Outlets in same room to both sides of box?
#1
Outlets in same room to both sides of box?
Is it against code or dangerous to wire outlets from the breaker box to a room from both sides of the breaker box? The below is concerning hooking up a stereo system where some components would be plugged into one outlet and others into another outlet from the other side of the box. All components would be connected by interconnects. The reason I ask is it doesn't make sense but I just read this on another forum and thank you for your input:
This should be against Code, and is dangerous.
You should not have outlets in the same room from different sides of the panel, the other side has the AC polarity reversed with respect to the other, and the net difference between the H legs is 240V !!!!
DO NOT USE THE SINGLE OUTLET FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PANEL UNTIL YOU CAN GET IT REWIRED!!!!!
This is undoubtedly contributing to the problem with hum.
This should be against Code, and is dangerous.
You should not have outlets in the same room from different sides of the panel, the other side has the AC polarity reversed with respect to the other, and the net difference between the H legs is 240V !!!!
DO NOT USE THE SINGLE OUTLET FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PANEL UNTIL YOU CAN GET IT REWIRED!!!!!
This is undoubtedly contributing to the problem with hum.
#3
warnerwh, do I understand your post correctly? Is this a question you posted and have included the reply from someone else?
If so it is BS. It is not at all unsafe to have two or more circuits in the same room. Where did they come up with this theory. Another case of someone knowing just enought to be dangerous.
"This should be against Code, and is dangerous."
This person giving electrical advice is what is dangerous.
What if the room is so big it requires more than one circuit? You know how many bedrooms and living rooms I have wired which have 10-15 (or more) receptacles, plus lighting.
How about your kitchen counter? Most have two or more circuits right in close proximity, with many ungrounded appliances running on 120 volts. If anything this would be considered dangerous, yet it is not. In fact it is encouraged.
Yes, between the hot legs of a residential AC service is 240 volts, but in ac there is not suce thing as polarity, at least electrically. The polarity issue with ac is safety. For example you dont want the hot side to be on the shell of a lamp socket. Using this guys theory the light will run backwards if the polarity is reversed.
If so it is BS. It is not at all unsafe to have two or more circuits in the same room. Where did they come up with this theory. Another case of someone knowing just enought to be dangerous.
"This should be against Code, and is dangerous."
This person giving electrical advice is what is dangerous.
What if the room is so big it requires more than one circuit? You know how many bedrooms and living rooms I have wired which have 10-15 (or more) receptacles, plus lighting.
How about your kitchen counter? Most have two or more circuits right in close proximity, with many ungrounded appliances running on 120 volts. If anything this would be considered dangerous, yet it is not. In fact it is encouraged.
Yes, between the hot legs of a residential AC service is 240 volts, but in ac there is not suce thing as polarity, at least electrically. The polarity issue with ac is safety. For example you dont want the hot side to be on the shell of a lamp socket. Using this guys theory the light will run backwards if the polarity is reversed.
#4
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warnerwh,
I wonder if you are confused by the 'both sides of the breaker box'? The post that you are asking about is _not_ discussing the left and right physical side of the box. Instead they are talking about the two _electrical_ 'hots' in a home electrical panel.
These two separate hots are used separately to supply 120V to your receptacle and lighting circuits, and together to supply 240V to large appliances. If you have two _separate_ 120V circuits, and they happen to be fed from opposite 'hots', then there will be 240V between the hots of these two separate circuits.
This is not a problem unless some piece of equipment depends upon the two hot pins of the two separate circuits being at the same voltage. The equipment expects zero volts, but gets 240V.
No correctly designed piece of equipment would depend upon this, and nothing that is UL listed would depend upon this. You might have a problem if you were 'home brewing' stereo equipment and didn't understand the difference between 'hot' and 'neutral'.
Something that you should check for, however, is proper receptacle 'polarity'. Get one of those three light receptacle testers and plug it in. If you have a 'hot/neutral' reverse, then you could see problems with any equipment that uses the neutral for ground reference, and if you combine this with two separate supply legs, then you could see some sparks. But with correctly wired receptacles, having two circuits from the two 'hots' in the panel is not a problem.
-Jon
I wonder if you are confused by the 'both sides of the breaker box'? The post that you are asking about is _not_ discussing the left and right physical side of the box. Instead they are talking about the two _electrical_ 'hots' in a home electrical panel.
These two separate hots are used separately to supply 120V to your receptacle and lighting circuits, and together to supply 240V to large appliances. If you have two _separate_ 120V circuits, and they happen to be fed from opposite 'hots', then there will be 240V between the hots of these two separate circuits.
This is not a problem unless some piece of equipment depends upon the two hot pins of the two separate circuits being at the same voltage. The equipment expects zero volts, but gets 240V.
No correctly designed piece of equipment would depend upon this, and nothing that is UL listed would depend upon this. You might have a problem if you were 'home brewing' stereo equipment and didn't understand the difference between 'hot' and 'neutral'.
Something that you should check for, however, is proper receptacle 'polarity'. Get one of those three light receptacle testers and plug it in. If you have a 'hot/neutral' reverse, then you could see problems with any equipment that uses the neutral for ground reference, and if you combine this with two separate supply legs, then you could see some sparks. But with correctly wired receptacles, having two circuits from the two 'hots' in the panel is not a problem.
-Jon
#5
Thank You guys for your response. Yes that was a post by someone who is highly regarded for his knowledge over at audioasylum answering a question someone else posted. I just noticed that this guys amp uses balanced power and wonder if that is why Jon Risch posted what he did? Here's the post:
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/twe...es/109360.html
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/twe...es/109360.html
#6
Member
It not against code in Canada. I have heard of this theory before with regards to hum on stereo systems. There is no hazard or danger that I am aware of. It is only a performance issue with the components being used.