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Goonie Goo, goo, a power question


derrickdj1

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I think I was a contributing factor pushing things hard.  I have everything on a second Rocketfish surge protector and tested all the same movies and no problem.  With certain movies I have to watch how much I boost the low bass in the system because it will try and reproduce it.  Never had this problem with the Chase subs.

 

I still don't have any way of tell if the old surge protector was bad and it's not worth the expense trying to figure that out.  I personally like the Rockefish stuff and feel they are better than most stuff you can get in stores.  Maybe, next time I am in the market for one, I will try a Furman. :)

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Just a side note, I made sure during movies I am not peaking much over 122 db in the ULF with redirected bass which should fit with THX recommendations.  If I want more, I will turn on the bass shakers.  After all, the goal is to get everything from the movie that is there without exceeding what is there or go deaf.

 

It's funny that the experience with or without the shakers is different from an auditory standpoint.  You miss some of the auditory clues with the shakers but, gain tactile response.  Both are good, just slightly different.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, the wife was out and I was at it again, lol.  This time both surge protectors shut down.  I talked to the surge protector company and a couple of electricians.  Most likely nothing is wrong with the surge protectors.  The problem seem that I am drawing to many amp.  Today one of the surge units showed 2800 watts before shutting down.  I think I need more juice, lol. :(   Electrician coming tomorrow. :huh:

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Remember that your braker is only rated for 80% continuos of it's rating. So you don't want to load up more than about 16 amps on a 20 amp breaker and believe me that's pushing the envelope cause it do make it run hot.

JJK

Edited by JJKIZAK
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Remember that your braker is only rated for 80% continuos of it's rating. So you don't want to load up more than about 16 amps on a 20 amp breaker

Plenty more to this. For example, a 20 amp breaker can conduct up to 25 amps for up to 2 hours before tripping. These things do not have some abrupt threshold at which tripping occurs.

Power seven 100 watt incandescent bulbs simultaneously from the same 20 amp circuit. That means a maybe 50 amp current is abruptly applied - that also does not trip the breaker. Again, more to this exists. Then we underrate everything; tell consumers to only use less than 18 amps on a 20 amp service. Every three prong power plug on a 20 amp circuit is only rated for less than 15 amps. Again, all part of a technical discussion that goes beyond what even electicians are told.

OP is apparently confusing a UPS with a surge protector or power conditioner. Competely different devices for different functions. A surge protector does not trip due to too muchg power. However a 15 amp circuit breaker (that also must exist on the much safer power strips) may trip. Again, that 15 amp breaker may take minutes or hours to trip on a 20 amp load.

If the amp has a standard NEMA 5-15 (three prong) AC plug, then it cannot draw 2800 watts. That plug must only exist on appliances that draw less than 15 amps. Some numbers in previous posts are oontradictory, vague, or incorrect.

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The Rocketfish power console is a surge protector and power line conditioner..  And, If I am correct, I think they are meant for 15 amps.  There are numbers on the display of amps, watts and volts being used.  I am not an electrician and look forward to this thread being educational.  I have three 18 in subs on each console.  The subs are 1000/2000 RMS/Peak and powered by I Nuke amps which can do around 2200 watt per sub.

 

When looking for surge protector/power conditioner, I was always told to see how many joules it had and the higher the better for taking hits.  I have never came across specs listing how many amp it could pass successfully.

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OP is apparently confusing a UPS with a surge protector or power conditioner. Competely different devices for different functions. A surge protector does not trip due to too muchg power. However a 15 amp circuit breaker (that also must exist on the much safer power strips) may trip. Again, that 15 amp breaker may take minutes or hours to trip on a 20 amp load. If the amp has a standard NEMA 5-15 (three prong) AC plug, then it cannot draw 2800 watts. That plug must only exist on 6 that draw less than 15 amps. Some numbers in previous posts are oontradictory, vague, or incorrect.

 

1)  Your are saying there is a breaker or other device in the power switch that triggers for loads larger than 15 amp?

2)  There can be problems safety wise using a 20 amp circuit to some of the equipment since things may not get detected in time?

3)  I have each I Nuke has a 3 prong plug plus the power amp for the HT all on the same power conditioner/surge protector.  Then        the surge protector / power conditioner uses a 3 prong plug to the outlet.

