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Author Topic: Church amp are shutting down during service-HELP!!!  (Read 6824 times)

Steph Bell

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Church amp are shutting down during service-HELP!!!
« on: May 23, 2011, 04:40:20 PM »

can anyone help me with a problem. I am a worship leader that has been asked to oversee the sound.  I have no clue what I am am doing and I have a huge problem.  As our worship team is playing during service for the past two weeks our sound system has completely shut down! We have recently added another amp to the amp rack for more house power. Our tech guy thinks that the amp rack is getting too hot and needs to be cooled.  This may be true however I tested it today and ran a CD through the sound system for 2 1/2 hrs today with a heater running in the room with the door shut to get the system to shut down...Nothing happened!!  I am frustrated, I think it may be too much power going to the power distribution strip on the rack.  I am lost!! anyone have any suggestions?
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Brian Greenwood

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Re: Church amp are shutting down during service-HELP!!!
« Reply #1 on: May 23, 2011, 05:14:41 PM »

I would be happy to help you troubleshoot (and others would too).  However, we're going to need a LOT more information to get started.  List the amps your using, what speakers they are powering, and what power distro each is plugged into.  This will go a long ways to giving us a clue as to what is going on.

Are all the amps shutting down or is it just the new on you installed (some speakers but not all).  What kind of mixing console are you using?

Frank DeWitt

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Re: Church amp are shutting down during service-HELP!!!
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2011, 08:15:50 PM »

I would be happy to help you troubleshoot (and others would too).  However, we're going to need a LOT more information to get started.  List the amps your using, what speakers they are powering, and what power distro each is plugged into.  This will go a long ways to giving us a clue as to what is going on.

Are all the amps shutting down or is it just the new on you installed (some speakers but not all).  What kind of mixing console are you using?

There is some data in here.  You say the sound system completely shuts down (not just part of it) and you have more then one amp, and you added an amp.  Are you tripping a breaker?  What do you need to do to get it going again?

Frank
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g'bye, Dick Rees

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Re: Church amp are shutting down during service-HELP!!!
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2011, 09:05:48 PM »

can anyone help me with a problem. I am frustrated, I think it may be too much power going to the power distribution strip on the rack. 

If this is a typical rack mount power conditioner it is most likely limited to 15 amps.  It is not generally good practice to place power amps on such a piece as this for several reasons, one of which you may be experiencing as the stated problem.  Try getting rid of it and simply plugging your amps directly in to a simple "cube tap" instead. 
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Jonathan Johnson

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Re: Church amp are shutting down during service-HELP!!!
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2011, 01:44:55 AM »

When the amps shut down, how are they reset? Automatically or manually somehow?
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Jim Le Gros

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Re: Church amp are shutting down during service-HELP!!!
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2011, 05:06:50 AM »

Hi,

I had also made some suggesgtions and asked similar questiins; so any updates after this Sunday?
Jim.
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chuck clark

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Re: Church amp are shutting down during service-HELP!!!
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2011, 07:12:41 PM »

If the sound comes back on after cooling down, it is most likely a heat related problem. If you have to reset a breaker it is most likely a power (electrical) problem. I had a 6-plug bar at my house with a microwave, a fridge, a toaster and a fan on it. It began to trip at odd times and got worse over time. Replacing it w/ a fresh new one was a successful cheap fix. What I'm suggesting is if there are other things  on the same circuit that are putting voltage spikes on the power line, then that could have weakened the circuit breaker. If a fresh plug bar doesn't fix it you need to call an electrician, very soon. Old overloaded circuits can be a fire hazard! Best of luck.
Chuck
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Dave Scarlett

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Re: Church amp are shutting down during service-HELP!!!
« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2011, 10:49:42 PM »

Removed by author

« Last Edit: June 01, 2011, 10:54:33 PM by Dave Scarlett »
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Jonathan Johnson

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Re: Church amp are shutting down during service-HELP!!!
« Reply #8 on: June 01, 2011, 10:59:15 PM »

If a circuit breaker in the electrical system is tripping, you'd best get in touch with an electrician. The most likely causes of a breaker tripping (either in the electrical system or a power strip):
  • Overloaded circuit -- A breaker that is tripping due to overload is doing its job. It is there to protect the wiring and prevent it from overheating and starting a fire. It is not a dangerous condition; it is preventing a dangerous condition and indicates inadequate capacity. Do not simply replace a lower-amperage breaker with a higher-amperage breaker; that would be very dangerous. Breakers must be sized according to the thinnest wires in the circuit they are protecting.
  • Short circuit -- this can be difficult (and expensive) to troubleshoot, but might be a cheap fix. An unidentified short circuit poses a very real threat to your health, life and property.
  • Faulty breaker -- over time, circuit breakers can go out of spec, tripping at a current (amperage) other than what they are rated for. Breakers can't be adjusted; replacing them is an inexpensive fix.

Most breakers use an electromagnetic trip mechanism. As more current is drawn through the breaker, the magnet becomes stronger. At some point, the magnet is able to overcome the spring force of the latching mechanism, causing the breaker to trip. Some breakers also have a thermostatic trip mechanism; this will allow a short, large overcurrent burst (such as a motor starting) but trip with a long-term slight overcurrent (such as a stalled motor). It may be possible that your amplifiers are pushing the edge of the capacity of the breaker, and after a few minutes' use heat up the breaker to the point of tripping.

Ideally, your amplifiers should be on a dedicated circuit; if you have a lot of amplifiers you may need several dedicated circuits. To reduce problems with signal quality and ground loops, all circuits in your sound system should be on the same 120V leg. With most single-phase electrical panels, this means that your sound system will be attached to "every other" circuit breaker position. (Note that this isn't foolproof; to be sure you need to open the panel and check that the breakers are connecting to the same bus.)

Electrical codes specify that circuits should be rated for at least 125% of the expected load. So if you have a 20A circuit, you should aim for no more than 16A load on the circuit. For a 15A circuit, that would be a 12A maximum load.

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Re: Church amp are shutting down during service-HELP!!!
« Reply #8 on: June 01, 2011, 10:59:15 PM »


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