AC Power Question

Being an Electronics Engineer, I live in both sides of this equation. Take this example:

Builders do the dumbest things you can imagine, which further compounds issues. For example, my 3000 sq ft house has a second floor laundry near the front of the house, and the breaker panel is in the basement on the opposite side near the back. In their infinite wisdom, they ran 14/3 Romex for the circuit that powers the clothes washing machine, which is some 130 feet long. The punch line is this: they used the other leg on that 14/3 for lighting in the first floor. Every time the clothes washer was running and switched cycles, the lights would flare. No wonder they would burn out so often, with all that excess back-current! I fixed the problem by running a new 14/2 circuit just for the lighting, and one day, when I feel more motivated, I’ll run a new 12/2 for the 15 amp circuit feeding that clothes washer. 

I think dedicated, de-rated, 20A lines are the way to go. If you think you might need two lines, then get three. If you think you need three, get four. It’s less expensive and invasive to do it all at once.

I am also a major believer in getting an electrical construction permit before commencing work. Your local electrical inspector is your inexpensive QC against shoddy work - we’ve seen examples of that here on Audiogon - or a simple error. And the approved permits can be useful when you it’s time to sell your house.

I have dedicated lines on both legs of my service, and don’t see or hear a difference between them. YMMV. My system benefits from isolation transformers and power conditioning all around, including on amplifiers. They make a huge difference, and all for the better.

While you’re doing this work, it’s wise to check the other aspects of your power. Are all connections clean and tight? Is your grounding up to current code? And here’s the most overlooked detail, imo: Can your electric utility deliver sufficient current? If you think your "200A service" means that your utility can deliver 200A of current, you are almost certainly mistaken. Do your lights dim substantially when you turn on your power amp? That can be a clue to current delivery issues.

sleepwalker65

... they used the other leg on that 14/3 for lighting in the first floor. Every time the clothes washer was running and switched cycles, the lights would flare. No wonder they would burn out so often, with all that excess back-current!

Will you please explain what "back-current" is? If you have a 14-3 cable, then each of the hot wires come from different legs of your service, correct? (After all, that's why they can share a neutral.) Please explain how a changing load on one leg can influence the voltage on the other leg.

If your 14-3 cable is connected to the same phase (leg) of your AC service, that's a code violation because of the shared neutral, no?