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Blew the breaker

purple1

purple1

Well-Known Member
Last week I added another sub to the surround system. I had installed a dedicated 15 amp circuit just for this system. My son and I were cranking some tunes this weekend and we blew the breaker. It never happened till this sub got added. So I am going to upgrade this to 20 amps. Went to Home Depot and got 12/2 wire, breakers, and some 20 amp outlets. I'm replacing the 14/2 that is in use now. I figure I may as well run another 12/2 circuit while I'm running new wire. How many of you have a circuit (or 2) just for your system?
 
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I've never blown a house circuit with any home audio (pro audio, yes). I did ruin the power switch in my Realistic SA-2000 by using it's switched outlet to power my Carver "cube" M400. The M400 can approach 15 amp draw.
What does the rating say on the label of the sub? What else was running on the same circuit?
 
Blast said:
I've never blown a house circuit with any home audio (pro audio, yes). I did ruin the power switch in my Realistic SA-2000 by using it's switched outlet to power my Carver "cube" M400. The M400 can approach 15 amp draw.
What does the rating say on the label of the sub? What else was running on the same circuit?
Click to expand...

I'll just say what amps I'm running.
Parasound hca-1200
Acurus 3x200
Kenwood km-992 (x2)

The added sub just pushed it over the limit.
 
I would never run 14/2 to a receptacle circuit, even though it is perfectly fine by code. 12/2 doesn't cost much more and is much more robust. Keep in mind that normal receptacles are 15A. You want an upgraded receptacle.

I have blown the breaker in my office, but it's usually when I fire up the Nitty Gritty while everything else is on.
 
BayouTiger said:
I would never run 14/2 to a receptacle circuit, even though it is perfectly fine by code. 12/2 doesn't cost much more and is much more robust. Keep in mind that normal receptacles are 15A. You want an upgraded receptacle.

I have blown the breaker in my office, but it's usually when I fire up the Nitty Gritty while everything else is on.
Click to expand...

When I put this in I used the 14/2 I had on hand. And yes I did mention I also got some 20 amp outlets.

My Parasound can use up to 1000 watts and the Acurus up to 1200. Those 2 amps alone will blow a 15 amp breaker if pushed hard.
 
14-2 is only rated for 15 amps. If you upgrade the breaker to 20A, you must upgrade the wire to 12ga to meet code requirements.
purple1 said:
When I put this in I used the 14/2 I had on hand. And yes I did mention I also got some 20 amp outlets.

My Parasound can use up to 1000 watts and the Acurus up to 1200. Those 2 amps alone will blow a 15 amp breaker if pushed hard.
Click to expand...
 
Dedicated...? I have one 15 amps circuit dedicated to one power strip feeding

6 amps (!!!! ) but only one is running at a time.

So, is domestic voltage ( and current ) need to have '' headroom '' like our beloved amplifiers and speakers pairing?

Is there an RMS and peak to peak in domestic wiring ?

Can a 120 volts circuit can handle some peaks ?

+3 db:lmao:
 
sax6 said:
Dedicated...? I have one 15 amps circuit dedicated to one power strip feeding

6 amps (!!!! ) but only one is running at a time.

So, is domestic voltage ( and current ) need to have '' headroom '' like our beloved amplifiers and speakers pairing?

Is there an RMS and peak to peak in domestic wiring ?

Can a 120 volts circuit can handle some peaks ?

+3 db:lmao:
Click to expand...

Does all that mean I should turn off some amps or subs when I want to (feel) the movie I'm watching? :scratch2:
 
sax6 said:
Can a 120 volts circuit can handle some peaks ?

+3 db:lmao:
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Rather large ones too, depending on the duration of the peak.

Considering a duration of 1 second, a circuit protected by typical Square D QO breaker has peak headroom of roughly 8 to 10dB.
 
whoaru99 said:
Absolutely it can handle peaks. Rather large ones too, depending on the duration of the peak.

Considering a duration of 1 second, a typical Square D QO breaker has peak headroom of roughly 8 to 10dB.
Click to expand...

Db ???? in house voltage ? First, I will never understand Db whatsoever.

Second, It interest me me a lot to understand domestic voltage and current relation.

Hey, thanks.
 
sax6 said:
Db ???? in house voltage ? First, I will never understand Db whatsoever.

Second, It interest me me a lot to understand domestic voltage and current relation.

Hey, thanks.
Click to expand...

Not headroom in voltage, in power.

And, yes, because household power is sine wave AC there is a peak value but that is seldom discussed from a use standpoint because appliances, etc. are spec'ed in RMS voltage.

120Vrms = ~170Vpk = ~340Vp-p
 
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2, 20 amp circuits

I have 2, 20 amp circuits in my living room. One just for the audio gear, one just for the video gear. Everything on each circuit is run through surge protectors. Pulled both in 1996, shortly after buying the house, have not blown either since.

The remainder of the room works just fine on the existing 15 amp circuits.
 
Oh, yeah...I have two dedicated 20A circuits for the four amps that run my FL, FR, C, SL, SR, BL, and BR.

Two subs run on a shared 15A circuit, and the processor and sources run on yet a different shared 15A circuit.
 
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