Will I benefit with 20 or 15 amp dedicated lines


I have an electrician coming to install 2 dedicated lines and I'm wondering should I use 20 or 15 amp service. I have a Meridian G08 cd player, Sonic Frontier Line 3 pre and a Sonic Frontier Power 2.
Bill
kitegod

Showing 3 responses by jea48

Kitegod,

The biggest expense of the job will be for the labor of the electrician. Install 20 amp branch circuits. #12 awg NM-B cable minimum.....

Make sure the new branch circuits are installed on breakers that are fed from the same Line, leg, in the electrical panel. Preferably not across from breakers that feed noisy AC loads such as motors, microwave, ect.
I can't understand why you need a 20 amp when your gear only uses about 500 watts. 1 amp= 110 watts so a 15 amp circuit is about 1700 watts; a 20 amp is about 2200 watts, it is like using a 5 amp fuse when you need a 1 amp fuse. You are better off having a breaker trip instead of frying your gear. I know of no audio gear that would ever draw that much current,but if it makes you feel better go ahead and do it!
10-28-09: Yogiboy
The breaker is there to protect the branch circuit device, (receptacle), and the wiring... not the audio equipment plugged into it. The equipment has its own overcurrent protection.

As for the difference in cost between #14 awg wire and #12 awg the difference is miniscule. As I said in my earlier post most of the cost for installing the branch circuits will be labor.

And if by chance Kitegod would like to install Porter port receptacles on the end of his new branch
circuits he will be code compliant. It is against code to install a 20 amp receptacle on a 15 amp branch circuit.

Who can say down the road if Kitegod will upgrade his system. Maybe a bigger amp, or what ever.
A subpanel can have its own grounding, isolated from the ground of the main panel. I used 6 gauge for the ground, bolted to the center of a buried 2'x2' steel plate as is done for swimming pool installations.
10-28-09: Essentialaudio
Not in the USA... It is a violation of NEC code. The feeder equipment grounding conductor shall be installed in the same cable or raceway and terminated in the same electrical panel as the feeder conductors.