Electrical Requirments for Church Sound Stage Setup

[GT Music]

Our church is reconstructing the sanctuary with all new electrical design and breaker boxes, new circuts. My concern is that the circuts for the stage and sound booth are not isolated nor dedicated. Im told that the stage lighting and stage outlets will be on one circut and the sound booth will be on another (don't know what will be associated with that circut!). I need some input from those who can help me communicate to my pastor about using only one isolated and dedicated circut for both stage and sound booth. Is this the correct thinking on this or am I way off base? any help would be appreciated.

GT

[gadgetguy]

Your concern is not completely unfounded, but it all depends on your specific design and what your equipment needs are. Having said that, there's no reason for the stage and sound booth circuits to be isolated or dedicated, with the possible exception of the sound board and it's associated equipment. But there are too many variables to make a sweeping statement. Personally, I always want lighting and recepts on separate circuits so that if I plug something in that blows the breaker, I'm not left standing in the dark.

[GT Music]

I the passed we always had buzz and hums during our worship time, it all came down to the new refrigerators in our cafe which were on the same circut as the stage recepts. So I'm certain that we need (isolation) from outside sources. I guess we'll just have to experiment and pray for the best. thanks for the advice.

[gadgetguy]

Refrigerators on the same circuit as anything else will usually cause problems. The sound board and the associated recording/mixing/amplification equipment should be the only concern as far as interference. They should all be on a dedicated circuit. But there's quite a difference between a dedicated circuit and an isolated circuit. An isolated circuit requires an isolation transformer and separate grounding. It's doubtful that you need to go to these lengths, as this type of installation is usually reserved for communications and large computer systems. What you described in your first post should take care of the hum from the refrigerators. If necessary, a line conditioner for the sound equipment should take care of any line induced noise on your sound system.

[dLee]

If I'm reading between the lines correctly, it sounds like your church is trying to do this on a shoestring budget.

For low budget / no budget projects, it's always worth it to hire an experienced contractor for a consultation. For the $500 USD or so that it will cost, you'll get the correct answers so your volunteer labor can proceed with confidence.

You're in SoCal, so it should be a breeze to find a contractor experienced in wiring venues with stage lighting and sound.

In my experience, stage outlets are all on one 15 amp circuit and are there as a convenience for maintenance and rehearsal lighting. Except in very old church / school auditoriums, they are never on the same circuit as stage lighting.