Power points maximum?

[iSTELTHYi]

Hi all.

Just wondering if there is a limit on power points? I've been led to believe that it doesnt matter how many items you have on a powerpoint...

Moving house soon and will only have 4 outlets (2x duals) to service my computer and TV, which is currently 3x duals.

Or, can i just run power boards off power boards? I dont want to overload things and risk burning the house down.


Thanks

[Creekin]

technically u can just run powerboards off powerboards.
but its not advisable, and some even say not to (usually those with surge protection built in)

the limit of the GPO (general power outlet) is dictated by the fuse/breaker and the cabling
usually it is 10amps/2400w, the cabling and fuse may sometimes be rated higher but this is the limit for gpo's

so the trick is to know how many watts ur rig pulls and dont exceed 2400
small heaters and hair dryers are often 2400w on their own, not much else is
pcs usually pull a few 100 at best, unless your folding or something
small plugpacks and the associated array of pc gadgets generally pull 2/5 of fuck all, and with the big badly designed trannys can often take up half a board on their own so multiple boards is needed
http://forums.overclockers.com.au/sh....php?t=1045021

i try to keep it to a max of 2 boards per outlet (so yes 4 per dual gpo)

please dont set ur house on fire

[TERRA Operative]

10 amps or 2400 watts (same thing) per point.

That means you can technically daisy chain 50 power boards (although it's not a good idea), as long as the total amount of load that is on the actual power point doesn't exceed 10 amps.

That is per point, ie. a double power outlet can handle 20 amps in total, however the limit then is your circuit breaker. it will probably limit you to 16 or 20 amps for the *entire* circuit.

[HotHed]

Also, most powerboards have overload protection.

Plug the powerboard in first, which has the feature, then piggyback off that.
(its usually a button on the side)

[Creekin]

Originally Posted by TERRA Operative

That is per point, ie. a double power outlet can handle 20 amps in total

nope, they will both be on the same circuit and even though the actual breaker might be 16A, its got that overhead for safety, so best not to tell the noobz about it

[TERRA Operative]

Maybe I should clarify what I meant. The double outlet itself can handle 20 amps divided equally across the two 10 amp points. The circuit protection capacity will then determine the total loading limit for the circuit, so assuming there is nothing else on the circuit, you may or may not trip the circuit protection depending if it is rated to 16 or 20 amps when fully loaded to capacity.

Unless I've been missing something in my trade for the last 10 years?

[iSTELTHYi]

Cheers for the replies.

Will only be monitors, and other random PC gear (printer, switches, and 2 NASs), so hopefully it wont be much at all.


All the powerboards i have atm are surge protected ones. Will this be an issue?
And i'm assuming i can run it like this

PP > 10m extension > Power board > many power boards

[Fred Nurk]

Theres also the small (scary) detail that the breakers don't actually trip at 16.1A either... Not good if you're expecting the breaker to trip to tell you that you've overloaded the circuit either.

[TERRA Operative]

Originally Posted by iSTELTHYi

Cheers for the replies.

Will only be monitors, and other random PC gear (printer, switches, and 2 NASs), so hopefully it wont be much at all.


All the powerboards i have atm are surge protected ones. Will this be an issue?
And i'm assuming i can run it like this

PP > 10m extension > Power board > many power boards

I run more gear than that on one circuit (double actually) and have not had a problem for years.

Originally Posted by Fred Nurk

Theres also the small (scary) detail that the breakers don't actually trip at 16.1A either... Not good if you're expecting the breaker to trip to tell you that you've overloaded the circuit either.

That factor is accounted for in the design stage and standards that the wiring complies with. 16.1 amps isn't going to burn your house down when the cable used for power circuits is rated to around 25 amps maximum in perfect situations (more along the lines of 20 amps in a domestic installation, with headroom).

[Jonchilds]

In short, if you use all available power points before daisy chaining power boards, you'll be "safer". However, as long as you have an appropriate fuse or circuit breaker installed on the wiring circuit (in your meter box or distribution board) then the chances of burning the house down are slim.

If you get equipment drop out, turn off or crash when you start something on the powerboard (eg, a higher powered device like a printer) then it's probably best to put that device on it's own outlet.

Go forth and consume.

[Creekin]

Originally Posted by TERRA Operative

Maybe I should clarify what I meant.

yeah sry wasnt having a go at u
i havent seen many 20A breakers or cables in homes, apart from perhaps one for kitchen or laundry
always thought 16 was the standard? new homes getting 20s now?

plus i am used to working with production lighting and dimmers that are always 10A and are notorious for breaking early (anything over 2300w) so used to being conservative

in my trade for the last 20 years

[iSTELTHYi]

Originally Posted by TERRA Operative

I run more gear than that on one circuit (double actually) and have not had a problem for years.

Cheers.

You guys just saved my new place from having miles of cables along the walls lol

[Thomas505]

Originally Posted by iSTELTHYi

Hi all.

Just wondering if there is a limit on power points? I've been led to believe that it doesnt matter how many items you have on a powerpoint...

Moving house soon and will only have 4 outlets (2x duals) to service my computer and TV, which is currently 3x duals.

Or, can i just run power boards off power boards? I dont want to overload things and risk burning the house down.


Thanks

Yes there is a limit - and of course it matters how many items you have on a power point. Although what that person may have been trying to say is its not necessarily the amount of items as it is the total power draw (ie: you could probably hook 10 phone chargers safely to a power point but not 2 heaters).

The simplest answer is to try and spread the load across power points as much as possible whilst ensuring you are less than the 2400W limit of the power point.

[TERRA Operative]

Originally Posted by Creekin

yeah sry wasnt having a go at u
i havent seen many 20A breakers or cables in homes, apart from perhaps one for kitchen or laundry
always thought 16 was the standard? new homes getting 20s now?

plus i am used to working with production lighting and dimmers that are always 10A and are notorious flow breaking early (anything over 2300w) so used to being conservative

in my trade for the last 20 years

Yeah, it seems 20 amp breakers has become more common lately (in the last few years at least). 16 is what was used a lot before. More electrical stuff in houses means more powerz down the wirez I guess.. It often comes down to if you run the cables in insulation or space the insulation away for air flow as to what you can get away with.

Don't get me started on dimmers either........



20 years? You old boy...

[iSTELTHYi]

Originally Posted by Jonchilds

In short, if you use all available power points before daisy chaining power boards, you'll be "safer". However, as long as you have an appropriate fuse or circuit breaker installed on the wiring circuit (in your meter box or distribution board) then the chances of burning the house down are slim.

If you get equipment drop out, turn off or crash when you start something on the powerboard (eg, a higher powered device like a printer) then it's probably best to put that device on it's own outlet.

Go forth and consume.

Yeah i'll run everything off the one double (and leave the other double for TV+xbox etc).

Should i be using each powerpoint from the double, or is that moot considering (from what i understood from the posts here) they're on the same circuit?