Circuits For A/v Equipment

I put a new 100 amp subpanel in and ran 11 circuits:


1x 20A amplifier circuit

2x 15A component room circuits

1x 15A subwoofer circuit

1x 15A ceiling light (recessed cans) circuit

1x 15A screen light (recessed cans) circuit

1x 15A sconce lighting circuit

1x 15A component room lighting circuit

1x 15A projector circuit

1x 15A room outlet circuit

1x 15A in-ceiling cooling fan circuit



-drin

Use 12 gauge wire for ALL of your circuits. It doesn't cost much more, and gives you more available power and expandability.


Keep the lights separate from the A/V stuff, ESPECIALLY if you plan on using CFL bulbs(fluorescents hum). You should also keep the light circuit separate from the wall outlets(I think this is required by the NEC, if not, most inspectors look for it anyway).


Way I did my last home theater:


1 20 amp dedicated for projector (attach as close to the main house ground as possible to minimize ground loops)

1 20 amp dedicated for A/V components

1 20 amp for lights

1 20 amp for outlets

You can do a dedicated line for a power sub, but I didn't, and it was fine.


You should never have more than eight receptacles(light boxes, outlet boxes, etc.) on one circuit.

Man some of this is kinda overkill. Either you guys are running some HUGE amps or you did not bother to figure the loads. Mine was a total remodel addition, new 100 Amp sub panel (not entirely for the HT) done by a skilled electrician who was also a HT enthusiast.


I put in:


1 15 Amp for a 6 zone Grafik Eye (3 of the zones are LED so use little power)

1 15 Amp for Theater plugs

2 20 Amp for Equipment Rack

1 20 Amp for PC equipment and network also in the room


In fact, I am not sure it is code to use 20 Amp for lighting circuits, but I could be wrong.


The Subwoofer and PJ power run in wall via recessed males from my two power controllers, each of which is dedicated on a 20 Amp to the rack.


Pics of the rack (not yet filled as of the photo) can be seen on my HT page

My answers here are based on the NEC which most places in the US and abroad use for their code without any local changes. Some places do have local changes but that is up to the local government and not the inspectors. Many inspectors think that they can make you do things that they want to see but the truth is they can only enforce the minimum standards in the code adopted by the local governments.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tlogan6797 /forum/post/0


Although I haven't quite gotten there yet, I believe that in our area (Northern VA) lights are supposed to be on a separte circuit from the outlets (not that my house was built that way, but I'm pretty sure that's what inspector's are looking for now).

Click to expand...

While this is a good idea it is not in the NEC. I'd check to see if there is some local amendment to the NEC. The NEC 210.23(A) specifically states that you can combine lighting and receptacles on the same circuit as long as you don't overload the circuit. The exception is for the required laundry, small appliance and bathroom circuits. It states that those circuits shall supply only the receptacle outlets that are specified in those sections.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tlogan6797 /forum/post/0


And if you're doing a bathroom, they want a separate GFCI line straight back to the box WITH NOTHING ELSE ON IT. Even though my other THREE bathrooms are all connected to the same circuit with the first outlet being a GFCI in the garage! We had to go looking for it when we had the house inspected prior to purchase.


Tom

Click to expand...

According to the NEC 210.10(c)(3) it states, "... at least one 20-ampere branch circuit shall be provided to supply bathroom receptacle outlet(s). Such circuits shall have no other outlets."


However, in the exception to this which is right below it in the code book and is part of the code it reads, "Where the 20-ampere circuit supplies a single bathroom, outlets for other equipment within the same bathroom shall be permitted to be supplied in accordance with 210.23(A)(1) and (A)(2)."


What does this mean? You can have one 20 amp circuit suppling only the receptacles in more than 1 bathroom with nothing else on that circuit. Or you can supply 1 20 amp circuit to 1 bathroom and use it for the receptacles, lights and fart fan that are located within just that one bathroom.


Usually an inspector will say that you can't do what you have done and quote some portion of the code. What he doesn't usually do is tell you your different options unless you ask because there are numerous options available. So he might say that nothing else can be on this bathroom circuit because he saw a receptacle on the circuit that wasn't in the bathroom. What he doesn't say is that you can have other things on the circuit if they are in the bathroom and the circuit only serves that bathroom.


This is the most common reason why we hear so many different stories about what is and what is not allowed. Of coarse you also have inspectors that kind of make up their own rules. This is where knowing the code helps. Also keep in mind that the NEC does contradict itself in places and can be very confusing. This is why if I have a question I'll ask the inspector to meet me on the jobsite and I'll ask him what he wants to see so he'll pass the job.

any thoughts on this...


1 - 20 amp circuit for a/v equipment (tv, sub, receiver, dvd, cd etc)

2 - 15 amp circuits for lights

2 - 15 amp circuits for remaining receptacles



(this assumes that i do not exceed the max number of lights / receptacles per cicuit as per the code)



** how does ground loop occur?

** how do you prevent it?


Thanks



Quote:
Originally Posted by dafz1 /forum/post/0


Use 12 gauge wire for ALL of your circuits. It doesn't cost much more, and gives you more available power and expandability.

Click to expand...

It also reduces your voltage drop due to the length of the circuit. You should keep your voltage drop to less than 3%. You can use this calculator to find out your voltage drop. http://www.jhlarson.com/ind_tables/v...c_voltdrop.htm

Quote:
Originally Posted by dafz1 /forum/post/0


Keep the lights separate from the A/V stuff, ESPECIALLY if you plan on using CFL bulbs(fluorescents hum). You should also keep the light circuit separate from the wall outlets(I think this is required by the NEC, if not, most inspectors look for it anyway).

Click to expand...

Not required by the NEC but it is a good idea. The NEC actually states that you can combine the loads. I always try to keep lights on their own circuit.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dafz1 /forum/post/0


Way I did my last home theater:


1 20 amp dedicated for projector (attach as close to the main house ground as possible to minimize ground loops)

1 20 amp dedicated for A/V components

1 20 amp for lights

1 20 amp for outlets

You can do a dedicated line for a power sub, but I didn't, and it was fine.

Click to expand...

Good set-up.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dafz1 /forum/post/0


You should never have more than eight receptacles(light boxes, outlet boxes, etc.) on one circuit.

Click to expand...

While it is a good idea to have as few as possible outlets on a circuit you can have more than eight. You can have up to 10 receptacles on a 15 amp circuit and 13 receptacles on a 20 amp circuit.


FYI, an outlet is a connection to the electrical system to supply current to a device. An outlet does not have to be a receptacle.