3. Allow for more than one 15A circuit for home theatres and offices
with printers, faxes, computers, copy machines, and future needs.
Consider installing at least two 20A appliance circuits in these
locations. Try to get these on opposite hot wire legs, if possible,
to keep the load balanced and minimize voltage drop.

Good points. What does opposite hot wire legs mean?



If you are on the North American Electrical System, (USA, Canada,
Mexico), it means that the service to your house is likely to be
120/240 V. also called split-phase. The small appliance outlets in
the house are wired for 120V. but they can be on either leg (either of
2 hot wires and a neutral, from your utility transformer).

I am suggesting that each of the two circuits serving your media room
or home office be wired to separate sides of the hot wires at your
circuit-breaker panel (rather than the same side). Your kitchen is
likely wired that way. In the US, the outlets may even share the same
neutral. As I said, the advantage is that it reduces voltage drop and
keeps a more balanced load on your electric meter. Also 20A circuits
are better than 15A circuits if you have a chance to pre-order this
from your contractor.

The voltage is still 120 to neutral at each outlet, but if you were to
carefully take an AC voltmeter, you would measure something close to
240 volts between the hot legs (the smaller straight slot of a 3-hole
grounded outlet) at two different outlets each wired to different hot
legs. The same measurement on outlets on the same leg (between the
hot slots) will measure near zero volts, but of course the voltage to
neutral or ground is still 120V. Don't shock yourself!

Also, I prefer my computers/electronics not be connected to GFCIs
(Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters), but you may or may not be able to
avoid this. Sometimes GFCIs experience "nuisance tripping", which can
be a real pain for electronics. I've had mine trip off due to induced
power surges from lightning strikes that were blocks away. Actually,
this is very interesting from a scientific point of view, but a pain
in the rear if you have to keep resetting these things.

The US electrical codes have exceptions for what circuits do not have
to be connected to a GFCI (a kitchen refrigerator, for example), but
since the device saves lives and is cheap, the trend looks like the
electric code will require a GFCI on almost all receptacle circuits in
future editions.

You probably will want good surge protection on your electronics
outlets. This can either be built into the outlet or you can buy a
premium outlet strip that will do the job. You can even buy a
whole-house surge protector, but that starts to get expensive unless
you live in a high-lightning area in many parts of our county.. In
that case, I wouldn't want to do without it.

Beachcomber