Any of y'all ever tripped a breaker?

[FriedChicken]

My house is wired for 20A. I'm continuously surprised how much audiovisual power 20A is. Hooked up I have my pioneer Kuro plasma rated around 600w, my yamaha M65 amplifier rated around 600 watts, my sony STR-DB930 receiver (as an amplifier) also 500 or 600w, various little stupid electronic players and thingies, and finally two powered subwoofers rated at 150 watts or so (Alison Al10 and Klipsch 12" something).

Obviously these are peak numbers, but even running the most intense blu-ray ever, fully cranked with the volume set to 0dB (whatever this means..... loud), plasma screen flashing, and the smell of electronics filling the room, the breaker stood firm.

Woah.

So now I wonder, has anyone actually tripped their breaker? Exceeded the 15A most U.S. houses are wired for?

 

[SSS]

Right, it is peak numbers. Music and speach has peaks but not sustained full volume. It could be done with sinewaves, but this may destroy speakers.
And, which I don't know for your house, my fuse breakers have a slight time delay in order not to switch off when a rush in current occurs at turn on of equipment with large transformers. Some amplifiers have a soft start relay or electronics to prevent the high turn on current, espechially when toroid transformers are used.

 

[Waxx]

I did once trigger the fuse of my 16A 240V line, but i was testing a repaired Crest 9001 amp in 4ohm bridged with 2 hogh scoop subwoofer (outside) with B&C 18DS115 drivers in it that pulled arround 5kW i think when i tested with sinwaves. But other than that, never did it.

 

[JonK99]

There was an absurd thread on AVS forum a while back where the OP was asking about what extension cord he should use so he could plug half his gear into an outlet in the next room, in order to avoid overloading the circuit in his main audio room. Some reasonable posters asked if he had actually tried plugging in everything on one circuit (he had not) yet the discussion continued to debate various gauges of extension cord and pros and cons of hiring an electrician to run a new circuit.

 

[AudiOhm]

Years ago I did some current testing while playing Queen at peak levels I could listen at.

I used a Blue Planet Energy meter, along with a Fluke amp probe as a reference.

With an Adcom GFA-555II the peak current was 3.65 amps on 120Vac.

Ohms

 

[tomtoo]

If they get older they are more easy to trigger. Wait until its 30 years old.

Hehe they get more easy to trigger than the pope on a naked beach.

 

[DVDdoug]

My setup is not that powerful.

The only time I've blown a breaker is when changing a light switch with the power-on and shorting-something with a screwdriver!

And, I think I intentionally shorted an outlet once to figure-out which breaker it was on.

 

[MaxBuck]

My house is wired for 20A. I'm continuously surprised how much audiovisual power 20A is. Hooked up I have my pioneer Kuro plasma rated around 600w, my yamaha M65 amplifier rated around 600 watts, my sony STR-DB930 receiver (as an amplifier) also 500 or 600w, various little stupid electronic players and thingies, and finally two powered subwoofers rated at 150 watts or so (Alison Al10 and Klipsch 12" something).

Obviously these are peak numbers, but even running the most intense blu-ray ever, fully cranked with the volume set to 0dB (whatever this means..... loud), plasma screen flashing, and the smell of electronics filling the room, the breaker stood firm.

Woah.

So now I wonder, has anyone actually tripped their breaker? Exceeded the 15A most U.S. houses are wired for?

If you've ever owned a SAE MkIIIC power amplifier, you've probably tripped a breaker.

I owned one. So, there's your answer.

 

[JayGilb]

My setup is not that powerful.

The only time I've blown a breaker is when changing a light switch with the power-on and shorting-something with a screwdriver!

And, I think I intentionally shorted an outlet once to figure-out which breaker it was on.

I hook a portable radio up to the outlet and listen for it to shut off, just a little safer.

 

[mhardy6647]

No, but I use very sensitive (ahem and electrically efficient) loudspeakers so we don't need to waste nearly as much amplifier power at our house.

 

[MRC01]

... So now I wonder, has anyone actually tripped their breaker? Exceeded the 15A most U.S. houses are wired for?

Yep. My power amp (Adcom 5800) alone can draw 1800 VA which can trip a 15A breaker. When you first turn it on, the surge can draw more than that, dimming the lights in the room and occasionally trips a 20A breaker. Combine that with inefficient speakers (Magnepan 3.6/R) that slurp gobs of power and you need a good breaker before even getting to any other equipment.

 

[OldHvyMec]

I tripped a 20 amp breaker because of a cable drop. I'd never had one and this was a whopper.
The top post were hooked up but not hot to Nord class D NC500/1200 MB speaker cables, banana/male backed of and dropped right on top of a pair of
VTL 300 Deluxe MB speaker cables that were HOT hooked to the monitor section.

