Dedicated Circuits - Subpanel importance?


My system is no more. Sold everything. Starting from scratch. Thanks to you and seven months of experience I am doing the following, which is taking care of the number one component, the room:

  1. Treating. The full GIK order in October is starting to arrive.
  2. Running one or more dedicated circuits.

I am addressing #2 in this post. There are extensive discussions here and one can spend hours if not days trying to wring-out the critical details needed for a DIY solution. I have spent hours and there a few things I need to confirm before I proceed because I was unable to find definitive answers.

I am doing this myself. I do not want or need lectures on only having a licensed electrician do this work. I have been doing my own electrical work for many years and am very comfortable doing so.

  1. Does a subpanel help? Is it required? Subpanels are typically supplied from a breaker off of the main panel's bus, so I'm guessing there is no advantage in terms of SQ? Perhaps if I can independently ground the subpanel it might make a difference?
  2. Opening up my walls is not an option, so I need to use conduit. This may restrict the number of lines if the wire should not share the same conduit? If I am restricted to Romex 8 or 10,2 versus metal-clad, is it okay for two runs to occupy the same conduit?
  3. How much better is metal-clad? Is it required vs Romex? Will metal conduit accomplish the same result with Romex?

Answers to these questions will complete my plans and I will go forward at speed. Hopefully this discussion helps others as well even if it's to know what to have their electrician setup for them.

Thank you!

 

 

 

 

128x128izjjzi

BUT, an equipment equipment grounding conductor still must be ran with the feeder conductors and the equipment grounding conductor shall be terminated to the equipment ground bar in the main electrical panel as well connected to the ground bar in the subpanel.

The purpose of an equipment grounding conductor is to provide a low impedance path for ground fault current to return to the source, the utility power transformer, through the service neutral conductor at the electrical service main electrical panel where all equipment grounding conductors are connected to.

@jea48 

Understood. We discussed this when you advised me about replacing my meter box and outside line due to corrosion. If you remember, distortion and DC was entering my service panel.

I think where I'm confused is from comments in threads about using an "independent" ground rod (or 2) from a subpanel or main panel. My take is that these ground rods are not bonded to the main panel. This doesn't sound kosher. Is there any reason to use multiple ground rods spread out in the backyard? Yes, I know earth doesn't possess any magical powers.

 

The main purpose for a ground connection to earth is for lightning protection. It does absolutely nothing for improving the sound of an audio system. The earth does not possess some magical mystical power that sucks nasties form an audio system.

If only audiophools understood this one thing...

... and adding additional rods may make the system less capable to survive a strike.

The Ott link seem DoA...

Leg is not synonymous or the same thing as electrical phase. Most residential homes in the US are single phase. One phase of 240V is brought from the transformer and split into 2 x 120V. It’s one wave cycle split in two—2 legs of the same phase.

Three phase is 3 different wave cycles, 120 degrees apart.

  I believe what I believe, BUT it doesn't change the truth. It almost depends on which expert you ask about one phase or two going to a residential home. My understanding is this, 1) that if in fact that two separate conductors were run to a panel, but were of the same phase, you would still have 120 volts, but with more possible current capacity.  2) OTOH, if each of these two conductors (at 120 volts each) were Out of phase with each other, Then the DIFFERENCE between them will equal 240 volts. 

 I have heard this discussed more than once, especially at the PS Audio site, which would be damned near a reference for me. 

@lowrider57 Said:

Understood. We discussed this when you advised me about replacing my meter box and outside line due to corrosion. If you remember, distortion and DC was entering my service panel.

I remember the thread. Harmonic distortion caused by a corroded connection in the meter socket was causing a problem with a piece of audio equipment. Wasn’t it a noisy buzzing, vibrating, power transformer?

 

I think where I’m confused is from comments in threads about using an "independent" ground rod (or 2) from a subpanel or main panel. My take is that these ground rods are not bonded to the main panel. This doesn’t sound kosher. Is there any reason to use multiple ground rods spread out in the backyard? Yes, I know earth doesn’t possess any magical powers.

Independent, dedicated, isolated, ground rods are dangerous. They violate all electrical safety codes.

NEC 250.54 Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes is one of the dumbest code editions ever. All the additional grounding electrodes do is to provide lightning a direct path into a building’s electrical wiring damaging electronic equipment as it goes on its merry way to the electrical service’s main grounding electrode system back to earth. Lightning loves Auxiliary Grounding Electrodes..

.