No sub panel needed, although doesn't hurt. Grounding is perhaps most important aspect, grounding rods, no cold water pipe grounding. I also individually ground all my dedicated circuits, exact same ground wire length so no potential issues.
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:
- Treating. The full GIK order in October is starting to arrive.
- 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.
- 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?
- 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?
- 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!
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@artemus_5 I started the online permit application and it accounts for homeowner work. I stopped filling-out the form and booked a few quote calls with local electricians. I know what it will cost me to do the work and I will contrast it to a few quotes. I did get one quote for a single run in December of $800 that did not include mention of materials used. I know I can do it for less and why I've considered it. @oldhvymec Any chance you live in MA? :) |
1. A subpanel just adds joints. I would just run heavy wire from the main panel. 2. Conduit is a great option if you can handle the aesthetics. You don't put romex i conduit. Pull individual single 10 ga wires. 3. are you thinking metal clad instead of conduit? Either is fine. You really just need to meet the building code. I don't think either affects how the power will support good sound. I just installed (finished on Friday) a 30 amp 240v dedicated circuit for my stereo. I did it inside the wall and ran 10/3 romex. Everything is 10 gauge all the way to the outlets (both 120 and 240 volts). Jerry |
It is legal here as well. My plan before starting this thread was to purchase 10,2 romex and run it through wall-mounted conduit to an audio grade outlet. I would use a 20A breaker matching the rest in the system as you should. I think MC is the one who suggested metal-clad 10,2 because the metal casing would reduce interference, noise or other...? I hoped to drill into this more to see if I should entertain it.. I think the only benefit of a subpanel is if the main can be split. This way you are not subjected to the noise of a shared common / grounding bus with the rest of the house. In fact, it is no longer a subpanel in this configuration. However, I would NEVER entertain splitting a main line. I have 3 electricians calling me tomorrow. Looks like they are video calls where I can walk them through my ask. I will follow-up here with the result. Hopefully others can learn from whatever comes to pass. Appreciate all of the input! |
- 68 posts total