# how many components can you plug in to one outlet?



## Instal (Apr 8, 2007)

I currently have 20 components plugged in to one outlet. The wife has voiced some concern. I have a noma 2 - 6 outlet box plugged into the wall. From there I have 2 good quality (I think?) APC power bars. The only components that draw any amperage are the Viewsnic 37" LCD and the Harmon Kardon AVR525. All components are never on at the same time but just for a test I fired everything up last night and ran it for over an hour with no problem (wow did all those LED's look pretty). Could this arrangement cause any problems?


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

You should be fine with a good quality surge protector as long as you're not pulling more than the circuit is rated for (usually 10-15 amps).


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## bassman_soundking (Nov 4, 2008)

What he said^^^


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## Instal (Apr 8, 2007)

Thanks guys the wife will rest better tonight


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Should be fine just my only concern is the noma 2 - 6 outlet box that all the rest of the gear is plugged into. If there is a weak link that would be it. If I were you I would get your self two of those heavy duty rubber block plugs that have three plugs in each (one on each of the three exposed sides) You want a good contact between that and the main plugin and your APC bars.


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## Instal (Apr 8, 2007)

Thanks Tony, I'm not familiar with the rubber block plug yu have described. A little more info please.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

One like this







or like this








Generally they are just made of good solid rubber and have nice thick brass conductors.


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## Instal (Apr 8, 2007)

Thanks very much for posting the pics Tony I will look for them.


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## selden (Nov 15, 2009)

*shudder*

I prefer outlet strips which include a switch and a circuit breaker; surge protectors are an additional bonus.

For some reason when I think of "cube taps" like that, I can't help but imagine them burning up in a cloud of black, toxic smoke when something shorts out in the equipment. It isn't particularly rational, but still...


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## equabilestudios (Jan 17, 2010)

nevertheless, you would be surprised how small the contact rails are in most power strips and surge protectors. and i have seen inside the block splitters too. same deal. 
its important not to exceed the rating of the power strip.
Find the breaker all the gear is on. might take a bit of turning stuff on and off. 
but from there add up the total load of the gear. and make sure you are in the clear.
your gear should have stickers that tell you all the info you need.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Most power strips you see on the store shelves with just a simple switch and a push button reset are useless as they use cheap components and as stated above, the power rails inside are very thin and cant even carry the full rated amperage without causing a concern. As far as I am concerned if you cant afford to buy a heavy duty power bar from APC, Balden or an Isobar from TripLite dont even bother with one (Monster bars are simply over priced).


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Lifted from a now defunct page at Lowes.com:

Why You Need Surge Protectors
Surge control is important because even small surges or spikes can eventually destroy or affect the performance of expensive electronic equipment such as computers, phones, faxes, TVs, VCRs, stereos and microwaves. Damage can occur either instantaneously or over time as smaller surges cause the gradual deterioration of internal circuitry. The common use of microprocessors (chips) has increased the need for surge protection because these chips are generally very sensitive to voltage fluctuations. 

What Are Surges and Spikes?
Surges and spikes are an increase in "normal" electrical line voltage, often caused by a sudden change or demand for more electricity, such as turning on a large appliance, garbage disposal, air conditioner, washer, dryer, etc. 
• A surge typically measures less than 500V and lasts less than two seconds.
• A spike, by definition, is much shorter in duration - less than one-thousandth of a second (millisecond), but can measure into the thousands of volts. 
Either type of disturbance can damage electronic equipment beyond practical repair. In addition to change in demand for electricity, bad weather (lightning) and everyday electric utility company switching and maintenance can produce damaging electrical surges on the power line. 


How Surge Protectors Work
Surge protectors act like an electrical sponge, absorbing dangerous excess voltage and preventing most of it from reaching your sensitive equipment. Like a sponge, surge protectors have a limited capacity to absorb. Once the capacity is reached, the unit is no longer protecting your equipment and it should be replaced.


How to Choose a Surge Protector
The following features are found on a quality surge protector:


Good idea: When shopping, note the difference between a power strip and a surge protector. Power strips offer additional outlet space. Surge protectors provide protection from changes in electrical current.
• UL 1449 clamping voltage — Underwriters Laboratories (UL) rates the clamping voltage of surge protectors. The lower the rating, the better the protection. The lowest UL rating for clamping voltage is 330 volts. UL tests household surge protectors at 500 amps. Other types such as whole-house or heavy duty, industrial models have a multitude of differences in their testing program. When comparing clamping voltages, make sure the rating reflects 500 amp test results. 
• 3-Line protection — Surges can occur between hot, neutral and ground lines. Choose a unit that protects along all three lines. 
• Circuit breaker — A breaker stops the flow of electricity when a circuit is overloaded and is not related to surges or spikes. 
• Ground indicator light — This light shows that the "ground" path is intact to provide safety. 
• Response time — This rating indicates how fast a surge protector can react. The faster the better. 
• Indicator light — This indicator lets you know the unit is protecting. Once the unit has reached its capacity and is no longer protecting, the light will go out. 
• Power shut down protection — This feature shuts off power to all outlets once the unit has reached its capacity to protect. Power shut down prevents additional surges and spikes from reaching connected equipment before the surge protector is replaced. This assures you that if the unit has power, it is protecting. 
• Cable line protection — Coaxial cable lines can carry surges and spikes. For complete protection of your TV/VCR, you should protect the cable line as well as the power line. To protect this equipment, select a surge protector with coax line protection. 
• Digital satellite line protection — Digital satellite lines can also carry surges and spikes. These lines, however, cannot be connected to standard coax cable jacks. Be sure to choose a surge protector with specially designed digital satellite jacks. 
• Phone line protection — Surges can occur on telephone lines. Phones, answering machines, fax machines and modems can be damaged from surges on the phone lines. To protect this equipment, select a surge protector with phone line protection. 
• EMI/RFI — Electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI) are types of noise on the power line that can interfere with equipment performance and possibly cause memory loss. When comparing EMI/RFI specs, the wider the frequency range (kHz to MHz) and the greater the noise reduction in decibels (dB) across that frequency range, the better the filtering. 
• Joule rating — A joule is a measurement of energy. The joule rating on a surge protector indicates the amount of energy that a device is capable of absorbing. In general, the higher the joule rating, the better the unit is able to protect your equipment and the longer it will last. The joule rating is determined by the total number of MOV's. An MOV (Metal Oxide Varistor) is a component in surge protectors that absorbs excess electrical energy and clamps the voltage to a safe level. 
• Alarm — An audible alarm lets you know the surge protector is no longer protecting and should be replaced. This feature is important when the unit does not feature power shut down protection or when the indicator light is out of sight. 
• Guarantee — Check the manufacturer's warranty. A data recovery program is an added bonus that will cover costs related to the task of recovering data on a malfunctioning hard drive as a result of a surge.

