Need advise on wiring

I recently realized that I have 1 overloaded 15a 16/3 circuit (htpc,receiver,br player,dish receiver,power amp) totaling 2640 watts. The 2nd 16/3 15a circuit into my room has a dedicated projector outlet drawing only 290 max.

I have a simple option of transferring the dedicated pj line to a dedicated power amp line. This would create a load of 1500w max on the dedicated line, and 1430 (total) on the equipment line.

I've also been fighting a ground loop thats introduced through the pj hdmi ground when its plugged into the receiver. I'd like to try to address that while I'm reworking the electrical.

Could my ground loop be caused by the current unbalanced loads on the 2 circuits tied together by the hdmi ground?
I can also go to 12ga/20amp if that would be advised, but I'd like to avoid that if not necessary. The 2 breakers available are on top of each other in the sub panel, so I dont quite get where the loop is coming from.

I could sure use some advice on a new configuration. All wiring and breakers can be changed in both circuits if thats what it takes. Any help?

Thanks Gang,

I realized the '16/3' typo as I drove away this morning after my post, and before coffee.

Beemer is right on. Wire is 3 year old 14/2 romex. I could never shake the habit of calling the romex ground the '3rd wire' without having to think about it. The '16' was from running speaker wire in another room this weekend. Bad on all fronts!

Also correct in that I totaled max power consumption off of all of the components. The power amp will likely never hit max output of 1500w, nor the receiver with the onboard amps not being used.
The fact that its (the power amp) plugged into the circuit containing all but one of the other components is reason enough to change things around.
Matter of fact, the breaker never tripped once, so you can tell how lightly I drive it.

I think I should be OK with leaving the 2 - 14/2 15amps. Just rerouting for the amp to run solo on one line.
The coax is a non-factor because I havent even plugged it in to the system yet. I have an out for that if its a problem.

The ground loop results from the combination of the receiver, amp on one circuit and the pj grounding through the Hdmi ground (to the receiver) on the other. Its not present between the receiver and PJ only, leaving the amp out of the mix.

Given the fact that the receiver and PJ are still on seperate circuits, I was wondering that, once the amplifier is introduced, a ground loop can be created from the substantial imbalanced load in the 2 circuits by the heavily loaded circuit pulling/pushing through the hdmi?

How do I balance the ground between the 2 circuits though? The breakers are stacked on the same bus, if I didnt relay that any better in my 'morning fog' on the OP

Thanks again for your help.

Hey Beemer,

I dont listen at head banging volumes anymore, and the numbers are max, so I'm good with the 15a for now. I'll take the easy route as the 2 lines are exposed in the joists so it will be pretty simple to switch the dedicated circuit.

Before I do that though, you were close to a thought I had last night. I will run an extension cord from the pj to the same outlet that the avr and amp are on. The projector doesnt need to be turned on to initiate the ground loop, just plugged in.
At least I'll know then if its a wiring or a equipment issue.

Thanks

Update,
If anyone is interested I thought I would share the result on my circuit switch/ground loop project.

I played hookey from work this afternoon and spent an hour and a half switching the circuits. When I flipped the breakers back on, the ground loop hum is gone and I am enveloped in blissful silence.

As mentioned earlier, the project was primarily for safety.
Possibly the loop may have been caused by the imbalanced loads on the 2 circuits, trying to equalize through the hdmi cable?
I'm obviously no pro, especially where electrical is concerned, so all I can do is share what I did and share the wonderful results

To be honest, I'm not exactly sure why the loop is gone. I could only speculate on that.
Heres the best way I can show what I had, and what I changed. Good fortune had both lines running directly above the cabinet.

Before:
Line 1 - Subpanel -----------> Projector (dedicated)
Line 2- Subpanel ------------> Component Cabinet (Power amp, Avr,Htpc etc.)

After

Line 1 - Subpanel ------------ Power amp (cut line and added box) (dedicated)

Line 2 - Subpanel ----------->Component (AVR, Htpc, etc) (added existing line to pj into this outlet) ----------> Projector

This safely balances the load between the 2 circuits. The elimination of the ground loop was a huge bonus. In my laymans mind, I can only assume the circuit with the heavy load was bleeding through to the much lighter circuit through the Hdmi ground.
Again, just uneducated speculation. If this was the case it would be pretty cool to know.