Is 20amps enough for all this ? Is it as easy as is enough if it does not trip?

[gaby95]

Hi!
So I have a dedicated 20amp for my basement theater.

On the first outlet I got:
4 Subs: (plan to all triple PSA in the future but for now this is it):
PSA TV1812
dual HSU VTF-15H
MFW-15m

On the second outlet of the same 20amp circuit I gotthe following:
Denon x4400h + AC Infinity T9
Monolith 7x 7x200Watts
Monster HTPS 7000 Sig
Monster AVS 2000
JVC RS540 projector
HTPC with 650W psu (5600x and RTX 3070)

I havent got any issues so far so I guess that as long as I dont trip the box, I am golden or will it have any benefit to separate one of the outlets for its own dedicated 15 or 20mp circuit?

Thanks

 

[Teetertotter?]

What are you using for surge protection?

 

[everettT]

What are you using for surge protection?

Hopefully whole home..

 

[lovinthehd]

What do the Monster units do for you? I have that much stuff on a 15A and haven't blown the breaker but not trying to set spl records either....

 

[fmw]

If that isn't enough current then you are listening way to loudly. Most of us listen to music on a couple or three watts. That would be a small fraction of an amp. If you really want to pursue this then you should look for power dissipation specs on each component and add them up.

A typical 50" LED TV runs on about 100 watts or a little less than one amp of current. Subs probably dissipate more current that either amplifiers and TV's. but certainly less than a handful of amps of current. Remember you are dealing with a product category that has been overselling watts for decades. Just don't plug an oven or a welder into the same circuit. Just kidding, ovens and welders run on 240 amps so power dissipation would require 1/2 the current of what would be required on a household 20 amp circuit.

Plug it all in and enjoy.

 

[TankTop5]

I was wondering about this as well as I am currently in an apartment and my home theater is on a 15 amp breaker. I guess the answer is if I pop the breaker I’m probably getting evicted as well…

 

[Speedskater]

Yes, if you turn the power amps on one at at time and the breaker doesn't trip, and if the breaker doesn't trip when playing very loud music, then everything is OK.
A breaker's 15 or 20 Amp rating is for 3 hour continuous current, the only way it limits current is by tripping!

 

[fred55]

My system's total rated RMS watts is around 7,000 (12,000 peak). A load test measured 10 amps at my max listening volume.

 

[gaby95]

There is the video from Gene where he showed an amp performing better in a dedicated circuit vs a shared one even though technically there was enough power available on that shared circuit due to line sagging.

 

[fred55]

I use a Furman power conditioner with a little reserve current on each outlet - maybe Gene can speak to this. I haven't experienced any other obvious issues such as lights flickering / dimming. I'm using two outlets on the same 20 amp circuit.

 

[fred55]

I was considering installing two 20 amp dedicated circuits after reading Gene's article. But after the load test (cost $180) I decided not to add any circuits. My advice is to pay for a load test then make a decision, show the ectrician Gene's info about sag.

 

[gaby95]

I was considering installing two 20 amp dedicated circuits after reading Gene's article. But after the load test (cost $180) I decided not to add any circuits. My advice is to pay for a load test then make a decision, show the ectrician Gene's info about sag.

I paid $150 for the extra 20amp circuit...cheaper than the load test you did LOL

 

[fred55]

I paid $150 for the extra 20amp circuit...cheaper than the load test you did LOL

Must be nice, last one cost me $1300 and that's reasonable for this area.

 

[gaby95]

Must be nice, last one cost me $1300 and that's reasonable for this area.

Dang! I could add one per piece of gear for that price. I better add extras in case prices go wild here soon