Fremer's Single-leg panel is absolute tweak bs
So a few months ago a video appears on Youtube with Michael Fremer and some electrical contractors installing a custom electrical service and extravagant ground rod array.
OK, but the one thing about it that’s absolute unnecessary tweaky BS is the idea of running a single leg to a sub panel, as well as only using one leg for the audio equipment in it. Who ever thought this was a good idea? It isn’t.
If you really want to get as high-end tweaky as you can this is the absolute wrong way. Run 6 gauge or larger to a sub pane. In that sub panel you locate a 220V to 120V step down transformer and keep everything balanced all the way to the outlets. That is the best of all worlds. High noise rejection, meets code, balanced current draw from both legs and extremely low voltage drop from the utility pole to the outlets.
Another good alternative is to run 220V to a wall outlet, and use a high quality step down transformer there. A 220V/30A circuit becomes 60A at 120V output. Running high voltage as close to the outlets as possible doubles your wire gauge effectiveness.
Extravagant is the difference between what the NEC would require (minimum 2) and what was installed. As in many cases, the NEC often specifies the minimum requirements, not the maximum. You can be NEC code compliant and extravagant at the same time. But really, that entire post above should be memorialized.
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@kingrex only installed one ground rod, 20ft long into the earth. He then tested the rod to soil resistance using the proper test equipment. kingrex met the requirements of 2020 NEC 250.53 Exception. Exception: If a single rod, pipe, or plate grounding electrode has a resistance to earth of 25 ohms or less the supplemental electrode shall not be required. Kingrex's use of the Cadweld System (Trade Name for a exothermic welding process) is unusual for a residential dwelling unit but it is a 100% solid conductivity zero resistance connection of the grounding electrode conductor to the grounding electrode, (ground rod). It will be that way forever... Can't say that about an approved ground rod clamp. Remember the connection is buried in the earth below grade. How often is the connection checked after it is installed? FWIW The grounding electrode system primary purpose is for lightning protection. It is the foundation for a good system ground connection to earth for an electrical service. The lower the soil to electrode resistance the faster a whole house SPD will divert a lightning transient to mother Earth. Also worth noting 25 ohms is to high of a soil to grounding electrode resistance. IEEE (Green Book) recommends 5 ohm or less for commercial and industrial facilities. Lightning could care less if it's a residential dwelling. .
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@jea48 My mistake then, I thought there were a number ( > 2 ) of rods in the field. |
I have two dedicated power lines to my stereo. One goes to the two mono amps and one goes to the front end. I had the two circuit breakers adjacent to each other in my breaker box, which means each one was on a different leg. I took Kingrex’s advice and moved one breaker so that both dedicated lines are on the same leg. The stereo sounds better now. (The white wires and ground wires from each circuit are adjacent to each other on their respective ground busses. Ie. I want the ground wires as close together as possible.) I’m using 10AWG wire and audio grade outlets. I wonder if the stereo sounds better now because each leg (120 VAC) is out of phase with respect to the other and so now the amps, preamp and source are all on the same phase. |
