Electrical Problem.

Robbie Comeau

Robbie Comeau

Como's back. back again
I recently moved into the basement with my new studio.

I got a cheap power bar that holds 8 plugs.

I got that plugged into the wall, and then in the power bar, is my computer, hard drives, a TV monitor, HDV Tape deck, sound system.

Every so often, when my furnace goes on/off, when the kitchen up stairs lights turn on/off, or the front hallway, I get a click or a beep in my stereo. I think it's because it's connected throughout the house and I'm getting a little feedback of some sort.

Will this affect anything? Or should I buy a nice 50 dollar power bar so I can plug all my stuff in to that?

Is it just the plug that's bad in the wall?

Every time I hear it I'm nervous cause I'm working in FCP with my hard drives...

I know I need a new power bar regardless, but in the meantime, should I be ok?

Thanks,

Robbie
 
Is the power strip a surge protector? It sounds like you are getting a surge of electricity when those other appliances turn on.
 
Get one with a power conditioner on it (Furman comes to mind). A surge suppressor will do nothing for the minor fluctuations of power, they just protect against larger spikes. The conditioner, on the other hand, will smooth out the little blips and stuff. Try putting an RF choke on your antenna wire for your stereo too.

And Mattykins is right, a regular power strip is usually not a surge protector, it normally has just a circuit breaker for overloads.
 
As to if you are okay, it's hard to say. But let me ask this question: Do the lights dim/blink when this happens? If so, you may need to get an electrician out to check it out. It sounds like the load is not balanced correctly or you are pulling too much power somewhere/panel not large enough for what you are using. Another issue could be on the neutral side.

But then again if they don't dim, it could just be RF from the arcing/sparking on the contacts. Electrical sparks cause RFI. Listen to an AM radio when there is lightning around and you will see what I mean.
 
Get one of those battery backups. They should even out the flow of electricity I believe. I might be wrong though.
 
Only if they have a power conditioner inline with the "Normal" circuit. Many of the cheaper ones don't. But you get what you pay for with electronics. But Tom is right, get a good UPS and it will have a conditioner in it.
 
It's also a good idea to get one in case you DO lose electricity while you're editing. You'll have 15 minutes or so to save your project and won't be out of luck.
 
Thanks guys.

Doc, no the lights do NOT flicker...I'd be more worried there...Jeesh.

I'll look into that link you gave me!

Robbie
 
It sounds more like an RFI issue than anything else, then. That is, since the only real presentation of a problem is based of of your stereo. The condition or conditioner/UPS is still a good idea.
 
Doc Bernard said:
It sounds more like an RFI issue than anything else, then. That is, since the only real presentation of a problem is based of of your stereo. The condition or conditioner/UPS is still a good idea.
Click to expand...

sure that's one explanation. or it could be that a family suffered a grisly death in that basement and their restless souls now view robbie as an intruder into their territory. if the horrific event was taped, they may be especially angry and revenge seeking being as he is a filmmaker. good luck sleeping tonight, robbie...
 
LOL, what about the house being built on a ancient burial ground of convicted and executed deformed murderers who ate their victims in the dark while naked, in conjunction with the family thing.

Good luck sleeping soundly now Robbie. Better find a new place that we don't know it's history.
 
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