How to Find a Qualified Electrician for Studios in My Area?

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How To Find Electrician in My Area That Is Qualified / Experienced With Studio's?​

I have been living with an EMI issue for quite some time in my home studio. I assume there must be methods that professional electricians experienced with studio builds have to positively identify the root cause and how to address it?

If so, how do I go about finding an electrician in y area that is qualified & experienced?

I'm concerned if I call any electrician, they are more than likely going to raise their hand to take the job just to give it a try.
 
My own opinion is you likely won't find a residential 'electrician' that's versed in troubleshooting EMI or other types of 'noise' that is internal to house wiring, particularly if it's related to studio which he/she wouldn't have any experience with (unless a studio owner themselves).

What sort of problem are you having? Is the problem localized to a specific room and isn't present elsewhere in the house?

Way back when I worked with a power utility we had power quality measuring/data logging equipment we hooked up to a residence if the customer and the utility thought a problem was power line related outside the house. I doubt the normal electrician would have this sort of gear as it is pricey an his use would be minimal.
The equipment has changed a bit since I retired, but this is similar to what might be used. This does not locate a problem, but simply would identify what the problem is
POWER QUALITY ANALYZER PQ3100 - Hioki
 
Over here Mo almost all domestic power is delivered from buried armoured cables that originate from BIG Mother subs (transformers) only a click or two away. This means our juice starts out clean and remains so because it is effectively screened.

Yours I bet comes in from a 'pig' and via overhead wires? (or have I seen Rambo too often?!) Now, there are two ways power line noise can get into audio. Through the equipment's power supply* or radiated into signal cables. The former should be eliminated by a well designed line filter unit. Furman seem to be "The Name" but I have no experience of them due to no need!

Radiation into signal lines is hugely reduced if everything is balanced, is it? Even if all is balanced out to in 'electronically' such systems do not have the common mode rejection of good transformers and NOTHING like the RF rejection of good (Jensen) 10k-10k line INPUT traffs.

As has been said, it will be easier to advise if you give us a list of the gear and the precise nature of the interference.

*It is my personal belief that any 1/2 decent audio gear, AI, mixer, amp....Should be very well protected from noise from the mains supply. It is often this additional, 'hidden' engineering care that makes some equipment seem rather expensive compared to others.

Dave.
 
In my last house I had some audible hum depending on what was connected to what, and what was plugged into which different outlet.
One Saturday I took the face off the electrical panel, and also took an outlet apart.
What I found was that "most" of the outlets were wired backwards!
The rest of the day was finding and fixing the errantly wired ones.
Problem solved.
Likely not your issue, but sometimes it's the simple things.
 
Dave Matthews said:
In my last house I had some audible hum depending on what was connected to what, and what was plugged into which different outlet.
One Saturday I took the face off the electrical panel, and also took an outlet apart.
What I found was that "most" of the outlets were wired backwards!
The rest of the day was finding and fixing the errantly wired ones.
Problem solved.
Likely not your issue, but sometimes it's the simple things.
Click to expand...

Most of you here..DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME FOLKS! Especially those in 240V Limeyland.

Dave.
 
Dave Matthews said:
In my last house I had some audible hum depending on what was connected to what, and what was plugged into which different outlet.
One Saturday I took the face off the electrical panel, and also took an outlet apart.
What I found was that "most" of the outlets were wired backwards!
The rest of the day was finding and fixing the errantly wired ones.
Problem solved.
Likely not your issue, but sometimes it's the simple things.
Click to expand...

That is majorly effed up. Those $3 outlet testers are so worth the money for the peace of mind.

Just curious, are you sure they were wired wrong? The large tab is neutral on an outlet in the US. I do find it a little difficult to believe that an electrician would get the most basic of wiring wrong. Maybe the previous owner did it himself.

duplex_receptacle.webp
 
How do you know it's EMI and not RFI, a ground loop, or another cause?
 
MoBettaBlues said:
I have been living with an EMI issue for quite some time in my home studio. I assume there must be methods that professional electricians experienced with studio builds have to positively identify the root cause and how to address it?

If so, how do I go about finding an electrician in y area that is qualified & experienced?

I'm concerned if I call any electrician, they are more than likely going to raise their hand to take the job just to give it a try.
Click to expand...

Why don't you simply ask your questions over the phone with them before you hire them? Most electricians are conscientious and fairly intelligent individuals who rely on word of mouth as well as their media coverage to buoy their reputations. At least for the smaller shops. Just because a person has some knowledge of studio work and the gear associated with one doesn't mean they know squat about electrical current and the containment and transmission of such. In my experience with electricians (35 years as a Journeyman) most will NOT raise their hands "just to give it a try" especially with something as specific as what you are experiencing. I have no idea what type of training and schooling is a requirement in Michigan, but most places with a strong union presence in a trade has schooling programs that cover a lot of things even if a person becomes a "residential electrician" as his business.

My suggestion to you, as a truly qualified individual (REAL electrician and studio owner for many years) is to google EMI or RFI however you want to define it and learn about the causal effects from such a thing and apply it to your situation. Real knowledge on a subject can take you a long way towards solving a problem that is more than likely an easy fix and something as simple as having the wrong things on the wrong phase in your building as the studio power.

The BEST and easiest (not the cheapest) is an isolation transformer of the proper voltage and wattage rating for your requirements. IF this is that important. I have no idea whether you are selling time to others or simply funding your own projects, but this would be something to consider.

If you have a lot of rack gear and there is a chassis ground on the frame (the green connector usually on the back marked "chassis ground") you should have all pieces with this feature tied together and sent to an 'earthing ground' separate from the common power. DO NOT tie this to your panel. Two paths to ground through the common grounded buss could mean some serious shock.

