Hairdryer bad for my reciever?

[Brian_the_King]

Ok guys, I don't know for sure, but I think my entire upstairs is on one [or maybe two] fuses. What I do know is my room, which houses my Denon DRA-395, is on the same fuse as my parents bathroom. Now, if i'm listening to music and my mom turns the hairdryer on, I can hear a faint buzz coming from the reciever. There is no change in the audio through my speakers whatsoever. Is this harming my reciever, or is it just an annoyance?

 

[InTheIndustry]

It's not going to harm your receiver in the sense that it will break it. To fix it I would get a basic line conditioner (not to be confused with your typical surge supressor). Look for something between $50 - $80.

Start with something inexpensive and if that doesn't work, try and step-up to another model. Be sure to buy it from a store that will give you your money back without a restock fee. That way, if it doesn't work, you aren't out anything.

 

[Brian_the_King]

mmk, thanks, but will there be any benefits besides the lack of a hum? Because, it's not very often my mom dries her hair and i've got the stereo on, and 50-80 is kind of a lot for such a unique situation.

 

[j_garcia]

A line conditioner will NOT remove this type of electronic noise completely. Not to mention I have not seen any decent power conditioners in that price range, ever. It won't be likely to damage anything, so if it is only on the rare occasion, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[InTheIndustry]

I'm just saying to try it. And since you've never seen a decent line conditioner that you could buy for $80, prepare to be amazed.....

You can get this for $78 plus shipping
http://www.panamax.com/products.cfm?group=2&sec=detail&id=113&ly=v

Or this for $85 plus shipping
http://www.panamax.com/products.cfm?group=2&sec=detail&id=114&ly=v

Also, there's a company called Juice Goose that has several products for under $80. They make an outstanding product!

 

[Buckeyefan 1]

A hairdryer, along with any type of appliances that produce heat, are the largest draw on an outlet. Some hairdryers pull up to 1800 continuous watts from an outlet. If we run a hairdryer and iron at the same time in our bedroom, it trips a breaker. That won't harm your system, but keep in mind what it's drawing from the breaker box.

 

[xboxweasel]

When I visit those panamax.com links it says the units go for $149 and $169 respectively. What currency are you using?

 

[InTheIndustry]

Mine. I'm a Panamax dealer and was just offering to help the guy out. If he couldn't find something he liked in that price range from any other brands, I could order the ones that I listed for him. There are lots of other solutions available in that price range. The Juice Goose stuff is incredible as well. I think some of those models can be had for around $60 MSRP or less from various websites.

 

[j_garcia]

I have a 5100 and when we use the food processor, I still get fuzz on my screen, and the HT and kitchen, though in the same room, are not on the same circuit. It is DC motor noise, same as most hair dryers, and a power conditioning cannot stop this.

Wholesale price doesn't count...

 

[Brian_the_King]

I appreciate your offer Industry, but as I said earlier, hairdryer + stereo isn't really a common occurance. Since it's not actually doing damage to my system, then I don't think I have even $60 to spend on a power conditioner. And, if garcia is right, then there wouldn't even be a benefit to the purchase. Thanks to all for the replys.

 

[bandit]

I'm not sure I agree that harm may not come to your reciever.

As mentioned above, hairdryers draw a lot of power. Depending on the wiring in your house etc. you may actually be overtaxing the wiring/circuit and causing a low voltage condition on that circuit.
The hum you hear coming from your reciever may be the sound of the transformer being overworked as it tries to compensate by drawing more current.

An easy way to test if this is what happening (if your not handy with a voltmeter) is to connect a low wattage light to the same outlet that your reciever is connected to. Turn on the light and have someone else turn off and on the drier as you watch. If the light gets dimmer - you may have a problem. (a quick flicker isn't a big deal but a prolonged dimming is more serious)

I've found that one of the hardest things on electronic equipment is brown (low voltage) power.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Brian_the_King]

Hmm, I can tell you now the light would get dim, since the others in my room and nearby do.