HELP - Electrical / Wiring with new build of home

Great post! I'm looking to have a home built and was planning on dedicated circuits for audio. One prospective builder had no problem. This is valuable info.

Based upon my experience in recently installing a new 200A service in our home (yes, I abide by all of the rules and had it inspected multiple times) here is what I have observed:

1: The service to the meter base will be provided by your local power utility company and will almost certainly be an aluminum cable. The utility is responsible for the care and maintainance of this cable up to and including the point at which it attaches to your meter base. IMO, you can view this as being to a great extent outside of your control. Once it is hooked up, you cannot service it without the utility being involved.

2: Albert makes a very good point regarding the service feeder as regards weight if the service entrance is overhead. The comparative weight of copper to aluminum if the feeder is long could be a really BIG issue.

3: FROM the output side of the meter base to the rest of your home is your property and your responsibility, both for installation and compliance, and for maintainance.

4: If if were me, I would insist on copper from this point on. How much cable are you really talking about here. I have what I thought was a really long run from the service panel to a sub panel which was about 75 feet, and we are still not talking about a lot of $ for cable here.

5: At least as important in all of this, IMO, from the point of view of the quality of power as it MAY affect audio, is to ensure (I mean really really ensure) that you have an absolutely top quality grounding system. All of the moving current has to go somewhere, and the cleaner the ground sink, the easier it is to get rid of noise pollutants that may appear on the house service lines.

Audiofankj, it should not be an issue (since everybody else would probably have the same config).

However, it certainly cannot hurt to have it upgraded (assuming there's no side affects such as moisture, the elements, etc.).

Additionally, have you considered an industrial grade service panel?

-IMO

Gentleman,

If I may jump in Copper is clearly better. So with that said you can't control what the ultility pulls to the house but from the meter into your house you can control. If you are paying a builder I'm sure a reasonable amount of $$$$$ you should be able to specify particularly considering the safty issues mentioned what kind of cable is used. The question I would like to see anwsered since I am upgrading from 100 to 200 amps is what recommendation do you guys have for internal surge protection. My electrician will be using square D. Also has anyone who has used these products detected a negative change in sonics? I don't want to side track this thread but I'm sure this should be a consideration for anyone with a new home or new service. Thanks in advance.

.....and one other thing that bears mentioning I think. Aluminum is not as good a conductor as copper, and presents a larger voltage drop per a given length than copper. If it's over 40 feet +/_ of wire run from your breaker panel to your system, even with copper, it's a good idea IMO to go up a wire size. From 10AWG to 8AWG for 20A circuits.