[TowerTalk] Shack wiring

[Martin Ewing]

As long as you observe the current limits, nothing is likely to burn up.
IMO the problem is that the surge suppression will not work as effectively
as it should.  The suppression relies on a low-impedance connection to
ground, which will be worse if you have a long daisy chain.  Still, you are
at least somewhat protected by the first device in the chain.

Even if the current drain is in limits, you have all those plugs and sockets
in series.  Many power strips are cheaply built, and you can have poor
contacts.  That just gets worse the more you chain them.  So it's good to
avoid the daisy chain if you can, especially if you're using significant
current.  (But do as I say, not as I do.  I have some of them chained in my
shack.)

Murphy's Law says that somebody will always plug in the vacuum cleaner or
the space heater into a free outlet at the end of the chain.

73 Martin AA6E

p.s. This is OT for TowerTalk.  The Lords of the List are going to axe this
thread any minute.

On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 10:27 AM, Bruce Burnette <k5px at cox.net> wrote:

> I have my shack wired through a series of plug strips, such that I can
> switch off the whole radio side at once without affecting computers or
> lighting.  In effect, all of the outlets are in parallel, but strip A is
> plugged into the wall, Strip B into Strip A, and Strip C into Strip B.
> I recently bought another surge suppressor strip and was surprised to see a
> safety warning about NOT connecting strips this way.  So long as each of
> the
> strips has an identical current rating, or at least so long as those closer
> to the wall outlet are rated higher than those further along, is there any
> real reason not to do what I have done?
>
>
> Pete,
> The thing I would be concerned about is overloading your house circuit.
> Most
> house wiring receptacles are rated at 15 amps for several receptacles , so
> you may be close to the "breaker" limit. Most house wiring is 12/3 which is
> rated for 20 amps, but you need to check the rating on your breaker.
>
> When I wired my shack, I brought 5, 15 amp 110 volt circuits into the shack
> and 3, 220 amp circuits, one @ 30 amps and 2 @ 20 amps. I also have all the
> circuits go through double pole single throw switches. This way both the
> hot
> and natural sides of the circuit are switched off. I don't know if this
> will
> help on a direct strike, but it made me feel better and the switches were
> not that expensive.
>
> Hope this helps.
> 73
> Bruce, K5PX
>
>
>
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-- 
Dr. Martin S. Ewing, AA6E
Member IEEE, URSI, AAS, ARRL
Branford, Connecticut