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

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.  

More troublesome are things with motors that frequently and randomly come on and off, i.e. refrigerator’s compressor, furnace’s fan, lights on/off, all making unsteady supply and noise on the line.

One thing you can do is use a unit like the Furman PFR 1800

https://furmanpower.com/products/p-1800-pfr?srsltid=AfmBOorgkUijQxvj1W3EA1RrrglykQvVOmOOQ8ny0fQJZLceBtKRYDO6

 

 

You need dedicated line. The lower voltage won't hurt things b ut the sudden surge when microwave turns off could harm things in long run. 

The electrical code only requires a dedicated appliance circuit if the appliance draws more than 50% of the circuits capacity.  120 x 20 equals 2400 watts.  They microwave ovens draw is what is on the name plate not “cooking watts”.  Most counter microwave ovens do not need a separate circuit by code.  
   Is the house you live in built after 1980?