I don't use the bass section on any monitors, I normally use, BUT instead of disconnection after some testing I left the the cable hooked up
on the right side. Those cable must have had bomb sites. They could not have hit the bottom cable termination with better precision.

Onward.

I was rockin' along and I hear a high pitched noise and see smoke on the right and in 2 seconds POW 20 amp breaker.

Here's the part I didn't fully understand. The valve amp was plugged into a 20 amp dedicated circuit with a Trip-Lite 2400. The class Ds were
plugged into a dedicated 15 amp circuit. The only fuse that blew was a 20 amp main on L1. The 15 amp was on L2 where the class D mb amps
were switched OFF and weren't affected. They were new at the time.

The total was high at the end of 2 second but grew after the initial bone up. It blew the transformer, blew a cap and smoked a trace for the
signal valves. It didn't stop there it blew a power valve so we got a little show. (2 seconds MAX). The signal circuit did not fail safe, I guess
to cause the power tube fire. LOL.

I was thinking I lost a tube and I'll just swap the MB amp for a MC275, I had there.
I be up and running in 5 minutes right? I plug in the MC275 and reset the breaker and GUESS WHAT? I didn't look for dropped cables
I thought I blew a power valve. I turn it on and I look and the right speakers ACG3 tweeter and the ribbon MELTS and the breaker pops
in 1 second. WTF. NOW I look behind the speaker and see the precision of Robin Hood splitting and arrow TWICE. The perfect cable drop
was laying there on top of the monitor cable and didn't budge while I swapped power amps. POW! another tube fire and once again
not a fuse or breaker popped on any of the equipment. That blew a transformer only on the Mac.

When I saw what really happen, I felt like Daffy Duck and the Road Runner combined and the word "Despicable" came to mind
as Daffy reattached his bill to his face.

I went outside calmly and turned a John Deere tractor over and hit a swing set. The dog is under the house now and freekin' out.
She breaks off a PVC 3/4 spicket and water it spraying everywhere. The wife comes out and handed me a swim suit and walked inside.
She never said a single word.

It didn't stop. 6 weeks later I lost the right channel on a C2500. It lost a valve on the right main and the bias circuit took a shit.

There you have it. I'm a mechanic for heavens sake, I felt like an idiot, and I don't say that lightly. I had never had a cable drop
and buddy I have had some heavy cables. I change the type of bananas forever and shrink tube the cable lock if I ever use them.
I use copper, silver or silver over copper spades NOW. The post use heavy long copper nuts. they get torqued.

The dog (Gracy) was fine. She has gone to heaven now. She was a good mechanic so she thought. She was always there under a
dozer or something with me for a big old sloppy lick in the face. If I dropped a tool she would pick it up. Good baby.

Regards.

 

[gnarly]

Yep. Usually outdoors though, when I've set up for a party or something.....dang sub amps.

But occasionally indoors too, on 115V 20 amp.

Here's a full-range 4-way active speaker that's popped 20 amps a few times.
It's not that the speaker has low sensitivity, it's just made to have huge SPL with no headroom restrictions, so burst/peak current can be high.
One loud, clean, SOB.... At least one of the 'House of Blues' chain, used them as their main speakers.
(it will run on either 115V or 230V)

 

[puppet]

My house is wired for 20A.

I hope not.

 

[Speedskater]

Well a lot of older (pre WWII) USA homes only have (or had) 15 Amp circuits. I think that it's more common for somewhat newer Canadian homes to have 15 Amp circuits.

 

[Speedskater]

Even in large home theater systems, if they turn the amplifiers on one at a time, the system will be happy playing very loud!

 

[MRC01]

My house is wired for 20A. ...

I hope not.

Well a lot of older (pre WWII) USA homes only have (or had) 15 Amp circuits. I think that it's more common for somewhat newer Canadian homes to have 15 Amp circuits.

To clarify, I suspect that your house is wired for 100 or 200 A, with 15 - 20 A circuits in the breaker box.

 

[egellings]

If I put the coffee maker on and at the same time nuke a little pitcher of milk to warm it a bit for my coffee creamer, pop goes the weasel.

 

[AudiOhm]

If I put the coffee maker on and at the same time nuke a little pitcher of milk to warm it a bit for my coffee creamer, pop goes the weasel.

This is why it is code to have split receptacles in the kitchenso this does not happen...

Ohms

 

[Waxx]

To clarify, I suspect that your house is wired for 100 or 200 A, with 15 - 20 A circuits in the breaker box.

Belgian homes have a standard connection of minimum 9.2kVa (40A x 230V) in single phase, but most new homes are using 3 phase because of solar panels, electric cars and so, and that is mostly 17,3 kVA, incomming at 400V, but after the counter there is a system that puts it in 230V with 75A. And if you still need more you can be double connected to 150A 230V. Whatever your system is, the plugs in the wall are all 16A except for electric heating or cooking where there is a 32A circuit. US systems will be similar but in 110V and higher A.