InVeNtOr Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 long story short, i bought a brand new home. they installed the wrong garage door opener. when they came out to fix it, one of the workers was an electrician to move the outlet in the garage. i asked my builder (he was there) who a good electrician was to do a side job, and he tapped the electrician on his should and said "him." i asked him what i wanted, and he quoted me a price. was very happy with the number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 So here is a question. What, in ballpark, relative amounts, would it cost to have an electrician run a dedicated line with good wire to a new outlet. It would be close to 100 foot run,? not sure of distance, it is of course, on the complete opposite side of the house. Any ideas or experiences? Paul If you have to ask, you probably can't afford it. We're talking about electricians, Paul, NOT doctors! [] Seriously, it depends on too many variables to ballbark it accurately IMHO. Would walls need to be opened up, etc. Most likely a one-day job, unless the route is difficult and there's a lot of patching to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 I like to use a 2:1 step down connected to 220 and letting the transformer step it down to 110. This continues the balanced run that the utility company's provide in addition to pulling from both phases of your electrical service. It's a dedicated circut in every sense. You an use a 1:1 isolation transformer, but that will only load one phase of your electrical service. There are complete packages ready to install out there, but they tend to be pretty pricy. About $4000 for a 50 amp system. I put together my own systems. My current project uses 40 amps worth of medical laser transformers with faraday sheilding which cost me 80 bucks. Figure 300 dollars for the wall panel. My last project used a 50 amp medical grade transformer with faraday sheilding which cost me 96 bucks, plus the cost of a wall panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedball Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 I'm remodeling a house for us and am getting near the electrical portion of the project, this thread is quite interesting. I wonder if the large tv should be on a seperate circuit and keep all the audio gear on another for the best performance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 It seems worthwhile to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted February 7, 2009 Share Posted February 7, 2009 I'm remodeling a house for us and am getting near the electrical portion of the project, this thread is quite interesting. I wonder if the large tv should be on a seperate circuit and keep all the audio gear on another for the best performance? If your TV connects to your HT, your better off using the same dedicated line....just size the line for 3X the expected continous load. The 3X is needed for inrush currents when you first trun the bigh juicers on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedball Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Yup, just a couple speakers with the tv sound from the speakers. Approximately 3x the size...can do. Either a cluster of inwall receptacles on the same circuit or individual circuits. Mmmm. I'm now calculating combined watts of all the electronics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Coytee (Richard?), I ran two 12 ga., 20 amp circuits and put 2 sockets on each for my HT system. I have, or have had,1475+ watts of power amps (6.2 ch), an ACT-3 with Stage One upgrade that will warm your hands on a cold day, plus sat receiver, VCR, DVD and tuner all plugged into one socket (of the 2 on that circuit) via a filter/powerstrip/remote power on box. My TV and phono preamp plug into one socket on the other circuit. I don't get interference from the other parts of the house, not even the heat pump-A/C. I DO have a ground hum when I plug in any of the 3 DVD players I've had to the preamp that requires a cheater plug on both of the big power amps. The rear center has a 2 prong plug. [] Be sure to use a corrosion inhibiting grease on the connections in the breaker box and tighten the screws really well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedball Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 30 amp dedicated no splices anywhere. Now that sounds like a serious plan of action which I may very well take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark electro Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Hi all. I am an electrician as well. My solution was to install a small pannel in the man cave. I put a seperate 20 amp dedicated for each mono amp, 20 amp for the audio sources, and seperate 15 amp for the monitor. 12 guage Hot and ground (grounds bonded in pannel) 10 guage neutral. Larger neuteral does more than you can believe to reduce noise in the circut. Yes a larger neutral on the feeder to the pannel too. My area has moderatly clean voltage, so as of yet; I havent felt the need for an isolation transformer. Your area may be different. This has worked very well for me for years. Also doesen't cost an arm and a leg. P.S. Keep the vacuum cleaners and hair dryers of your circuts when playing your sterio. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 mark electro In your example...did you use romax or bx cabling? I'm thinking if one use's BX, they already have a larger neutral....the metal BX jacket...or do you think a thicker neutral while using BX is worth some points? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark electro Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 mark electro In your example...did you use romax or bx cabling? I'm thinking if one use's BX, they already have a larger neutral....the metal BX jacket...or do you think a thicker neutral while using BX is worth some points? Speakerfritz,I actually used EMT and pulled stranded wire. The pipe gives a little extra shielding. BX is no longer to current code, but would probably work as well. The main thing about the thicker neutral; is that, it will rerduce the a/c harmonics. This is the way we set up office spaces that use a lot of computer terminals. Works well for a/v as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 "BX is no longer to current code," Thanks for the heads up...I'll have to check if BX is still OK in NY.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark electro Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 "BX is no longer to current code," Thanks for the heads up...I'll have to check if BX is still OK in NY.. In other words should not be used in new construction. If it already is existing, no problem.The National Electrical Code covers New York too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryC Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 BX is no longer to current code, but would probably work as well. I had them install "metal clad" (MC) for my audio circuits, in a barely undetectable effort to minimize RFI and EMI in and out of my house wiring for audio. I was told that BX was not used, but MC was a current code substitute.What is your understanding? See http://www.afcweb.com/pdfs/afc_cable_catalog/afc_mc_productsummary_0704.pdf Thanks -- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hifi jim Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 I had them install "metal clad" (MC) for my audio circuits, in a barely undetectable effort to minimize RFI and EMI in and out of my house wiring for audio. I was told that BX was not used, but MC was a current code substitute. MC has an insulated ground and is clad in aluminum armor, it's much more common today than BX. BX is usually without a dedicated ground and uses a steel jacket, currently it's used mostly in commercial or industrial applications. Both are code correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark electro Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 BX is no longer to current code, but would probably work as well. I had them install "metal clad" (MC) for my audio circuits, in a barely undetectable effort to minimize RFI and EMI in and out of my house wiring for audio. I was told that BX was not used, but MC was a current code substitute.What is your understanding? See http://www.afcweb.com/pdfs/afc_cable_catalog/afc_mc_productsummary_0704.pdf Thanks -- MC is current but typicaly does not have a larger neutral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark electro Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Both are code correct.I have not used BX in any application since the mid '90's. Many electricians and inspectors consider it against code (currently) in any new application.I could be wrong but I don't think so. MC is available in aluminum and steel depending on application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hifi jim Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 MC is current but typicaly does not have a larger neutral. MC or BX can be ordered in just about anyway imaginable. MC with 12awg conductors and a 10 awg neutral is very common in office buildings using many computers. Using a 12/4 cable (three circuits sharing one neutral), to run dedicated computer circuits is very common in offices. Having three loaded circuits sharing one neutral was causing lots of problems when computers first started popping up. Computers have since become much more efficient, but engineers have kept the idea and continue to use it more and more (when in actuality we need it less and less as computers and other office equipment continues to become more efficient). Round these parts an oversized neutral is referred to as a superneutral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hifi jim Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Both are code correct.I have not used BX in any application since the mid '90's. Many electricians and inspectors consider it against code (currently) in any new application.I could be wrong but I don't think so. MC is available in aluminum and steel depending on application. Well it depends on your application I guess. I've used BX (steel jacket, no ground) for motor feeds in very recent years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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