Power line question


I live in an apartment building that's relatively new (built in 1993). There are no visible power lines attached to the building, which leads me to believe the power lines are underground. The building has a dedicated line for air conditioners. I know very little about power outlets, wiring, amperes, etc. All I know it's 115 volts. Here's my question. I will be replacing my tube integrated power amp with tube monoblocks producing at least 150 watts per channel and a tubed preamp. I have seen occasionally discussions about the demand on the power line electronic equipment makes and parameters for dedicated lines and such. Should I worry about blowing fuses or overloading the power line with my new amplification? My gf and I triggered circuit breakers a few times in the past by using hair dryers simultaneously in our respective bathrooms, but once we stopped that practice, no other mishaps occurred. I have a basic power conditioner with 4 outlets, but that's about it. With my less than rudimentary knowledge of power delivery, I wouldn't even know where to start to answer my question so I thought I'd start here. Thank you for any advice.
actusreus

Showing 6 responses by elizabeth

You probably are not going to have to worry. Your stuff on one 15 amp circuit should be just fine.
But...
You should find the circuit breaker box in your apartment.
Each breaker is for a circuit inside your apartment. You should turn each one off,(one at a time) to find out what part of your apartment it controls. WRITE IT DOWN.
After you have gone through every outlet to see which one is controlled by which breaker, THEN you WILL KNOW what is going on.
For example. In my apt there are sets locked together of 2x15 for the exclusive airconditioner outlet.
one 15 for just the insink garbage disposal
A 20 amp for the refrigerator
one 15 for the kitchen wall, hood fan, and kitchen ceiling
A single outlet next to frig 20amp all by itself (probably for a microwave)
The 2x40 for the electric range
a 15 amp for all the wall sockets in living room and bedroom'
a 15 amp for the bedroon ceiling, all bathroom, and living room entry ceiling.
So you can read that I KNOW exactly what I can do with what. I have the breaker box marked with sticky markers denoting which is which.
So currently i use a living room wall for all my stuff. It is sufficient. i have made a set of wires that i eventually will use to connect the kitchen 20 amp (unused) for my stereo. The wiring is in place, but not finished.

Anyway, find out what goes where, and you will be able to KNOw what you can put on which line.
Avoid the ones with refrigerator!
You may discover you have very little, or a lot of electrical service. i have 210 amps coming into my apt. Other places I have lived had 80 amps, and one had only one 15 amp for two apartments together!!
The ONLY way you can know is to check it out.
Average one bedroom. i like the power supply! The main biggie is the electric stove at 80 amps from the panel, 30 more amps for the air conditioner.
So that leaves one hundred for everything else.
Seems normal to me... When they built it they KNEW i was gonna live here.. LOL.
90 units times 210 each, plus halls, add in three laundry rooms.. elevator, and a social gathering room... underground parking with exhaust fans, lighting.. total electrical service for building is around:
======================
20,000 amperes service.
======================
not bad.. not bad at all.
(might be higher if the heat is electric. (not certain?, water in pipes, but heated by gas or electric?)
Yes two separate circuits of 15 amps each. they are probably of different 'legs' so you do not want to try to use both for the stereo. (The incoming A/C power is in two phases. Those breakers with a clip holding them together are one of each leg of a 120V, so both together are 240 volts. So the stove and dryer are 240volt items. The reason you do NOT want to use both of the two circuits if they are of different legs, is that 240 volt potential.

IF (not likely, but better safe than dead) you electronics had a mixed up plus/neutral A/C in one component (very possible) and it developed an A/C fault. Well possibley a 240 volt potential could be then in your stack of stuff and 240 volts is a VERY hard shock to get.
Anyway, if your TV etc is completely separate from the two channel. then put that on other one.
(One VERY good use of an optical digital cable is in this situation. Then you can carry a signal from one to the other with NO electrical potential possible.)
Anyway, good luck on your electrical adventure.

PS: to know if the two 15 amp circuits are in fact different legs. the hot wire in an outlet is 120V to the neutral.
IF the hot from one 15 amp breaker to the hot of the other 15 amp breaker is 240 volts, then they are on different legs. IF the voltage is zero, they are on the same leg.
(I check this with sticking wires into the recepticals and measuring it with a voltmeter, but that is just me.
(PS I have witnessed a human nut-job stick two screwdrivers into a 240 volt wall outlet, then cross them with a third, and watched as the steel shafts melted off in spectacular fashion, it ruined the outlet too.)
I would bet money the two 15 amp breaker circuits are in fact different legs of the power.)
If you must play (or for other crazy fools: each receptical will have one side hot, and one neutral. So if you had a wire in the hot side, it will have a 120 volt potential to the neutral, OR to the ground, if the ground is working. The neutral will have no voltage to the ground. (that is why it is neutral!)'So if you have two outlets, and one is on another leg... then the hot of one outlet, measured to the HOT of the other outlet will be 240Volts. That is the ONLY combination to give 240 volts, each one to the other's neutral, or ground will only be 120 volts, and each other's neutral to ground will still be zero volts.
(and for the easily confused, the two plug pair in one outlet are ONE thing. they are almost always 99.999% of the time just connected to one set of wire, and do not have different stuff in them. so you do not have to worry about the two plug spots in one outlet pair OK)
And if you are at all confused abou this, DO NOT play around with it!!
Warning aside, have fun. (And if you use a cheap voltmeter, be certain it is good for up to over 240 volts reading! and safe for A/C circuits.)
Added: then a few powerline conditioners (like my Furman REF20i output what is called "technical power" which has no neutral in the A/C. each of the wires is hot, carrying 60 volts. and together they make 120 volts. (in the same manner as the two hot different legs make 240 volts)
Just a comment that stuff can be interesting..
I received an email from another member reminding me the ampacity of my total electrical reserve is limited by the wiring from the meter. So i went and looked at my meter, and I have only a maximum of 120amps from the meter. (The meter breaker is a pair of 60amp each breakers) Gee i am deprived!! I feel naked without my ampacity mojo up around 200 plus...
Actually i am certain 120amps is enough, considering I almost never use the electric stove..
Only 60 amps would blow the breaker the minute the stove and oven with the air conditioner, frige,and other stuff all on at once. I can see what is on the panel of the meter. there are TWO 60 amp each breakers for my apartment.
What is the problem?
Nice to know that some folks have esp and can tell from some other location what is or isn't somewhere else they have never been. And they also know i must be wrong even though I AM here and looked at the box and can read. Sounds like you bought the "teleportation tweak" and think it applies to your brain.
Not that i am annoyed or anything...
I apologize and was completely wrong about the panel and what two brakers of 60 amps each means, indeed it is a 60 amp limit. I am likened to a tiger. I look pretty, but if annoyed (rightly OR wrongly) I leap with fangs and claws bared. Sorry!
Jim was 100% correct, and i am ashamed i did not investigate the issue more carefully before leaping.
Again I was wrong, I realized i was wrong as soon as I posted. i hope folks will fogive me. And I hope Jim will continue to try to help people understand stuff.