Amp rack near main electrical panel - terrible idea?

[jhaider]

In my current setup the subwoofer amp (Crown DCI4|1250n) is in the basement. It is currently on a shelf, about 6' from the main electrical panel (all GFCI or arc fault breakers because they were required by code when we did a renovation; the 20A audio system circuit's breaker is in this main panel and not a sub-panel) and at a 90º angle to the panel. I've been thinking about adding a rolling rack unit to make adding equipment or changing configuration more ergonomic.

However, the only practical location for such a unit is about 36" from the electrical panel and parallel to it. Solid rolling rack-mount units (Middle Atlantic, etc.) are expensive, and generally non-returnable. Is there a high probability of noise or other interference from the panel, such that I should just deal with having to physically move components to access them?

 

[MediumRare]

Maybe try an EMF app on your phone and see how close you need to go before seeing a wobble?

 

[amirm]

It doesn't concern me.

 

[DonH56]

It doesn't concern me.

Nor I. Rack-mounted gear in close proximity to power and other gear is the norm in the pro world and not all that uncommon in consumer installations. I do tend to stick a wire with a series resistor to the rack to ensure a ground; many others just tie it directly to the safety ground. To prevent ground loops you may need to use insulating washers on the screws from equipment ears to the rack; that way, you can implement s single-point/star ground scheme.

As an aside, arc-fault breakers were a nightmare when we finished our basement some years back. Hopefully they've improved. Turning on the treadmill, which had its own dedicated 20 A circuit, would cause the AFCI on another circuit to trip and send my son's bedroom into the dark. After replacing two of them twice, one worked, and the other I swapped for a standard GFCI to finally solve the problem.

 

[mkawa]

not a concern.

 

[jhaider]

As an aside, arc-fault breakers were a nightmare when we finished our basement some years back. Hopefully they've improved.

Not really...