Testing electricity...?

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digitone

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I'm going to be checking out some spaces in the next few months for a small studio space. I'm wondering if there is any way to test the electricity to see if it would end up having a hum to it (being noisy/dirty). I know we can test if it is correctly grounded but is there a way to test for noise? Or are there any guidelines if dirty electricity is encountered? I would hate to find a space and later find out that all of my equipment is noisy because of it. Thanks.
 
In our day and age, ALL electricity is noisy. Your best bet is to have it checked by an electrician.

Then use a high quality power conditioner for all of your recording equipment.
 
An electrician (unless he also records) is going to be trained in
refrigerators and heating/cooling equipment on the lines.

The only real way is to plug something in and listen.
Even then you can eventually add combinations of stuff
that may start fighting each other at the worst time.
 
US? As a first order, get one of those little cheap outlet testers. This will at least rule out an obvious lack of ground or reversed hot/neutral. Aside from that, you will need to physically test some gear on it as Tim says. There are too many things that could interfere with your power, and at different times of day/night. Use and time seem to be the only way to know for sure. Yes, a power conditioner, UPS, and hum eliminator type of device can help you if you have issues later, but just make sure something ridiculously obvious isn't apparent from the get-go. It has amazed me in my remodel trade, how much stupid shit is done by crappy contractors or homeowners who have no right to be touching an electrical circuit. Or breathing oxygen in general in some cases. :mad:
 
A quality power conditioner is much cheaper, if you gauge its performance per dollar, than anything else you can buy for a recording installation. If you have $10,000 in mic pres and noise on the line what good are they?
 
jimmys69 said:
US? As a first order, get one of those little cheap outlet testers. This will at least rule out an obvious lack of ground or reversed hot/neutral. Aside from that, you will need to physically test some gear on it as Tim says. There are too many things that could interfere with your power, and at different times of day/night. Use and time seem to be the only way to know for sure. Yes, a power conditioner, UPS, and hum eliminator type of device can help you if you have issues later, but just make sure something ridiculously obvious isn't apparent from the get-go. It has amazed me in my remodel trade, how much stupid shit is done by crappy contractors or homeowners who have no right to be touching an electrical circuit. Or breathing oxygen in general in some cases. :mad:
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no shit. Back in BR a contractor had done some work at my house and one of the circuits threw the breaker the second you turned it on.
So I started tearing stuff apart to find the problem and the moron had wired one outlet into a dead short taking the wires off one side of a duplex and running them right across to the other side of the duplex!
:eek:

I guess he thought it was a parrallel connector but geez ....... you're supposed to know something about that stuff.
 
moresound said:
Peeing on live electric wires may not be an option here DB. :eek:
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Yeah, I hear AC tends to have a slightly more 'tangy' taste than a 9 volt battery. Most dogs don't get more than one try to prove this theory.
 
haunt said:
I was going to suggest the AM or shortwave radio method linked to by c7sus. Well done, rep added.



Don't whiz on the electric fence!
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That was a great song - Ren and Stimpy = Billy West = Bender.
 
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