Finishing basement - what do I tell the electrician?

Alright so we're taking the plunge and finishing our basement. I currently have a small listening room in the attic, and may or may not be able to occupy a chunk of the basement for a new, larger listening room. Just in case I do end up in the basement, I'd like a separate electrical line run. What exactly should I tell the electrician? What's the minimum I should do while the entire basement is opened up anyway? Thanks!

 

You can get very involved with separate breaker panels and transformers/grounds/ isolation devices etc but I'm guessing you are looking for a more basic setup. I would recommend running 2 lines rather than one if you have the panel space. It won't take a whole lot more time and the material cost is not that great. I ran two lines and am happy to have the extra receptacles. I keep the digital stuff on one circuit, amps on the other. I have no idea if it makes a difference (lol!) but my OCD was satisfied! I also ran 12 awg wire rather than 14 so that I could easily change the breaker and receptacles to 20 amp from standard 15amp if my needs change in the future. In the meantime, my equipment current demands are modest and I expect that the heavier wire would provide less resistance. I ran my own wire and the cost difference was negligible. If you go on the Home Depot or equivalent websites you can get a good sense of material costs. Upgrading to audiophile type wire or receptacles can drive the price through the roof but everyone has their own price/value calculator!
I did notice a significant improvement in the sound of my setup with the separate circuits.
Good luck with the renovation!

 

I don't know what kind of system you're planning for but if you have the space in the panel, run at least two 220v circuits into 4-8 outlets at every place you think you may set up a system. Electricians tend to work fast and will most likely charge you a minimum so it shouldn't cost that much more to run the extra lines. I'd also suggest that you request (or buy beforehand - it'll be cheaper) some Hubbell 'hospital-grade' or better quality receptacles. This is over-kill for all but the most demanding high watt systems but you'll have it if you need it. You may also consider installing a separate ground (if necessary) and perhaps a balanced transformer next to the box but that will limit the outlets to audio/visual gear - no lamps!

This is a good opportunity for you to run speaker wire, USB and coax cable and whatever else you think you may need in a system but follow the local code and keep them as far away from the electric wires as possible. You don't need an electrician for this but if you find one that knows and has experience with audio/visual, they may do a better job or at least provide helpful recommendations. I did the work myself but I wouldn't suggest electrical work to anyone that doesn't have extensive experience so have fun and be mindful!

 

Thank you both that's very helpful. I don't want to go crazy as this could end up as a playroom, but I definitely want to have something in place just in case.

 

I would advocate against separate lines for digital and analog.
Because, in home stereo systems, all components (CD players and amps), are connected via unsymetrical coax cables.
Having amps and digital on different lines and maybe different phases of the 3-phase power line, is more likely to cause humming trouble, when everything is connected.

I would go for all stereo (and video) equipment from the same phase and line. It's a good idea to plan to have 5 or so more receptacles than needed by now...

But have a different line for the lighting and general purpose receptacles (vacuum cleaner, desk lamp, or whatever..)

If you want to go for separate power lines for the stereo and the other electrics, at all.

 

I am actually dealing with this today. We bought another house and needed some electrical work anyway. The box is getting replaced and up to code.

I bought an EP-2050 whole house surge protector for the electrician to install. And I inquired about a dedicated line when he was out there working up an estimate. One is being installed. It's 20 amp. Now my equipment doesn't need that. In fact I don't even think I will know the difference on my set up with either the ep-2050 and line but I am planning for the future.

So my questions are, should I go ahead and run 2 lines today? I was just planning to get a nicer power conditioner and plug into it. Should I connect directly to the outlet?

Ep-2050: Environmental Potentials EP-2050 Whole House Surge Protector

 

Let me correct myself... I suggested running 220v lines but what I meant to say was 20 amp , 120v. I installed a 220 circuit this week and it must've been fresh in mind...sorry.

 

I would think that you would want all of the dedicated lines to your gear to be on the same "leg" of the panel.....I think this is a code requirement anyway.

 

The minimum? Run a 10 gauge, 20 amp line.

 

220 volts? What sort of consumer-level sound equipment in the US uses 220 volt lines?

 

No. Unless you live in a real goofy municipality. The only limit is spacing and max. number of outlets per leg.

F1 Nut has it right. 10 Ga. wire to 20 amp breaker is about as as beefy as you could ever need to go.

Most importantly, make sure the entire house is properly grounded.

 

I am in the midst of repairing water damage in my finished basement. I was surprised to find that current homeowner's insurance does not cover any of that.

We had never owned a house in this area before, nor one with a basement, so I didn't know what precautions were needed. The contractor did some things that should have been avoided. Perhaps you are well informed on basement building, but if not, let me know if you want to hear more.

 

I've been told by one than one person that installing a hospital grade outlet like the Hubbell outlets referred to above is one of the best Cost-Benefit audio expenses out there.

 

PM JE48

M~

 

I have 7 lines for HIFI with 7 separate breakers and those 7 lines have separate phase from rest of the house.
And i like how it work.

 

I'd also run some conduit in the walls for "future" expansion. Terminate with blank wall outlets for now. You could run speaker cable, CAT6, or whatever. It's inexpensive to run when there are no walls.

 

This. Regardless of how you decide to run the ac wire.

 

I would recommend running Southwire/Cerro THHN rated wire that you cryogenically treat. 12 gauge would be the highest I would run unless lengths are long from the panel. Worked very well for me. Best wishes.

 

Thanks everyone. So the consensus seems to be, that at a minimum, I should run 10 ga. wire to a 20 amp breaker, while running extra for unknown future changes, and use Hubbell hospital grade receptacles. Sounds simple enough to me!

 

Roxul Safe & Sound in the ceiling so you minimize sound transmission between floors.

 

Oh, VERY IMPORTANT, the recomended wire should be the stranded version (not solid core). It sounds better and it's easier to work with. The strands are not fine. They're pretty stiff thin solid cores.

 

Noted

 

I just had all new electric run in a very old house. If you are in an older home, check to make sure that they system is grounded to current code. If you are going to get the medical grade outlets (and I did), buy them and install them yourself. They cost about $80 on Amazon and take about two minutes put in. If you electrician can get it done for that, let him have at it. Most of they electrician I have dealt with are not into stereo equipment and look at you like your crazy when you start talking about special needs for your stereo.

 

Yeah my house was built in 1925. LOTS of knob and tube running through the house. We'll of course remove any of it that's running in the basement. I highly doubt anything is properly grounded. The entire house had two prong outlets when we moved in.

 

yep, that was my exact situation. Not to be a buzz kill but you might be better off putting the basement remodel money into running new electric. The box in my house was installed in the 50's had a bunch of corrosion and was some kind of coil mechanism that went out of production in the 70's. It most certainly was not grounded and I'm not sure that it impacts sound quality but it is much, much safer.

After running a dedicated line for my equipment, I am getting a ground hum through my phono stage when the street lights come on at night. I asked my contractor if he had installed the ground rod and he said that he has not. I'm hoping that resolves the issue but I have low expectations. And...I have talked to him many times about this issue and he just looks at me like I'm crazy and has NO thoughts other than "man, that's too bad."



This is what they look like and they cost about $35.