Video | How should I distribute my equipment load on a 20 Amp Circuit?
In this presentation, David Lee, the designer at BASSBOSS, offers insights into optimizing system load distribution to maximize the utilization of available power resources.
Hello. I'm David Lee from BASSBOSS. And we've been asked, what's the best practice for load distribution when hooking up a sound system? In general, you're going to have things that draw a lot of power, things that draw less, and things that draw virtually nothing. From a power consumption perspective, subwoofers, and particularly subwoofer amplifiers, tend to draw the most power. The next most power is drawn by the middle and high cabinets, and things that draw virtually nothing are your mixers, control devices, CD players, and so on.
The key to distributing your load is to put some of each type of device on each circuit. This way, you avoid having all the subs on one circuit and all the mids on another, or having two subwoofers and your mixer on one circuit and the mids on another. If the subwoofers overdraw one circuit, then the mixer may go down. Generally, you want to distribute the load so that it's ideally balanced. Up to about 2,000-2,500 watts is about the maximum continuous draw you can get on a 20-amp circuit. However, amplifiers are dynamic draw devices—they don’t draw a constant current like a light bulb or fan. Instead, they pull current in peaks, at voltage spikes, and specifically at impedance minimums. This means that the average current draw is significantly lower than the peak draw. A bass hit in music, which often coincides with a snare hit, means that the subwoofer and the tops draw from the circuit at different moments. Mixers, processors, CD players, computers, and laptops have a constant but very low draw that won't significantly impact the circuit breaker. For BASSBOSS products, our amplifiers are very efficient, ranging from 92% to 98% efficiency, which varies with level and frequency. In contrast, less efficient amplifiers, like those with toroidal transformers or non-switch mode designs, waste about 30% of power, making them 70% efficient. This waste is a constant draw, unlike the fluctuating draw of switch mode amplifiers. Generally speaking, you can put roughly two amplifiers on a 20-amp circuit, depending on the content and load. When you add a mid-high cabinet, ensure it’s on the same circuit so that the bass and tops draw power at different times, avoiding simultaneous heavy draw. Mid-high cabinets draw significantly less power, so they won’t stress the breaker if not used simultaneously with the subs. If you have three circuits, you might use one for each side and one for the center. Assign the subs to one or two circuits and place your mids, highs, and mixing boards on the third circuit. This way, if a sub trips a breaker, you won’t lose all sound—just one or two subs. Additionally, if you can determine which phase a circuit is on (X leg, Y leg, or Z leg in three-phase systems), try to balance the load across the phases. Don’t overload one leg with all the heavy stuff. For example, distribute the subs and other gear evenly across the X, Y, and Z legs to balance the draw. Hopefully, this advice helps you manage your circuits effectively and keeps the music playing smoothly. Thanks a lot.
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