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Am I hearing things?

I just an extra  new dedicated line run beside the other one. with 10 gauge wire, 30 amp breaker and a 20 amp rated outlet. I don't think it sounds as good!!! What the hey. A little shrill in both vinyl and CD. I'm comparing from what it sounded like last night. Does electricians wire, breaker and outlet have to burn in? Am I alone in this. I'm have a whole system AC but in and the temp got up to 80. Maybe that is why. Also I'm listening at 11 am EST. So the power grid may have an affect. Did I just answer my own question or have other people experienced this. The original dedicated line was put in in 03 with 12 gauge wire, 20 amp breaker and a 15 amp outlet. Are these 2 lines picking up interferrence? 
blueranger

Showing 9 responses by djones51

djones51
4,947 posts
 
He probably put the 25 amp breaker on your AC unit which is not unusual that's about the only thing 25 breakers are used for AC units or water heaters. 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
Craig most 20 amp breakers are run with 12/2 or 12/3  it's hard enough to wire a receptacle with 12 doing it with 10 is a real pain. My guess is unless you're standing there watching the electrician and you had him run 10 he pigtailed some 12 in the box to wire up the receptacle. 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
#10 is used for 30amp breakers and the receptacles for those are 240 not your standard 120 and are made to accomodate #10 wire. Some components are 240 so in that case they would run 10/2 or 10/3. 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
There should be white/neutral , black/ hot, bare copper/ ground. The ground might not be connected to the receptacle if there are more receptacles  on the run he might have twisted them together and crammed them in the back of the box. He should have pigtailed to the receptacle. 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
On common neutrals the neutral only carries the difference, if line 1 carried 10 amps and line 2 carried 6 amps only 4 amps runs through neutral, if they both carried 20 amps 0 is on neutral ,  the hots are on opposte phases so they cancel each other if they are on the same phase well the house might burn down since 40 amps could then go through the neutral wire melting it. 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
The reason they used aluminum wire and rationed copper in the last half of the 1960's was the Vietnam war. I used to own a house completely wired with aluminum biult in 1967.
djones51
4,947 posts
 
Elizabeth  one other thing you might look for the two breakers that share the common neutral need to be ganged. 2  20amp breakers with a common neutral will trip like any other 20amp breaker they won't draw anywhere close to 40amps. The load wouldn't be balanced on the neutral which is what would trip the breaker actually breakers they are suppose to be ganged with the hot on seperate phases. 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
In the 60's they did the common neutral to save copper, some houses back then were wired with aluminum. Code now is the breakers have to be ganged on common neutrals  hot needs to be on seperate phases. the reasoning is both of those breakers need to be tripped before you work on either line. 
djones51
4,947 posts
 
I don't get the 25amp breaker on a simple branch to a single 20amp receptacle. Those are not common breakers and are mostly used for AC units and water heaters. You said they did some work on your AC are you sure you're not looking at the AC breaker? If not it should be switched to a 20amp breaker. 
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