# House electrical circuit question, light dimming issue, can it be fixed?



## SQBubble (Nov 12, 2007)

As the title says... wasnt sure where to post this question... seems to be the most suited place to do so...

anyways when i turn on my crown xti2000, my room light dims for a second or 2, also when 50-60hz bass plays loud. I guess im pulling too much current? i know little about electric and it doesnt bother me much but would really like to fix it if possible... 

if I change the wall outlet with this one:
http://www.psaudio.com/shop/power-port-premier/

would it solve the issue? or the problem is beyond the wall socket?


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Not an electrician by trade, but I think the issue is beyond the outlet. Does the light have a dimmer on it?


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

SQBubble said:


> As the title says... wasnt sure where to post this question... seems to be the most suited place to do so...
> 
> anyways when i turn on my crown xti2000, my room light dims for a second or 2, also when 50-60hz bass plays loud. I guess im pulling too much current? i know little about electric and it doesnt bother me much but would really like to fix it if possible...
> 
> ...


No, it will not do anything for you.
Since you asked the question the way you did the issue is not something you can fix yourself.
Call a well established licensed electrician that is a member of the BBB and the local Chamber of Commerce.
Have them evaluate what you need for electrical service to the home and to your equipment location.
If they want to do more than add a circuit breaker to the existing box and run new wires to a new outlet where you have your gear get a second evaluation and bid from another licensed electrician.
This will cost $$ to $$$ depending on what is needed.


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## SQBubble (Nov 12, 2007)

ALMFamily said:


> Not an electrician by trade, but I think the issue is beyond the outlet. Does the light have a dimmer on it?


ya there is a dimmer on the room light switch



chashint said:


> No, it will not do anything for you.
> Since you asked the question the way you did the issue is not something you can fix yourself.
> Call a well established licensed electrician that is a member of the BBB and the local Chamber of Commerce.
> Have them evaluate what you need for electrical service to the home and to your equipment location.
> ...


I wouldnt go this far just for that, hehe!! it was just out of curiosity as to why it happens and what is the weaklink in general when that happens?


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Definitely save your money. No outlet upgrade will make the difference you are looking for.

The only changes that might help:

Re-wire your house.
Install a nuclear power pack.
Get a bigger power amp. Not knocking Crown, I LOVE their products.
Actually, a bigger power amp might improve the problem when you hit that big bass note, but the power-on surge might get worse.

What are you driving with that thing, anyway?:bigsmile:


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

I like the nuclear power pack suggestion.
That made me think a flux capacitor could also work.


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## RBTO (Jan 27, 2010)

SQBubble said:


> ya there is a dimmer on the room light switch


Could be something is getting into the line and affecting the dimmer. Take the dimmer out and see if the problem persists. If it does, it's time for an electrician!


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

Is the amp on a dedicated circuit or are there other things running on the same circuit? If you can isolate the amp to run on it's own line then it should solve the problem. I know that is sometimes impossible and if it is then like said you will need an electrician.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

In some situations this can be caused by loose connections at the breaker panel. Have an electrition check those connections as well as possibly the connections at the plugins.


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## ewardjr69 (Feb 25, 2013)

I am having a similar issue with my lights dimming when I crank things up. I am also getting an outlet put in for a projector this week so while he's here I'm going to have him run a dedicated 20 amp line with 115 circuit outlet. I'll have the dedicated line and circuit and will run my seatons off of it.


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## tcarcio (Jun 27, 2007)

ewardjr69 said:


> I am having a similar issue with my lights dimming when I crank things up. I am also getting an outlet put in for a projector this week so while he's here I'm going to have him run a dedicated 20 amp line with 115 circuit outlet. I'll have the dedicated line and circuit and will run my seatons off of it.


I use to have the same problem that is why I mentioned it in my previous post but I ran a heavy duty extension from my back room to my amps and it worked fine. I was able to hide the cord so it wasn't a cosmetic problem for me so that was nice.


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Others have made an excellent point about getting the power amp onto its own circuit. That could very well solve the problem.:T


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

I do not suggest putting the amp on its own circuit unless you have a real p-ower hog. Run a dedicated 20 amp circuit for the entire system and keep the whole AV system on its own circuit without any other devices. The problem is the wiring to the circuit is too light and/or too many other things running simultaneously or something aged or defective in the circuit like oxidized connections, a bad breaker, or other bad connections.


