electrical question: PC's, printer, ceiling fan

[AAShooter]

Not all dimmers are created equal and some have better noise filtering than others. Try a good quality dimmer rated for inductive loads and see if it helps.

Amen.

[odysseus]

Not all dimmers are created equal and some have better noise filtering than others. Try a good quality dimmer rated for inductive loads and see if it helps.

Yes, this would be the first, cheapest, and most simple step to do to address the noise issue.

Optimally (you don't have to but for smiles) for sure, a dedicated circuit of course, and get that laser printer off your home office level (assuming) UPS, it isn't helping and does nothing good.

[CarlB]

What you have there is a ground loop caused by unequal return down neutral and possible redundant ground wire in three prong plug when devices are on same circuit. There are ground loop isolators that can mitigate the buzz or growel in your speakers for cheap. Line conditioners and battery UPS devices will not cure your issue.

[AAShooter]

Coming from an electrician, if the panel is close, it would be just as easy to add a new circuit as it would be to add a ground to the existing circuit. It sounds like that circuit is pretty loaded down right now, I would go with a new circuit with a quad receptacle.

^^^^ Wisdom. You will never regret getting your equipment on a separate circuit.

[monk]

I keep meaning to buy this for my house but if you want to trace a breaker without tripping it you could try a toner.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0014FNWJG/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1425958857&sr=8-3&keywords=Circuit+finder&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=417YOe77mDL&ref=plSrch

[audiophil2]

Coming from an electrician, if the panel is close, it would be just as easy to add a new circuit as it would be to add a ground to the existing circuit. It sounds like that circuit is pretty loaded down right now, I would go with a new circuit with a quad receptacle.

I decided I will add a separate 20amp leg. The panel is on the outside wall of my office so 4-5 feet up the wall into the attic and 7ish feet down the wall. I should have had him do it when he ran 3 20 amp legs into my garage but did not want to clear my messy office for him.

I keep meaning to buy this for my house but if you want to trace a breaker without tripping it you could try a toner.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0014F...mDL&ref=plSrch

I have a GB unit just like that. Would require me to shut off my electronics and they are not as accurate as one would expect.

[GUNNTZ]

I decided I will add a separate 20amp leg. The panel is on the outside wall of my office so 4-5 feet up the wall into the attic and 7ish feet down the wall. I should have had him do it when he ran 3 20 amp legs into my garage but did not want to clear my messy office for him.




I have a GB unit just like that. Would require me to shut off my electronics and they are not as accurate as one would expect.

Probably the best thing to have a separate circuit, but let me tell you a bit of wisdom I learned. While all of these new dimmable CFL's and LED's have come out now and are cheap, there's a side effect that most people never notice. I recently moved into an slightly older home where ceiling fans were scabbed onto the smoke detector circuit for power. Being the person I am, the smoke detectors were re-checked and found two would not respond to a simulated fire...so they got replaced. While I was up there I put in new and brighter CFL's in the fans. Figured awesome and job well done, wrong!!! A few days after the lights were turned on at the fans, boom all of the smoke's go off and I go WTF. Stopped after a very short time and I scratched my head. Week later, same thing when the lights get switched on. Come to find out the many of the CFL's and LED's dump massive EMI's back on the line and can worsen when a dimmer is used. These EMI's were sending a false signal in my case and setting off the smokes. Moral of my story is, the noise you hear is feedback. The dimming is just from the large warm up load of the laser drum heater and still may been seen even on a separate circuit, just not as bad. Make sure the wire size used is correct or over sized a bit depending on distance from the main. Hope all works out well.