Surge Protector Safety Tips
• Do not exceed the electrical rating of the product. 
• Surge protectors are designed for indoor use in dry location. 
• Surge protectors are not intended for use with aquariums. 
• If the surge protector features a power cord: 
○ Uncoil the cord before use. 
○ Do not cover the cord with any material. 
○ Keep children and pets away from the cord. 
○ Do not plug a surge protector into an extension cord. 

Surge Protector information courtesy of Woods Industries.


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## Instal (Apr 8, 2007)

Wow great info, this gives me something tangible to research. Thanks for the help.


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## moe69r (Dec 3, 2010)

Thanks Marshall. Needed info on this.


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## viccmw (Dec 15, 2010)

*A good enough surge proctector?*

I am about to plonk my $$$ :sweat: on this

http://www.belkin.com/uk/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=159505

Not among the recommended brands by Tony, but need something affordable and that works where I come from. What do you think?

Rgds


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Belkin is a fine brand, but it's hard to find specs on this particular product. I'm sure it will perform fine, but without specs, it's hard to say if you could do just as well for less $$.


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## viccmw (Dec 15, 2010)

Marshall,

Firstly, thanks for your replies and explanations -this and my other posts/threads :T

I cannot find much spec on this item besides this - about the only hard fact is the surge energy rating.


Dataline Surge Protection
Phone line - RJ-11 - 1 input line / 2 output lines , Cable TV/satellite - F connector - 2 lines

Surge Energy Rating
3762 Joules

Circuit Protection
Fuse


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Great read here: http://nam-en.apc.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/65

Short version, not enough info to make a decision with certainty, but Belkin has a good reputation and, if reasonably priced, that product should be fine.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Yup, I would agree. I think the Balkin will work just fine for your use.


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## WooferHound (Dec 8, 2010)

A standard outlet in the USA has a circuit breaker rated at 20 amps, at 120volts this equals 2400 watts. However in most situations there are more than power outlet wired to a circuit breaker.
Most power strips have 16ga wire and are capable of supplying 10 amps or 1200 watts before the breaker in the strip will trip. Heavy duty power strips are wired with 14ga wire and are good for 15 amps or 1800 watts. In most cases the breaker in the power strip will trip if you are pulling too much power through it.

Most Home Theater gear pulls very little power, your TV, audio Receiver or Computer would pull less than 200 watts each, all other gear would pull a lot less than 50 watts, these items would include: Set Top Box, DVD Blu-Ray Player, Clock, Processing Equipment, Satellite Receiver, etc.

If you really want to keep track of your power usage, I would recommend getting a Kill-a-watt meter. It will show you exactly how many amps and watts each piece of equipment uses, or you could plug your power strip into it and get the total of everything put together. I have one and I use it all the time.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882715001

I personally have 2 power strips plugged into the power outlet behind my entertainment center, then I have about 15 devices plugged into those strips and I am not concerned at all about that amount of power.


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## cast55 (Dec 30, 2010)

The problem is knowing what other loads are on the same circuit. One breaker may be responsible for several outlets, installed lighting, etc. To check, flip off the breaker at the distribution box and then note which outlets are no longer live, which lighting doesn't work, etc. My understanding is that common household circuits are 15A, but this is easy to check, as you can read it off the breaker in your distribution box. Once you know how much current the circuit can handle, you need only check the current draw of each device to make sure that the sum total current draw of all connected devices is less than the circuit breaker rating.

One caveat - don't just measure the instantaneous current draw from any given device, as this can be less than the maximum current draw under some operating conditions. Instead, see the specifications for the device in its user manual or datasheet, and use the maximum current draw specified there to determine whether you are within the limit.


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## Tooley (Jan 2, 2011)

Instal said:


> I currently have 20 components plugged in to one outlet. The wife has voiced some concern. I have a noma 2 - 6 outlet box plugged into the wall. From there I have 2 good quality (I think?) APC power bars. The only components that draw any amperage are the Viewsnic 37" LCD and the Harmon Kardon AVR525. All components are never on at the same time but just for a test I fired everything up last night and ran it for over an hour with no problem (wow did all those LED's look pretty). Could this arrangement cause any problems?


In Canada the Fire Marshall would give you a nice stern lecture and most likely a fine. In some areas we can only have 1 power bar plugged into an outlet unless it is a dedicated line.


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