[JaserLet]

Has anybody here had an EPO switch (emergency power off) installed to cut power to their home theater equipment room in the event of a fire or major electrical malfunction? Perhaps wired to a smoke alarm? I have seen these in offices, often a switch on the wall of the server room or on the wall of a cube farm room that turns off power to all of the outlets in the room. Sort of like a circuit breaker, although I think it's a wall switch that controls a relay somewhere. Sometimes this is just a black wall switch, other times it's a big red button.

 

[Kevin_Wadsworth]

No EOP switch - I don't see the point. The equipment in the theater is a small fraction of the amount of power being distributed through the house. Shutting off the power to the HT would help in the event of an electrical fire in the equipment closet, but compared to the risk of an electrical fire elsewhere in the miles of wire running through the house or an old-fashioned combustible-material fire. When youre drywall/floor joists/etc. are burningm, power to the HT equipmen isn't that big of a deal.

 

[McCall]

I DO have hard wired fire alarm and two fire extinquishers in my theater. As for emergency power switch, don't need one. for one thing the auxillary electrical box which everything in the theater building is wired out of is right outside the theater door so killing the main switch would be there, my concern is more that a fire not break out IN THAT BOX . I put in a second egress because otherwise you must pass this box to get out of the theater and if it were burning and so the hall around it, you would be trapped. also why the two extinquishers, one in main theater one in equipment room and concession area.

 

[jeoinaforest]

Hmm, an interesting idea.


I have two 20 amp light switches in my AV cabinet.


1. Controls PJ and dvd player, xbox's

2. Controls all audio stuff


The reason I installed switches to control all of the gear is twofold.


1. People (yeah, like usually me) forget to turn something off, and it sits there

for three days, just on....wasting power....wearing out....


2. All of the stupid equipment uses a couple of watts just waiting to be turned on. I think it is stupid to waste power that way. So, when we leave the HT, EVERYTHING (except the dvr, which happens to live there) is thourougly and completely OFF.


I'm not worried in anyway about the need to remove power due to a fire hazard though.


joe

 

[Greg_63]



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


Hmm, an interesting idea.


I have two 20 amp light switches in my AV cabinet.


1. Controls PJ and dvd player, xbox's

2. Controls all audio stuff


The reason I installed switches to control all of the gear is twofold.


1. People (yeah, like usually me) forget to turn something off, and it sits there

for three days, just on....wasting power....wearing out....

Good idea.

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


2. All of the stupid equipment uses a couple of watts just waiting to be turned on. I think it is stupid to waste power that way. So, when we leave the HT, EVERYTHING (except the dvr, which happens to live there) is thourougly and completely OFF.


joe

Even if it all uses a total of 5 watts an hour you are hardly saving any money. At 10 cents per kw you're talking about saving less than 40 cents per month.

 

[jeoinaforest]

Oh I hate finding a piece of gear that I left on two or three days earlier. Grrr.


I know I won't save much money, it's mostly the frustration factor with leaving stuff on and it really does bug me that stuff just stays on all the time....


joe