 

*The house breaker did not trip, just the surge Protector /power  conditioner flipped off for clarification.

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When looking for surge protector/power conditioner, I was always told to see how many joules it had and the higher the better for taking hits.

Subjective reasoning is correct. And then we add numbers. Destructive surges are hundreds of thosuands of joules. How many joules does a plug-in protector claikm to abosrb? Hundreds? Thousands? Near zero protection. But just enough above zero that advertising can claim 100% protection.

Lightning is typically 20,000 amps. So a minimal 'whole house' protector is 50,000 amps. Because only ineffective or grossly undersized protectors fail due to a surge. A 'whole house' protector must connect at least 50,000 amps to single point earth ground. Otherwise a surge is inside and destructively hunting for earth via appliances and via near zero plug-in protectors.

What can happen when a protector is near zero? In rare cases, a house fire. Just another reason why a properly earthed 'whole house' protector is so critically important.

How many amps can be provided by a receptacle? If prongs are parallel rectangles, then the appliance must consume less than 15 amps. 20 amps means that plug has perpendicular rectangular prongs. Current is defined by the shape of each plug.

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*The house breaker did not trip, just the surge Protector /power  conditioner flipped off for clarification.

That house breaker is probably 20 amps. All power strips should have a 15 amp breaker. Obvious the 15 amp breaker would trip before that 20 amp.

Important. Any power strip without that breaker is insufficient - would not even have a so important UL Listing for human safety.

Yes all brekaers and fuses trip on much larger loads. No specific trip point exists. Numbers are undersized to simplify science. For example, an 18 AWG lamp cord may conduct currents approaching 60 amps. So we call it a 10 amp cord. Numbers told to electricians and consumers are underrated intentionally to simplify things and keep everyone safer.

But that means you only use an 18 AWG lamp cord on items that consume well less than 10 amps.

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That I understand.  Mark Seaton and some other sub makers say a 15 amp circuit can swing near 3000 watts for a peak.  It is my understand that three amps, each peaking over a 1000 watts per amp is to much for the power conditioner/surge protector?  I was fine until I add the last two subs in the system and had to purchase more amps.

Edited by derrickdj1
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It is my understand that three amps, each peaking over a 1000 watts per amp is to much for the power conditioner/surge protector?  I was fine until I add the last two subs in the system and had to purchase more amps.

What did you think that power conditioner is doing? Any 'cleaning' is routinely undone inside electronics. For example, 120 VAC is converted to wwell over 3000 volts radio fruquency spikes. Then that so muchyy 'dirtier' power is cleaned and regulated by superior circuits already inside all electronics. So that well over 300 volt spikes becomes rock solid and stable 5 and 12 volts.

They routinely forget to mention that any power conditioning is intentionally undone. And then supieror power conditioning already inside all electronics makes must cleaner and more stable voltages.

Never ignore those numbers.

Power conditioning and surge protection has zero relationship to the number of watts required by each appliance. AC circuits must provide sufficient amperage. Never use magic boxes to cure symptoms. If interior wall wires cannot provide sufficient current, then more circuits must be installed.

Edited by westom
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I'm sorry..... but....... circuit protection devices (fuses/circuit breakers) ARE rated as to the maximum amount of time it will take them to activate given the amount of the overload. For example a given 20A CB may have data that says at 20% overload, an extra 4 amps, will interrupt after 2 hours max. At 100% overload, an extra 20 amps, it will interrupt in 10 seconds max. And on a 1000% overload, an extra 200 amps, it will activate in 50 milliseconds max. This is not rocket science but it is electrical engineering

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Twenty amp circuit have been installed in the HT and each I Nuke 6000 is on a dedicated circuit.  I will use a little caution since I don't have them on the power conditioner/surge console and can't tell how many amps I will be using.  After experimenting with the subs, I may switch them back on to the power conditioner/surge protector and see it there is a difference.  This should be adequate.

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The amps seem to like being on 20 amp circuit.  I can't tell how much they draw but, I can play certain clips like Olympus Has Fall and Edge of Tomorrow without  signs of strain.  I ended up getting four 20 amp outlets for the HT.  Doing all this, I should be getting a projector and screen. :blink:;):P

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