To be a studio owner you should always know things like this. What is the difference between 'grounded' and 'grounding'. How does RFI get into your signal chain. How much free air space is required to keep power and signal separate.

It's really simple when you understand how it works.
 
ecc83 said:
Most of you here..DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME FOLKS! Especially those in 240V Limeyland.

Dave.
Click to expand...

Yes indeed. I meant to add a disclaimer but in my haste forgot. Anyway, ***Turn the main power off first*** if you know what you're doing!
If you don't know what you're doing then ***Forget it***.

'nuther Dave:)
 
Chili said:
That is majorly effed up. Those $3 outlet testers are so worth the money for the peace of mind.

Just curious, are you sure they were wired wrong? The large tab is neutral on an outlet in the US. I do find it a little difficult to believe that an electrician would get the most basic of wiring wrong. Maybe the previous owner did it himself.

View attachment 102446
Click to expand...

Yup I was very sure. Checked the panel wires and the outlets multiple times. The panel was all good, but many of the outlets were reversed.
Must have had the boss at the panel, and the newbie doing the outlets. Other outlets were fine.
 
Chili said:
That is majorly effed up. Those $3 outlet testers are so worth the money for the peace of mind.
Click to expand...

They don't tell the whole story and are potentially dangerous, in rare cases. Here's a design that doesn't have that fault:

OD1

Unfortunately, it would cost 15$ to produce in mass and that makes it unprofitable, so we'll never be able to buy it. That's why John Roberts decided to release the design, so everybody could make a DIY version.
 
Dave Matthews said:
Yes indeed. I meant to add a disclaimer but in my haste forgot. Anyway, ***Turn the main power off first*** if you know what you're doing!
If you don't know what you're doing then ***Forget it***.

'nuther Dave:)
Click to expand...

No worries Dave (great name!) I jumped in quickly because I have never been sure who is culpable when 'technical' information is given out in forums?

Naturally anyone can read all kinds of dangerous ***t on the Web but is it sort of 'sanctioned' if it appears in a forum? I tend to err on the side of caution and take the view that IF peeps "have to ask" they probably should NOT do it!

On a related note. My copies of guitar amp books by Merlin Blencowe have a prominent warning at the front telling about HT and the dangers but on a forum WTF reads the FAQ & Stickies?!

(mind you, there have been a few here where a bit of Darwinian selection might have been a good thing?)

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
(mind you, there have been a few here where a bit of Darwinian selection might have been a good thing?)

Dave.
Click to expand...
Bwahahahahaha!!!
Yes, there are those who even when told specifically NOT to touch something, just HAVE to touch that very thing. Takes all kinds... I guess...:p
 
If I were you I'd contact studios in your area and see if they can give you a good lead. Ask who did their work. If the same names keep popping up you'll have the local guys who do this work well.
 
I wish the OP would come back to thread and give a bit more detail to the problem, even an mp3 clip of the issue. It's very possible an electrician might not even be needed if it's just a matter of reconfiguring/tidying up some of the connections in his setup.
 
cyrano said:
They don't tell the whole story and are potentially dangerous, in rare cases. Here's a design that doesn't have that fault:

OD1

Unfortunately, it would cost 15$ to produce in mass and that makes it unprofitable, so we'll never be able to buy it. That's why John Roberts decided to release the design, so everybody could make a DIY version.
Click to expand...

Wow, that is crazy.
Hopefully he finds a manufacturer to bring that to market.
 
cyrano said:
They don't tell the whole story and are potentially dangerous, in rare cases. Here's a design that doesn't have that fault:

OD1

Unfortunately, it would cost 15$ to produce in mass and that makes it unprofitable, so we'll never be able to buy it. That's why John Roberts decided to release the design, so everybody could make a DIY version.
Click to expand...

The guy should contact Shark Tank. :D

In my place...I took the time to pull EVERY outlet, EVERY light switch and visually see and also electronically test them
Main reason was so I could tighten all the screws that hold the wires, and also switch out the ones where the electrician was laze and used the wire hole connections...because loose wires can cause electrical arcs between the wire and the connection, and that can cause light flickers and also add noise.
It was an afternoon job, but I found at least half the outlets/switches that needed either cranking down on the crews or switching the wires from the hole connections to the screws...and I even found a couple that had polarity reversed.

Of course...I know what I'm doing with electrical wiring...but it's not something to mess with if you are not sure or don't understand the safety aspect.
 
miroslav said:
The guy should contact Shark Tank. :D
Click to expand...

What's Shark Tank? TV show?

He's been the head of engineering for Peavey, most of his professional life. He and his company got sued by the family of a guitar player who died because of a wall socket that had live connected to ground. None of the 3$ tools will "see" that as a fault, while it's deadly.

In my place...I took the time to pull EVERY outlet, EVERY light switch and visually see and also electronically test them
Main reason was so I could tighten all the screws that hold the wires, and also switch out the ones where the electrician was laze and used the wire hole connections...because loose wires can cause electrical arcs between the wire and the connection, and that can cause light flickers and also add noise.
It was an afternoon job, but I found at least half the outlets/switches that needed either cranking down on the crews or switching the wires from the hole connections to the screws...and I even found a couple that had polarity reversed.

Of course...I know what I'm doing with electrical wiring...but it's not something to mess with if you are not sure or don't understand the safety aspect.
Click to expand...

In most systems here, we no longer have "polarity". Symmetrical. But a hot ground would be noticed immediately, because ground connection protrude from the sockets:

stopcontact.webp
 
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