Upgrading Power Service In New Home Build

In Rhode Island, the electrician would have to pull a permit and he would notify the electric company  that the service is going from 200 to 300 amps.  The electric company may need to upgrade the wire from the telephone pole to your home to handle the extra current..  300 amps seems like overkill though.

The utility in all probability will not beef up their wiring. If you ask for a 400-amp service, the utility will ask to see a load letter to justify the request. They will then determine through their experience based on other users with similar electrical loads how much power you will draw and then see if their transformers in the area can accommodate the extra load your house will place on their grid. That will determine whether or not a new transformer is needed and what size overhead or underground current carrying conductors they'll bring in.

Now if you want a 400-amp meter and service panel in your house, you most certainly can install it. The electrician will run those 400-amp hoses of wire down the service mast to your meter but the utility will most likely leave a pair of spaghetti sized wires at the service mast for him to connect. 

Aside from all that, if you have no electric heat, no electric cooking and no well water pumps then 200-amps should be plenty for the average size house with central air. Install the four dedicated lines you are planning -- they are not no way no how going to draw 4 x 20 = 80 amps.

I am building a new home in Arizona.  Unfortunately, the original developer only provided service for a 200 amp sub-division.  I needed a 400 amp system which was part of my original architectural guidelines.  Once that was established, I went to the electrical company and they did an engineering study to determine how this was going to be accomplished.  Consequently, it is going to cost me an additional $7,000 to trench for this service.  I will have a separate 20 amp system for my theater room an a separate 20 amp system for my 2 channel room.  I am not a happy camper but you have to do what you have to do.  That could have been money I could have used to buy an upgraded $K sony projector. 

There are some good reasons for not upgrading. :)

The resistance in the wires actually improves surge protection, and reduces interaction from other buildings and other services drawing power.

Your mileage may vary, but upgrading an electric service in amperage is not all positive.

Now, having your own transformer.... that's helpful. :)

Best,


Erik

Oh how I love country living. I just realized I have my own transformer!!

(But I have a nagging fear that there's loads of crap on that line anyway.)

It's got to be cleaner than living in a building with elevators.

@erik_squires 

erik,

Of all the potential sources for power line crap, I never thought of elevator motors. Thanks for reminding me that I should be grateful. Maybe my neighbors electric fence or welding shop could be a country equivalent.

What's a good way/tool/process to check AC power contamination? I've seen simple plug-in device detectors mentioned in articles/posts but I can't seen to find one to buy.

An oscilloscope with the right probes and preferably a frequency analyzer would be ideal.

Sadly these are not really easy to come by. A DIY'er might build his own PC interface using the sound card to oscilloscipe software, but doing so for power sockets is dangerous if not done right.

There are of course commercial AC power quality test tools available, but even pricier.

All I can say is that the most cost effective solutions I know of are Furman units with SMP and LiFT. The commercial grade units are cheaper than the home version.

After that, the PerfectPower and PS Audio units.

Best,


Erik

Hi all, 

I just wanted to follow-up with what I did to address the power for my new listening room. First, I had the room, actually 2 rooms, completely customized for acoustics, power, and aesthetics (dual use room/home theater/stereo). The contractor added Environmental Potentials EP-2000 power wave form corrector to the subpanel. I ended up with 8 20 amp circuits. I have 5 for the stereo, and 3 for the home theater. The AV rack and 3 dedicated 20 amp circuits are in the utility room, so only stereo is in the home theater/listening room. I added some carbon outlets here and there along with Furutech GTX D rhodium outlets as well. I have a mix of PS Audio P10 for amps(MC2301), and a P5 for the stereo source equipment, and the AV/Rack is powered by a P5 while the amp (McIntosh MC8207) is powered directly by the wall outlet. 

The sound is to die for, no issues at all. In the end, we did spend more money than we had planned, but not much more. We knew this room was going to be a custom build, but add the power, carbon outlets, PS audio stuff, it sure adds up. But, we are smiling from ear to ear when listening o music, or watching movies. 

Here is a rollup of the steps we did to address the power: 

1. 8 dedicated outlets (3 for home theater / 5 for stereo)
2. Furutech GTX D Rhodium outlets w/carbon fiber outlet covers
3. PS Audio P10 for MC2301 amps
4. PS Audio P5 for analog source components
5. PS Audio P5 for AV/Rack components
6. Environmental Potential EP2000 Power Wave corrector

Just wanted to let you all know we were able to work through the reduced amperage and have excellent results. 

@audioquest4life 

What did you use for a breaker/fuse for your lines?

Came across your posts while doing a search for the AHP Klangmodul IIIG as I’m curious about improving the breaker element of my lines. 

Do you still use them or what’s your solution in that regards?

Also, what was the experience installing them like? From what I’ve searched, I think you’re the only guy who has tried them in the states.

Thanks!