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Dedicated AC Circuits: It's not the noise, it's the upstream problems

I live in a 15 year old home which I’ve been slowly upgrading the AC service as time and energy have permitted. Every single switch has been replaced, many with Kasa brand smart switches. All the 120V breakers have been brought up to modern code, and every single GFCI outlet has been replaced or added where now required.

Outside outlets have been replaced where needed and new in-use covers applied. Of the remaining outlets about 2/3rds have been replaced with commercial / residential (i.e. commercial but tamper resistant) outlets.

After going through this exercise I have to say that one of the biggest reasons to have a dedicated circuit is not the use of 1" thick conductors going to a cryogenic treated, $500 locking outlet. It’s getting rid of all of the upstream crap that happens over time.

I’ve found so many:

  • loose connections
  • loose outlets
  • back stabbed connections
  • corrosion
  • random items inserted into an outlet
  • scorch marks

it’s a wonder this house didn’t actually burn down.

My point is, that for me, putting in a new circuit for the audio gear isn't about exotic materials so much as having a clean, new circuit with 2 sets of connections to worry about: at the breaker and the outlet.

 

erik_squires
carlsbad's avatar
carlsbad
1,551 posts
 

Exactly.  

I'll add that a dedicated circuit ensures that a load of laundry isn't running on the same circuit causing a large power draw.  Seems like an extreme example but indeed the outlet behind my system (before I installed a dedicated circuit) was on the same circuit as the laundry room, bathrooms, kitchen and garage.  You can probably figure out from those hints that it is the GFCI protected circuit.  Seems like it would be easier to install a GFCI outlet in every bathroom than to run the same circuit all over the house but for some reason my house has only one GFCI circuit and it has an outlet behind my stereo system.

Jerry

erik_squires OP
16,245 posts
 

@carlsbad The NEC would agree with you. For as long as I can remember, back to the 1990’s I believe, each bathroom gets it’s own dedicated circuit now, and therefore it’s own GFCI outlet.

Before homes were routinely supplied with 200A service there were a lot of buildings with far too few circuits. It’s a little crazy now, my modest 2-bedroom home without a garage has about 24 separate circuits. I remember living in a 3 bedroom in the 1990s, with expanded fuse boxes that started with 6 screw in fuses and had been expanded to 10. The number of times fuses had been re-used/re-appropriated to service multiple circuits was a testament to the need for a lot more in even simple homes.

bikeboy52
190 posts
 

@brunomarcs I follow the AC discussions on these boards pretty regularly,and no its not safe to assume someone is joking.😀

carlsbad's avatar
carlsbad
1,551 posts
 

@erik_squires Exactly as you guessed.  My home was built in 1986, had 100 amp service, and was limited on breaker positions.  I have upgraded my service to 200amp service. 

My box and breakers were a brand whose name I can't remember that went out of business for starting too many fires.  The breakers were still available at home depot "refurbished" for $20 each when new Westinghouse breakers were $3 each.  It was a no-brainer to do the upgrade.

 

--Jerry

erik_squires OP
16,245 posts
 

My box and breakers were a brand whose name I can't remember that went out of business for starting too many fires. 

@carlsbad 

Federal Pacific??  Oh man, those things were notoriously bad.

 

The breakers were still available at home depot "refurbished" for $20 each when new Westinghouse breakers were $3 each

Well I sure as hell hope you got rid of 100% of the Federal breakers.

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