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## RBTO (Jan 27, 2010)

lcaillo said:


> I do not suggest putting the amp on its own circuit unless you have a real p-ower hog. Run a dedicated 20 amp circuit for the entire system and keep the whole AV system on its own circuit without any other devices. The problem is the wiring to the circuit is too light and/or too many other things running simultaneously or something aged or defective in the circuit like oxidized connections, a bad breaker, or other bad connections.


I think this point should be well taken. With an up to par circuit, you shouldn't be seeing lights dim!! It's either something affecting the dimmer on the light circuit, or you need to have a qualified electrician take a look at your electrical feed. The FCC used to park in truck stops and catch truckers using illegal linear amps for their CBs when their headlights would dim, but that doesn't apply to a correctly functioning house circuit.


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## Rick R (Dec 3, 2013)

lcaillo said:


> I do not suggest putting the amp on its own circuit unless you have a real p-ower hog. Run a dedicated 20 amp circuit for the entire system and keep the whole AV system on its own circuit without any other devices. The problem is the wiring to the circuit is too light and/or too many other things running simultaneously or something aged or defective in the circuit like oxidized connections, a bad breaker, or other bad connections.


I fully agree with the above, exactly what I have done. 

@ SQBubble

I don't know what the wiring regulations are for your area but here lighting runs off separate circuits to the main power ring main. It almost sounds as though the amp is running off the lighting circuit (or the same circuit) which is not rated for that kind of load. In which case this could be kinda risky, overloads can cause overheating in circuits and in the worst case is a fire risk.

My advice, get it checked out by a qualified electrician as soon as possible, you have a problem here that has the potential to turn serious


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## SQBubble (Nov 12, 2007)

wow okay!! well its been like that for a good 5-6years... lol, i mean i almost never turn it loud like i did so that the lights keeps dimming lol, it was just a one time thing.. if i keep it at moderate level like i always do, it shouldnt be a problem no? happens just with the subs too, and its at 2ohm on each channel iirc if that makes a difference?

always i remember when i had my 18" subwoofer i dindt had this dimming when music playing loud, but that was probably because i dindt need to push the amplifier too much for the same level of volume...


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## RBTO (Jan 27, 2010)

If you run it at a lower level so the lights don't dim, it won't make the fire burn cooler. Get it checked out!


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

icaillo (Leonard) is very much the expert in these matters, do what he says.

Lights dimming _slightly_ and _briefly_ from a turn-on current inrush for a piece of equipment with a big power supply is not terribly unusual in my experience. Lights dimming _at all_ from normal operating currents, even if pushing the volume, does not sound OK to me, that might be worth getting checked out.

Definitely follow Leonard's lead on this one.


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

Well, I appreciate the confidence, Wayne, but I am no electrician. I would defer to a professional on that. Just giving my experience after many hundreds of installations.


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## mr_sparkelo (Dec 5, 2007)

In my opinion, having your AV system on its own circuit would be great!!
It would, likely, resolve your problem. However, running a HR (home run) circuit to a chosen room can be a great hassle (even for someone in the trade).
The dimming of other (in line) circuits is not at all uncommon. Houses are roped (wired) fast and cheaply; Many times rooms (lights and all) are wired in together on a single HR (circuit breaker).


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

mr_sparkelo said:


> In my opinion, having your AV system on its own circuit would be great!!
> It would, likely, resolve your problem. However, running a HR (home run) circuit to a chosen room can be a great hassle (even for someone in the trade).
> The dimming of other (in line) circuits is not at all uncommon. Houses are roped (wired) fast and cheaply; Many times rooms (lights and all) are wired in together on a single HR (circuit breaker).


When I first moved into our house, I took the time to determine the fuse that every outlet/light fixture was wired to, and the phase that every fuse was part of. It is my understanding that it is wise, if for some reason the whole AV system cannot be on one circuit, that it at least all be on the same phase. Is that a notion that anyone can confirm or deny?


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

AudiocRaver said:


> When I first moved into our house, I took the time to determine the fuse that every outlet/light fixture was wired to, and the phase that every fuse was part of. It is my understanding that it is wise, if for some reason the whole AV system cannot be on one circuit, that it at least all be on the same phase. Is that a notion that anyone can confirm or deny?


I did an experiment when I did my 3 dedicated circuits (over kill I know) and tried it both ways. In my case I could not hear any difference at all no matter how I had the equipment connected or the wires connected to the three breakers.
I think more important is to make sure the cable or sat line coming into the house and to that location is well grounded. And have everything on a dedicated good quality surge protector not just a whole house one.


