How Dedicated Must a Dedicated Circuit Be?


I am moving into a house that has a room with two circuits which just service that room. Each circuit feeds a string of outlets and ends at a ceiling lamp. There are no refrigerators, computers, motors or other nasties on each circuit - just one or two light bulbs at the end of the line. They are both 15A. I am planning on adding a 20A circuit for the amps and maybe using one of each for digital and non-digital sources.

My Questions:

1) Does the existance of a lightbulb at the end of a circuit make it a lesser "dedicated circuit"?

2) If it qualifies as a decent dedicated circuit, wouldn't it be true that many of us already have dedicated circuits that are just outlet loops with no other "nasties" plugged into them?

Thanks. I'll take my answer off the air. Peter
peter_s
Peter,

I had a listening room with just this sort of configuration once, and the electrical power seemed quite good. The trade-offs you're making are:

1. Each of your lines has multiple breaks in the electrical cable along the way as the cable is cut and terminated into the various "daisy-chained" receptacles. Each of these connection points is an opportunity for poor electrical conductivity and the introduction of noise into your lines. (A partial remedy is to go to each receptacle, pull it, clean the contacts/wire, treat the connection with a contact enhancer (recommend SST), and reconnect.)

2. You don't have an isolated ground in the circuit, which can be an advantage in further reducing some noise. An isolated ground is a fourth wire in the cable (green insulation covering, in the US) that runs from the gounding lug of the receptacle all the way back to the grounding plane at the panel and is not common to other grounding wires (typically uninsulated copper wire) along the way. (I think this part of the puzzle is referred to as "isolated ground" and is different than and in addition to "dedicated circuit.")

Good luck.
Greetings,
Will a "power conditioner" counter the effects of the subject? If so, any recommendations?
Many Thanks,
Steve Bennett
A dedicated line is like being pregnant. It either is or isn't.

If it's just incandescent lighting and it's for the source and/or pre-amp, it should not be a big deal.

But if the circuit is for the amplifier, it most likely will affect the dynamics during demanding passages. You'd be amazed at what small consumptions of power for other items can do.

Just in case you are not certain, you don't ever want to install a 20 amp circuit breaker on a line running 15 amp romex and outlets. You'll need to run 12 gauge or better for the 20amp upgrade and switch to 20 amp outlets.

-IMO