[stoudtlr]


I'm in need of some help determining what kind of power requirements I'm going to need for my home theater.  I'm completely clueless when it comes to electrical.  Here's the gear that will be in the room:

 

BenQ W7000

HTPC with 650W psu

Dayton Audio SA1000 sub amp  (950W RMS)

Emotiva XPA-5  (1800W max)

Emotiva XPA-3  (1300W max)

Marantz AV7701

Xbox 360

Cable Box

 

All equipment will be put in AV rack I built in back of room.  Projector is ceiling mounted at about the halfway point of the room.

 

Here's the questions that I have:

1. What size/type power conditioner should I get for the AV rack?

2. Do I need a power conditioner for the projector or is a simple surge protection outlet (what i'm currently using) sufficient?"  With the projector being ~10ft from the AV rack I won't be able to use the power conditioner I buy for there.

3. Should I have the AV closet on a separate breaker from the other outlets and lights?

4. How many and what size breakers would I need?

 

I've got an electrician coming next week to install the new breakers and run the lines.  He's a general electrician, not a home theater specialist, so he can install whatever I need but might not be that familiar with specific power requirements for AV gear so any help at all is appreciated.  Thanks!

 

[Colm]



Quote:
Originally Posted by stoudtlr  /t/1520458/ht-electrical-wiring-questions#post_24426159


1. What size/type power conditioner should I get for the AV rack?

You don't need one. Have the electrician install a whole-house device at the service entrance while he is doing the other work. Make sure the TV cable is properly grounded where it enters the house.

Quote:
2. Do I need a power conditioner for the projector or is a simple surge protection outlet (what i'm currently using) sufficient?

Surge suppression is sufficient for everything.

Quote:
3. Should I have the AV closet on a separate breaker from the other outlets and lights?

Yes, best practice is to put the AV gear on a dedicated circuit.

Quote:
4. How many and what size breakers would I need?

Depends on your gear. Most folks can do with a single 15/20 A circuit. Installing two 20A circuits is not a bad idea. Add up the watts on the rating plates of all your gear and divide by 120 to get an idea of what ampacity you need. The actual requirement will be less.

 

[d91mustang50]


I would agree with running 2 20 amp circuits to your rack, even if you use one you will have a backup.

 

[stoudtlr]

Thanks for the help guys. Having two 20amp circuits run to the rack would of maxed out what could be put in the panel cause of other circuits being installed for lights, outlets, etc so I had him install a subpanel and only run one 20amp circuit to the AV rack. Room is going to have drop ceiling so it will be easy to run a 2nd circuit from the sub panel to the AV rack if needed down the road.