Power conditioner wire gauge? Serious issue
So I just figured out that all the 10 gauge wiring I have may be a problem if the power conditioner I use only uses 14 or 16 gauge wires to connect all those outlets you plug into in the back of those devices.
The specs are not part of the description when you buy Power conditioners. Everybody recommends a dedicated 10 gauge wire from the panel but fails to consider what power conditioners use.
Is this a serious problem?
For the last time, the wire gauge needs ONLY to be thick enough to carry the current being drawn by the component to which it is connected. There is NO need to match gauges all through a system. IS THAT CLEAR! Re-read what @erik_squires said near the top of this thread. He knows what he is talking about. The most annoying thing about this forum is the volume of nonsense spouted. |
If you like tests, run a listening test…generally the better the power cord for your system the better the results that you can hear. There is likely the same argument about 10/8 ga pc and any internal wiring in electronics. Shorter distances lower current values, different current draw at the circuit level vs the component level. |
Resistances are additive. But they don't act like an orifice. Many people like to think of electricity like water in a pipe and that doesn't always work. if you have a 14 gauge wire and a 10 gauge wire, theoretically it won't matter which order you put them, the result will be the same. I haven't tried this for audio. A short piece of smaller wire may not be a problem. That said, it might. Many power conditioners do more harm than good. Many a good amp has been sold because the power conditioner or power cord was not supplying it the power it needed to shine. Jerry
|
Why don’t you mention what brand line conditioner you have and. The powercord plugged into it. Forsure get a dedicated line minimum 20 amp awg12 and 4 wire ,with common ground ,and a dedicated isolated ground with separate copper buzz bar , and your wall outlets should be very good quality $100 Pangea best very heavy duty high purity copper then gold plated which like mine can clamp down on awg10 wire. |
Look at it a different way, the wire from the pole outside your house going to to your meter most likely is 4 gauge, aluminum wire. It then goes to your panel where it changes to 10 ga. copper (in your situation) to your power conditioner. Are you thinking it should be 4 ga, to the plug in outputs of your power conditioner? Or just 10ga. from the panel to the all the way to the outlets of your power conditioner. Unless you have 4 ga. power cords on each of your components the circle will be broken. Like I said before, unless you have current draining, high power amps you won't notice any audible difference and there will be no electrical danger. |
When supplying power to a conditioner, the wall needs to have the capacity to do all the units fed by the conditioner but each outlet out of the conditioner only needs to have a capacity for the one unit it serves. The travel loss can be collective as well as singular, which ever applies. Example, each lane in a freeway is sized for just one lane. The on and off ramps are usually not the lane count of the freeway. The collective vs the singular circuits is the need. There are units powered by a conditioner like a DAC that may only draw one amp. or less. Then there are loads fed by the conditioner that draw 10 amps. Collectively is just that, but all circuits individually do not draw the collective load. |
Most people use awg 12 from the breaker panel . my Audiophile friend is also a master electrician ,I use awg 10 copper wire ,less resistance ,I also use 4 wire ,a common ground and a dedicated isolated ground in its own housing ,and separate buzz Barr, and heavy silverplated copper breaker which was expensive from Siemens Germany . just for the audio. Any top quality line conditioner usually use awg 12 copper wire |
Man I did all that typing and math and you completely ignored me. :D Why would I use 10 gauge when it's so hard to work with, for 2' of distance? |
"Dedicated outlets use 10 gauge wire so shouldn't the power conditioner outlets use them?" - This not the case in most homes systems, 10 ga. is overkill for all but the most demanding, high power amplifiers. "to me that's a huge problem." - Sorry if it is for you, but most would not see a problem. I suggest you don't use a power conditioner or replace the wiring inside with 10 ga. |
Yes I know that i could use it but I'm not concerned about that. Seems to me that Power conditioners should be using 10 gauge wire internally. Dedicated outlets use 10 gauge wire so shouldn't the power conditioner outlets use them? If you have a 10 gauge power cord connected to a power conditioner and then the individual outlets within the conditioner only use 14 or 16 gauge wire - to me that's a huge problem. |
OP: I think you need to stop thinking of 10 gauge as some magical ideal. It is not. It’s just better by immeasurably small amounts per foot and most 120V outlets will accept it. At 10 Amps of draw, the hypothetical 30’ 10 gauge wire would drop 0.6V vs. the 0.2V of the 6’ power cord. Tiny amounts relative to 120V incoming AC. |
FEW people recommend 10 gauge wire from the panel. Depends on the distance. The main issue is resistance (R) per foot. Here's the difference, per foot, at 72 degrees:
10: 0.00102 Ohms / foot 12: 0.00162 Ohms / foot 14: 0.00258 Ohms / foot
So running a 30' 10 gauge wire would be: 30 x 2 x 0.00102 = 0.0612 Ohms Now, for the 6' of 12 gauge you want to run between the wall and your amp: 6 x 2 x 0.00162 = 0.0194
So the 6' of power cord is 1/3rd of the entire resistance.
PS - We use 2x the distance because both the hot and neutral count. |
