How many amps?

[donster]

How many amps will I need to run my computer,lcd monitor,printer,cable modem,router and speakers? Do you think a single 20 amp surge protector and wall outlet is enough? Or should I split the equipment up and use two seperate outlets?

 

[mikeblas]

I'd expect that you're well under 5 amps.

 

[[Spectre]]

How many amps will I need to run my computer,lcd monitor,printer,cable modem,router and speakers? Do you think a single 20 amp surge protector and wall outlet is enough? Or should I split the equipment up and use two seperate outlets?

A standard 15 amp house circuit will support that and much more

 

[Arcygenical]

For reference...

All 3 CPU's in sig, 3 LCD monitors, a desk lamp a small fridge...

All my gadget chargers (MP3, iPod, Phone), cable modem, phone modem, speaker system...

On one 15a plug, with a hefty surge protector.

 

[donster]

Thanks for your answers! That was a big concern of mine. Did not want any sparks flying!

 

[upriverpaddler]

Chances are that all of your outlets in one room are on the same circuit breaker anyway.

 

[rdmustang1]

Do yourself a favor and get a Kill-A-Watt. Comes in very handy for lots of things and would tell you how much you can put on one circuit.

 

[FnordMan]

Do yourself a favor and get a Kill-A-Watt. Comes in very handy for lots of things and would tell you how much you can put on one circuit.

holy necrobump batman.. *6* years old there.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Put the printer on a separate circuit that is fed by another phase/leg. They cause a voltage drop when they first kick in, lot of UPSes don't react well to that and won ttrip fast enough and the PC may reboot. You can sometimes unplug the UPS before you print something but kinda annoying. Obviously, the printer should NOT be on a UPS.

 

[mikeblas]

How does a Kill-aWatt tell you how much you can put on one circuit? The circuit breaker's rating does that, normally.

 

[FnordMan]

Put the printer on a separate circuit that is fed by another phase/leg. They cause a voltage drop when they first kick in, lot of UPSes don't react well to that and won ttrip fast enough and the PC may reboot. You can sometimes unplug the UPS before you print something but kinda annoying. Obviously, the printer should NOT be on a UPS.

maybe for older printers. I've got two laser printers on the same circuit as my desktop and neither have caused a problem with the UPS.

 

[dandragonrage]

How does a Kill-aWatt tell you how much you can put on one circuit? The circuit breaker's rating does that, normally.

The circuit breaker's rating is only useful when you know how much power your stuff draws. But a K-A-W is a crappy meter that doesn't work well with reactive (non-resitive) loads. I'd sooner recommend a Baytech managed PDU on Ebay that contains a meter. I got one for about $40, and it's way more useful than a stupid Kill-a-watt (though it's somewhat larger).

 

[Elfear]

The circuit breaker's rating is only useful when you know how much power your stuff draws. But a K-A-W is a crappy meter that doesn't work well with reactive (non-resitive) loads. I'd sooner recommend a Baytech managed PDU on Ebay that contains a meter. I got one for about $40, and it's way more useful than a stupid Kill-a-watt (though it's somewhat larger).

Huh. Never heard of that. I've been satisfied with my Kill-A-Watt but I'll have to check out the Baytech PDU.

 

[mikeblas]

The circuit breaker's rating is only useful when you know how much power your stuff draws. But a K-A-W is a crappy meter that doesn't work well with reactive (non-resitive) loads.

The kill-a-watt has PF correction.