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

I should clarify. The main reasons I was given for having all interconnected AV & computer components on the same _phase_ had to do with equipment safety from power glitches and surges. When I was first told this, I thought it was nonsense. Within days I inadvertently set up a serial interconnection between two computers running on the two phases available in the office I was working in, and one of the two serial cards involved failed almost immediately. Once burned, I have been careful about it ever since.

Staying as close to topic as I can - electric service hookups that are safe for people, house, and AV equipment - has anyone had training or experience that confirms that the idea makes sense?


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

AudiocRaver said:


> Is that a notion that anyone can confirm or deny?


That’s what I’ve always recommended to people. I don’t know if it’s an industry standard or not, at least in home audio, but it’s the way we spec’d systems back when I used to do pro audio installations (dedicated, isolated ground circuits all on the same phase). The owner of the company was an EE, so I figured he knew what he was doing! 

It’s supposed to be for noise. I know, doesn’t make sense on paper. However, a few years ago when I put in a couple of dedicated circuits for my system I was unable to drop an outlet for our TV, because it’s on an outside wall with ho attic access.  So it had to use an existing plug. I did notice some noise and determined that that circuit was the opposite phase from the new dedicated circuits. I switched it over, and the noise was noticeably reduced.

Regards, 
Wayne


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## lcaillo (May 2, 2006)

The reason to keep things on the same circuit is to have one ground path and minimize the pathways for noise current to flow. In most cases it won't make much difference, but sometimes it does. Same phase, well that should not make a difference.


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## RBTO (Jan 27, 2010)

AudiocRaver said:


> I should clarify. The main reasons I was given for having all interconnected AV & computer components on the same _phase_ had to do with equipment safety from power glitches and surges. When I was first told this, I thought it was nonsense. Within days I inadvertently set up a serial interconnection between two computers running on the two phases available in the office I was working in, and one of the two serial cards involved failed almost immediately. Once burned, I have been careful about it ever since.
> 
> Staying as close to topic as I can - electric service hookups that are safe for people, house, and AV equipment - has anyone had training or experience that confirms that the idea makes sense?


When you have two outlets on different feeder buses (in residential wiring there are typically two feeder circuits with a neutral), it's possible to have a potential higher than 110VAC present (i.e. 220VAC) between those outlets. Some equipment may have weaknesses that could lead to failure under these circumstances (there was a post in another thread where an individual fried his cable box & TV HDMI input board by connecting that equipment between two outlets). If I were wiring for my AV center, I would keep everything on one dedicated circuit which circumvents this situation.

There is also no guarantee at all that the ground on those two outlets will have the same potential - typically _they don't _- which can lead to noise and sometimes smoke problems.


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## billwallace6 (Jan 22, 2014)

You have received some good advice. You haven't mentioned any specs. You are talking about a UL approved 20 amp circuit breaker I assume?


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

In my case it is an older home with fuses, 20 amp, all wiring to code with grounded outlets (verified). My system is in two sections, two different circuits. I am moving to optical interface between the two sections of the system to minimize noise. All is on the same phase, partly because that is just the way it is, and partly to satisfy my own superstition about keeping it all on the same phase. That's okay, is it not, as long as I'm willing to admit I am satisfying a superstition?:innocent:


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## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

It’s not necessarily superstition – see my previous post. 

Regards, 
Wayne


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## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Yeah, that looks like a pretty solid set of guidelines. I guess the superstition part of it for me is that it "feels better" that way.

Then there is the fact that I have measured AC voltages of 5 go 10 V between the grounds of outlets on different phases. Could be nothing at all, or could be something that is better avoided. So my policy is "just so no."

Glad to see some confirmation on the topic. Thanks!


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## adauphin (Feb 26, 2012)

Most times you don't need a dedicated circuit for you HT, but keep in mind there are other outlets and loads on the same circuit if you're not using a dedicated circuit.....you have to share. How much is on your current HT circuit is anyone's guess but you could be at the limit of capacity when things get cranked up.

Once I added my B&K 200.2 amp, I had a dedicated 20A circuit ran for the amp..I also added a second 20A circuit to run everything else. Overkill....maybe but when things get turned up I don't have to worry about it anymore. My amp will not pull 20A when I am using it, I understand this, but at full throttle you should keep some reserve and all amps vary. HT pulls a lot of current with everything is used in tandem, couple that with lights, and whatever is attached to that circuit things get loaded up.

I know the B&K manual states that a dedicated circuit is very important, again this is for this particular amp and I'm sure utmost SQ was in question.

I agree if your lights are dimming when in use, I would consult an electrician friend or business to evaluate your system. This shows that your amp is starving for current at these levels.


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