Hi, right now I have a mini fridge in my HT room, the idiot who did our wiring in the house seems to have wired everything in this room (including the lights); to the same outlets as the washing machine in the next room, and the dishwasher upstairs as well as the furnace - I just can get over it...what a total ass! Anwyays ; Whenever the fridge, or the furnace, oR the dishwasher, OR the laundry machine kicks in, the computer monitor in my HT room, sorta goes weird for a minute, then goes back to normal - ive also noticed that sometimes an audible pop can be heard thru my speakers - if im playing them at a loud volume - Can I really screw my receiver/speakers up? My other question is that this awesome hifi store in my city sells these power outlets that are around 90$ that supposedly clean the power (www.targethifi.com); if I get one, will that eliminate the pop/power drop? -tia for any help

It sounds like you are experiencing a voltage drop when an appliance kicks in, then a surge when the appliance comes to normal operating voltage. You must remember that some appliances when first engaged will demand voltage in order to bring them up to their REGULAR MODE OF SERCICE (motors and the like). It certainly would help if these appliances were on a dedicated circuit, a couple of reasons come to mind but home safety is first. Second would be to avoid the problem you are having. Do you have surge protection in place?

CAV104

Hi freesey,

Don't waste your money on the power "outlet" or conditioner. It won't do anything to correct the problem. The initial current draw from a furnace motor, washing machine, refrigerator or air conditioner is substantial, and, as you correctly diagnosed, they should be wired to separate circuits and fuses in your home.

The voltage/current sag is significant enough that your computer monitor and receiver essentially become unstable--almost like quickly turning them off and on again. I'm not a licensed electrician, but you need one. Usually a washer and electric dryer are wired to dedicated circuits (they were in my house in Toronto).

You could run an extension cord from somewhere else in the house from an outlet that isn't on the same circuit as the hungry appliances and use that to power your receiver and computer. By the way the pops or thumps won't damage your receiver or speakers. The power supply to your home may need to be upgraded as well to avoid the current/voltage drops when the appliances kick in.

Best to get an electrician. The rip-off power "conditioners" for audio purposes should be avoided, but a surge suppressor for a computer is okay.

Regards,

Thx Alan that really helps! I know two master electricians! lol Maybe they can gimme a hand!

yes I use a surge protector; on my computer and my sound system - I thought maybe that would be enough - I was thinking about getting a power conditioner - but Alan said it was a waste of money