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Another dedicated circuit question

(I just wrote a novel, and I tried to paste a couple of links, and the whole thing disappeared, so as I type slowly and poorly, I am going with the condensed version this time.)

About 25 years ago I put in three dedicated circuits for my gear.  (That was before I had a PC & internet, so I am sure that I must have gotten the idea from Stereophile, and as with all things, I thought bigger was better and more was best.)  Recently I have been reading a number of dedicated circuit threads and discovered that I had made numerous errors.  Therefore I have been up in my attic and into my panel for the last week or so removing, replacing, and rerouting and I was about done

and then

I found out that three dedicated lines was another mistake I made.  No biggy:  I bought a lot of Romex and other stuff I didn't need and spent some extra time I didn't need to spend, but I can rectify the three-circuit-RFI that I introduced by turning 'off' two of my three system circuit breakers.  Right?

But my question is:  since I need four outlets (digital source, pre, amp, powered sub) is the BEST solution to put another outlet in series with my one dedicated outlet?

Are there any power-strip solutions that are of an acceptable grade?  After the last dedicated circuit thread, I wound up discussing this (to some extent) with @millercarbon  and I told him about a power conditioner I bought around 25 years ago called the Promethean Audio Products Power Flo (sorry MC, I got the name slightly wrong) and he suggested that in the interim I use that as my strip.  What I neglected to tell him was that it occasionally arcs at the outlet when unplugging/plugging it in, and I am a bit leery of it.

Here is where my previous novel I had typed disappeared on me, so I am not going to try to pate any links this time,  but price is a consideration and MD sells the Furman PST-*D Power Station (8 outlets) for $269 + tax which is withing my range, but it says to use only on 15A circuits (meaning I would have to put a 15A outlet & breaker on either end of the 12-2 that makes up my one dedicated circuit.

MD also sells, for $40 + tax, the Audioquest IEC-3 power strip (three outlets) and I guess I would need two of them (plus two cords) as one of the reviews say that the outlets are too close together to use all three of them at once.

Are either of these an acceptable (meaning minimal degradation) method to add outlets to one dedicated circuit?  Are there any other methods (excluding multiple hundreds or thousands of dollars on a power conditioner) that I could consider?

In a reply to this post, I am going to attempt to paste links to the two options I just mentioned.

 

 

 

immatthewj

Showing 4 responses by jea48

jea48
4,795 posts
 

@immatthewj 

I found out that three dedicated lines was another mistake I made. 

Not really... If the correct type of branch circuit wiring is used, and the correct method of installing the branch circuit wiring is used.

I have two dedicated 20 amp branch circuits that are 75ft each. I used 10/2 NM sheathed cable, (Romex Trade name). Both circuits are fed from breakers on the same Line, leg. I use one for front end digital equipment and the other for analog. My system is dead quiet. Theory for keeping digital equipment fed off a different circuit than analog is  to decouple the power supplies from one another. 

 

MD sells the Furman PST-*D Power Station (8 outlets) for $269 + tax which is withing my range, but it says to use only on 15A circuits

Where did you read that?

This?

  • Maximum Current Rating15 (Amps)

That means the maximum FLA of the "power Station" not the branch circuit rating. You can plug it into a 15A (Duplex) or a 20A outlet that is feed from a 20 amp branch circuit.

 

jea48
4,795 posts
 

@immatthewj

, on page 3 of the instruction manual (pdf) is where it says to connect it to a 15A outlet.

"4. The PST-8 should only be connected to a 120 VAC, 60Hz, 15
amp grounded electrical outlet."

"Connected to a 120V 60Hz 15 amp grounded electrical outlet...

Doesn’t say anything about the ampacity of the circuit. Two or more 15 amp receptacles can be installed on a 20 amp branch circuit. A 15A duplex receptacle is two 15 amp outlets.

The plug on the power cord of the PST-8 is a NEMA 5-15P 15A plug. The NEMA 5-15P plug will plug into a 20 amp outlet.

You meet all the requirements:

120V -------- Yes

60Hz -------- Yes

Grounded -- Yes

15 amp outlet --Yes. (20A outlet will accept a 15A or 20A plug.)

You are good to go.

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jea48
4,795 posts
 

@immatthewj said:

I was ASSUMING that a 20A breaker should not only be in front of, at minimum, 12 gauge wire, but also a 20A breaker.

That is correct. The breaker determines the ampere rating of the circuit. 20A breaker, 20 amp branch circuit. (#12awg bare minimum wire size.)

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jea48
4,795 posts
 

Different potentials always try to equalize to the same potential thus there will be current flowing between the two (or more). It will always use the path of least resistance.

The current will take any path that is provided...

As for using more than one dedicated circuit, to feed audio equipment where signal feeding other equipment is by wire interconnects, in most causes where there is a ground loop hum problem the reason is the wrong type of branch circuit wiring was used and or the method of installing the branch circuit wiring was done incorrectly. Another problem can be the dedicated branch circuits were not fed from circuit breakers connected to the same Line, leg, in the electrical panel.

FWIW, I have two dedicated branch circuits that feed my 2 ch audio system. One for the analog equipment the other for digital. I installed 10/2 with ground NM cable, (Romex is a trade name). Length of the two runs are 75ft each. My system is dead quiet...

The OP’s three 12/2 NM cable dedicated Lines are 35ft each. IF he installed them correctly he shouldn’t have any problems at all.

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