@erik_squires Yep, Federal Pacific, aka FPE. Many of my heighbors still have them. One did thermography recently and has some pretty warm spots. It is much harder to change your breaker box now than when I did it. Our gas meters are right below our breaker boxes. New code requires them to be seperated by I think 10 feet. So my neighbors can't get a permit to replace the breaker box unless they move either the gas meter or the breaker box. Adds $10k to the job.
Dedicated AC Circuits: It's not the noise, it's the upstream problems
I live in a 15 year old home which I’ve been slowly upgrading the AC service as time and energy have permitted. Every single switch has been replaced, many with Kasa brand smart switches. All the 120V breakers have been brought up to modern code, and every single GFCI outlet has been replaced or added where now required.
Outside outlets have been replaced where needed and new in-use covers applied. Of the remaining outlets about 2/3rds have been replaced with commercial / residential (i.e. commercial but tamper resistant) outlets.
After going through this exercise I have to say that one of the biggest reasons to have a dedicated circuit is not the use of 1" thick conductors going to a cryogenic treated, $500 locking outlet. It’s getting rid of all of the upstream crap that happens over time.
I’ve found so many:
- loose connections
- loose outlets
- back stabbed connections
- corrosion
- random items inserted into an outlet
- scorch marks
it’s a wonder this house didn’t actually burn down.
My point is, that for me, putting in a new circuit for the audio gear isn't about exotic materials so much as having a clean, new circuit with 2 sets of connections to worry about: at the breaker and the outlet.
Showing 3 responses by carlsbad
Exactly. I'll add that a dedicated circuit ensures that a load of laundry isn't running on the same circuit causing a large power draw. Seems like an extreme example but indeed the outlet behind my system (before I installed a dedicated circuit) was on the same circuit as the laundry room, bathrooms, kitchen and garage. You can probably figure out from those hints that it is the GFCI protected circuit. Seems like it would be easier to install a GFCI outlet in every bathroom than to run the same circuit all over the house but for some reason my house has only one GFCI circuit and it has an outlet behind my stereo system. Jerry |
@erik_squires Exactly as you guessed. My home was built in 1986, had 100 amp service, and was limited on breaker positions. I have upgraded my service to 200amp service. My box and breakers were a brand whose name I can't remember that went out of business for starting too many fires. The breakers were still available at home depot "refurbished" for $20 each when new Westinghouse breakers were $3 each. It was a no-brainer to do the upgrade.
--Jerry |