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Dedicated Circuit. PLEASE READ URGENT

152.163.201.51

Posted by hybwolf on December 26, 2000 at 19:36:05

Being an licensed Industrial/commercial Electrician, I ran across a couple of concerns when reading a thread on dedicated circuits that need to be addressed.

First. Someone mentioned the fact to use shielded fire alarm cable as a dedicated circuit. This is a dangerous thing to do. Fire Alarm cable is not UL listed to serve as a branch circuit. This is not its intended purpose specifically if its insulation is not rated to be used on 120volts. The insulation very well may not have an insulation rating capable of withstanding continous current that is supplying your Audio gear. You risk burning your house down. This is a National Electrical Code Violation. PLEASE HAVE A LICENSED ELECTRICIAN INPECT YOUR WORK IMEDIATELY.

Second. The driving of a second ground rod is prohibited if it's not bonded to your existing ground rod by the National Electrical Code. Any compitent Electrical Inspecter would fail such an installation. And any electrician that would intall such an intallation should have his license revoked! A dedicated grounding circuit is a circuit that has 2 grounds run with it. 1 mechanical ground and 1 insulated isolaton ground. The mechanical ground attaches to your box if it is of metal construction and to the recepticals yoke(metal strap on receptical used to attache receptical to box). The Isolated ground goes to the green screw of the isolated receptical. (please note that a normal receptical is not an isolation receptical. you must ask for a isolation receptical at the counter) This isolated wire runs without splice to anything else, all the way back to your main panel and attaches to the same bar as the other grounds. It does not go to your ground rod. Your ground rod is bonded at you main panel to the equipment grounding bar and neutral bar. The main panel is the panel where you servive wires from the utility come into. Not a sub-panel if you have one. All this is for your safety.
If you had two ground rods that where not bonded together, you could develope a differance in voltage at the two rods. Lets just say 100volts at one rod and 240 volts at the other. (arbitrare numbers).You would have a differance of 120 volts. That's enough to kill you under the rite circumstances. And you can recieve that shock simply by touching the metal enclosure of your audio gear and the metal enclosure of something plugged into a different circuit. A child can also be killed outside your home if some how got in-between these two potentials. Now some of you may not believe me or say what are the chances of that happening? Well I have been in the field for many years and have seen it happen? I knew an electrician who got killed when he got hung up on a differance in voltage between the ground rod and the aluminum siding on a house. Electricity sometimes will exhibit strange behavior.It's not something to be messed with by the unexpereienced. You can very easily without knowing, make a very dangerouse installation. I see such installations nearly everyday!Call an Electrician if you are un-sure of what you are doing.
Please heed these warnings so you will continue to enjoy this hobby for many years to come!

Happy Holidays,
Tony

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