Electrical question


While playing music I noticed my amp fell from 120 volts to 112 when the wife turned the microwave on…they must be on the same circuit..is that going to damage anything?…

charles007100

A microwave should be on a separate circuit!

Microwave Oven Circuit

The microwave oven needs a dedicated 20-amp, the 120/125-volt circuit to feed it. This will require 12/2 NM wire with a ground. Microwave ovens come in different varieties and sizes. Some are countertop models, and other microwaves mount above the stove.

Although it's not uncommon to see microwave ovens plugged into standard appliance outlets, larger microwave ovens can draw as much as 1500 watts, and these need their own dedicated circuits.

If my electric falls to 112 volts am I croaking my gear until I get it resolved…Otherwise I will cut the microwave cord because my wife won’t quit using it in the meantime..definitely don’t want my Pass gear Sit-4 damaged…

Put the microwave on a "Jackery" battery back-up or similar.

My microwave and frig are on the same 20 amp circuit and my Jackery (1,500 continuous/3,000 peak) can run them both.  The time you run the microwave won’t deplete it and it continually recharges from the wall.

Plus, if you ever have a power failure, you have the Jackery for back-up.

And, they are nice for camping and anytime you may want to be able to use a small appliance where there is no power available.  Even nice for things like soldering in the yard without a long extension cord trailing along.

You can even get solar panels to charge them.

You may get better sound with a dedicated AC line for your audio system, or at least separated from high current drawing appliances such as a microwave.  But I don’t think the lower voltage or limited current would damage your equipment.

There maybe be some equipment that suffer from under-voltage situations, but thst means far less than 112.