AC Power - two circuits better than one?

salmonsc: FWIW, I took the advice of Jea48 and switched the wires on one pair of breakers in the main panel box and that action put all of my equipment on one leg of the incoming power. It took about 10 minutes. You only have to switch the hot leads, not the neutral or ground wires because they are secured to common bars within your box.

Thanks for your thread and thanks to Elizabeth and Jea48 for their useful input.

Just thought you should know that switching circuits is not all that difficult. Just be sure to turn the WHOLE BOX OFF before making any changes.

I took the advice of Jea48 and switched the wires on one pair of breakers in the main panel box and that action put all of my equipment on one leg of the incoming power.
12-17-10:Puerto

Puerto,

Not sure exactly what you did..... With a 3 wire multi conductor circuit, (2 hot conductors, 1 neutral conductor), you cannot put both hot conductors on the same leg. They have to be on opposite legs.

With a multi conductor branch circuit only the unbalanced load returns to the source on the neutral conductor.

Example: If two identical loads were connected to each hot to neutral of, say, 5 amps each zero amps would return on the neutral conductor. The two loads would be in series with one another.

Example: If the two loads were 15 amps each, again zero amps would return on the neutral conductor to the source.
But if both hots are connected to the same leg, (two 20 amp breakers), 30 amps would return on the neutral.... That's a no no......

http://openbookproject.net//electricCircuits/AC/AC_10.html#xtocid139960

Now you have me worried. I simply switched the hot lead from one breaker on Leg 2 to a breaker on Leg 1 ( and vice versa). The breakers only have one wire each connected to them so the "living room" circuit (formerly on leg 1) is now on leg 2 and the "stereo circuit" (formerly on leg 2) is now on leg 1 where the "living room" circuit used to be. It was a two wire operation. I left the neutral and ground wires where they were. There was no other place to move them to. Everything seems to be working just fine. So have I screwed up? These circuits have three wires each - Hot, Neutral and Ground. I am not following what you mean by two hot conductors on each circuit.

What you did is correct. That is 2 wire with ground not 3 wire with ground!

Yogiboy: Whew! Thanks - I thought as much but began to doubt myself after reading Jea48s post. He is obviously much more versed in this stuff than I am. You probably are too!