Electrical question

Smart choice OP! 

You won't regret it.

Get a dedicated circuit for microwave and a dedicted circuit for your audio with iso ground. Done, best way to go 35 yrs retired IBEW electrician.

@jea48 Correct. microwave on opposite phase from dedicated circuits to audio system.

Thanks a lot everyone 

Dedicated lines for your systems is what needs to happen

Two dedicated lines going in this week…

And here I thought that most Kitchens have separate, dedicated circuits.   

Well honestly I’m really glad to see how this turned out.  Too often I feel like I’m trying to convince people in similar situations not to burn their house down.   Usually it goes like this: 

Hi, I'm a new audiophile.  When I play music at really low levels my lights flicker, my wall starts to glow and I think I smell smoke after.  What kind of power conditioner should I get?

And here I thought that most Kitchens have separate, dedicated circuits.   

@vitussl101 - They should now! :) 

@erik_squires  In my kitchen, the lights and dishwasher are on separate circuits with a dedicated outlet that has a high quality  20 amp duplex.  My fridge fairly decent size but vey efficient, shares a circuit with a microwave and an Air Fryer that I can't run together with the MW because it might trip a fuse.  The coffee maker and under cabinet lights are on another circuit.  I wish the builders had put one of the dedicated outlets on the other side of the kitchen, where it would have been put to better use.  Funny thing: when the builders were rehabbing our hundred-year-old building, they did a good job with installing dedicated circuits, anticpating  future needs, but forgot the phone lines.  The condo had one phone line on the wall in the kitchen.

@sns said:

@jea48 Correct. microwave on opposite phase from dedicated circuits to audio system.

Correct, in response to this post of mine on 08-08-2025 at 01:29pm 

@sns said on 08-08-2025 at 10:03am 

I monitor voltage 24/7, 120-121 constant, 1200 watt microwave 116v, microwave and toaster oven together 112v. 

My response:

Measured at the wall outlet the equipment is plugged into?  Correct?

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If you measured the voltage at the circuit breaker in the electrical panel you would not have measured the VD. The VD is created by the connected load current and the impedance created in the branch circuit wiring. 

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As for this.

microwave on opposite phase from dedicated circuits to audio system.

 Best thing you can do is to try to keep audio equipment dedicated circuit(s) breaker(s) from  breakers that feed noisy loads. Like LED lighting,  lighting circuits with dimmers, refrigerators, microwave ovens, and any other such items. EM fields, EMI noise, is strongest at the breaker. the EM field is created by the current carrying branch circuit conductors.The greater the load current, the greater the EM field. It dissipates as you move away, add distance, from the noisy breaker(s). Still there but reduced...

What you don’t want to do,...  is move all 120V circuits that feed LED lighting, lighting circuits with dimmers, refrigerators, microwave ovens, freezers, washing machine, dishwasher, central vac system, or any other such items, to circuit breakers to one Leg, Line. Then using the other Leg, Line, for audio equipment branch circuit(s). TERRIBLE IDEA!

First it depends how much combined 120V load, amps, that will be loading the one Leg, Line, of the electrical panel. FYI, the neutral bar in the panel is not rated to carry the full rated main breaker load of one leg. The Neutral bar ampacity rating is sized to carry the unbalanced 120V load of Line 1 and Line 2, plus a small fudge factor. By having one Leg, Line carrying the majority of the 120V connected current load the neutral could be over loaded, carrying more current than the neutral bar ampacity rating. Problem? HEAT... Result, possible wire terminal connection failure.

The Utility Power transformer will not like it either. One of the two in-series 120V secondary windings is having to carry the high unbalanced 120V Load current, 

Have a overhead fed electrical service? Electrical load current stress on the triplex aluminum wiring and all them connections. One Hot leg and the reduced wire size bare neutral conductor is carrying  the majority of the 120V load current.

The panel was balanced somewhat when the electrician made up the branch circuit wiring to the circuit breakers. connected loads are changing constantly through the day. L1 120V loads may be more, then L2 loads are more. They still average out throughout the day. The electrical panel is happy and so is the Utility Power Transformer. 

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We lost power for several days during the Palisades Fire, I had a Honda 2200 gas generator on my fridge.  When I plugged and used a microwave I could hear the generator struggle and then the microwave shut down after running a short while.  The microwave initially was dead but after a few attempts would run but the LED faceplate and control panel was shot, only the 1 minute timer  button worked.  Of course it was a built in and not easy to replace.

Probably not a good thing to have on your audio line.

Put in two separate lines, one for the two channel and one for the home theater all is good. Thanks for the help..