[rescue] Power

[Al Potter]

dittman at dittman.net said:
> If anyone has run new power lines for their home computer room, what
> did you have run, and would you change your choice now that you've had
> it run for a while?

We put around $100k into upgrading the wiring in our lab space (which was 
constructed to our specs) about a year ago.  I learned a few things....


Pull the heaviest wiring you can afford, and wire each recepticle box 
seperately.

If you can, expand your breaker panel, and have these new wires pulled into 
that panel.  You can tie multiple boxes together into one circuit to start 
(to save $$ on breakers), and split them out later to one box per circuit if 
needed.  You can also move a box over to 240 easily later if the panel is 
set up for it in advance (talk to your electrician) without pulling 
additional wire by changing the wiring in the panel and switching out the 
recepticle.

You may have to (or want to) upgrade your service from the street.  Ask your 
electrician first about this, as it will cost big bux.  If you have to do 
this, consider three phase if you can ever imagine using it.


I would start with 20 amp breakers, but wire for 30.  

There are different grades of recepticles, with cheapass home grade on one 
end of the scale, and hospital grade on the other.  Buy the best you can 
afford, as the cheapies heat up and wear out.

Ask your electrician how he would wire differently to meet code for a 
commercial computing facility.  If he says no diff, find a different 
electrician.  The grounding should be better to meet that code, and you may 
wish to go that extra mile.




Hope this helps....




AL