. fails to pay. Then we can enjoy threads discussing spkr. placement in a pup tent.

Who here said code was being ignored?

gerald porzio · « **Reply #26 on:** 12 Apr 2010, 07:14 pm »

No one said it was being ignored as well as no one said it was being followed prior to my post.

TomW16 · « **Reply #27 on:** 12 Apr 2010, 07:51 pm »

Good for you K Shep. I am also adding a sub panel to my main box that will feed my home theater. I was facing the reality of using the two dual breakers for four lines and maxing out my main box. With the thought of nowhere to expand, I called the city and asked if a home owner could add a sub panel. They said "no problem" and after paying a few bucks to expand my building permit, I purchased a sub panel for $50 at home depot that included six 20 Amp breakers

.

Take care,
Tom

K Shep · « **Reply #28 on:** 12 Apr 2010, 11:47 pm »

Quote from: TomW16 on 12 Apr 2010, 07:51 pm

Good for you K Shep. I am also adding a sub panel to my main box that will feed my home theater. I was facing the reality of using the two dual breakers for four lines and maxing out my main box. With the thought of nowhere to expand, I called the city and asked if a home owner could add a sub panel. They said "no problem" and after paying a few bucks to expand my building permit, I purchased a sub panel for $50 at home depot that included six 20 Amp breakers .

Take care,
Tom

That's great.

What gauge wire would one use adding a 100 amp sub panel from a 200+ amp panel?

TomW16 · « **Reply #29 on:** 13 Apr 2010, 12:06 am »

Since my 100 Amp sub panel will be right next to my main panel, I can use either 6 guage or 4 guage. I will go with 4 gauge cause it's better

. I will also use a 60 Amp GFI breaker to feed the sub panel.

Cheers,
Tom

K Shep · « **Reply #30 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 01:30 am »

Quote from: TomW16 on 13 Apr 2010, 12:06 am

I will go with 4 gauge cause it's better .

Let's not turn this in to a cable discussion please.

gerald porzio · « **Reply #31 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 02:43 am »

How can the gauge used for the dedicated circut not be germane to this discussion? What am I missing here?

K Shep · « **Reply #32 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 04:53 am »

Quote from: gerald porzio on 14 Apr 2010, 02:43 am

How can the gauge used for the dedicated circut not be germane to this discussion? What am I missing here?

Power cable, interconnect cable, speaker cable.

Have you ever read a "cable" thread on an audio forum that hasn't gone sideways? I was making a joke about cables, you know the kind you connect to your audio system?

Wayner · « **Reply #33 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 12:46 pm »

The 4 awg wire feeders for the 60 amp box are larger then necessary. Copper is a rare metal and we need to have people use the correct size for the job. Copper mining isn't very green and neither is making copper wire. The 60 amp GFCI breaker is also way over the top and not necessary. NEC dictates that GFCIs be used outdoors, in areas where local outlets service concrete floors (that may become wet) and rooms that have water service, such as laundry rooms, kitchens and bathrooms. Besides, the 60 amp GFCI breaker will be rather expensive. If you need one of your branch circuits to be GFCI, you can buy a smaller breaker (15 amp) for that or buy a GFCI outlet and wire remaining outlets to that outlet (making all of those protected by the GFCI).

Wayner

Bigfish · « **Reply #34 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 01:30 pm »

K Shep:

Congratulations for installing a dedicated 20 amp circuit for your audio gear. I did it last year (in fact I installed two dedicated 20 amp circuits) and at least mentally told myself I could hear audible differences. I now have the piece of mind that I can stick virtually any amp(s) I want to in the system and not be concerned about them being starved for power or tripping breakers. I am certain an increase in power demand will make the electrical company smile.

Ken

BobC · « **Reply #35 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 01:50 pm »

Quote from: TomW16 on 12 Apr 2010, 07:51 pm

I am also adding a sub panel to my main box that will feed my home theater.

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the advantage of installing a sub panel? The sub panel goes back to the main panel, correct? So is it just a way to avoid multiple pulls of you want multiple circuits? Or is it just a way to accommodate multiple breakers if you're out of room in your main box?

If I wanted add say, two 20A circuits in a sub panel, this would need to go back to a 40A breaker in the main box, correct? At some point you would exceed the max capacity of the main box, no?

ctviggen · « **Reply #36 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 02:28 pm »

Quote from: BobC on 14 Apr 2010, 01:50 pm

Excuse my ignorance, but what is the advantage of installing a sub panel? The sub panel goes back to the main panel, correct? So is it just a way to avoid multiple pulls of you want multiple circuits? Or is it just a way to accommodate multiple breakers if you're out of room in your main box?

If I wanted add say, two 20A circuits in a sub panel, this would need to go back to a 40A breaker in the main box, correct? At some point you would exceed the max capacity of the main box, no?

Yes, yes, and yes. That is, unless the sub panel itself is powered externally from outside the house. There are special rules regarding sub panels, mainly because of the increased current (so, you need larger wire, etc.). But then you have to only run a single set of wires to the sub panel.

In my case, I have all the drywall off the walls of my family room and the breaker box is in the family room. Therefore, I can wire everything to the breaker box and not have to install a sub panel.

I do note that while electricity is dangerous, you also have to understand that the amount of time you spend near the dangerous stuff can be quite low. For example, I installed 16 lights and a "Grafik Eye" (a controller with four zones and 16 scenes; each zone can handle a certain number of lights and each scene can control each zone). It took several weekends to put up all the recessed lights, drill all the holes, route all the wires, and connect everything. The only time high voltage was involved was for about 10 minutes, when I dropped the power to the house and installed a 20 amp breaker and connected a set of wires to this breaker. Other than that, the entire rest of the time was spent without any danger from voltage.

srb · « **Reply #37 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 02:47 pm »

Quote from: BobC on 14 Apr 2010, 01:50 pm

If I wanted add say, two 20A circuits in a sub panel, this would need to go back to a 40A breaker in the main box, correct? At some point you would exceed the max capacity of the main box, no?

Yes, at some point you can exceed the maximum capacity of the main panel. However, a 400A total of individual circuit breakers (and more) in a 200A service panel is quite common. The National Electrical Code has a load calculation to determine by what percentage the main panel rating can be exceeded, based upon square footage and the number and type of heating, cooling and major appliances.

The reason is that it is not expected that all circuits will use full capacity or at the same time. Also there is a maxiumum number of circuits that can connected, which is something like 24 circuits for a 100A service, and 42 circuits for a 200A service.

Steve

BobC · « **Reply #38 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 03:38 pm »

OK, makes sense.

I understand the idea is to "isolate" the circuit supporting the stereo / HT from other things which introduce noise. So it's the breaker switch which does the isolating, right? Because at some point it all comes together in the box. IE not possible for "noise" from one circuit to make it back through a common connection point in the box (is this called the bus bar?) and then up into the dedicated stereo breaker / circuit. Am I getting this? I guess I don't understand how an individual breaker isolates that circuit from noise.

A sub panel wouldn't offer any "sonic" advantage over simply tapping into an unused breaker in the main box. It's simply a matter of installation cost and space conservation, right?

gerald porzio · « **Reply #39 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 04:12 pm »

If you're running several dedicated circuts, a sub panel uses a common ground to the main panel avoiding differing ground potentials from the outlets to the main panel.