Can I run my event on the wall outlets in the room?
Can I run my event on the wall outlets in the room? Power is everything. Without electricity, the lights wont go on, and your crowd of thousands wont be able to here you. Good power management is crucial to any live event. So can I run my event on the wall outlets in the room?
Today’s technology has become much more energy efficient than it used to be. With the advent of led lighting and self powered speakers, events are requiring allot less high voltage power. Speaking of voltage, we have essentially two types of circumstances. The first is 110 volts. This is the power that is usually available in your common household outlet at your home. Then we have 220 volts. Ill cover 220 in another article. As an industry standard, household and commercial outlets are tied into 15 or 20 amp breakers.
So what is a breaker you ask? Remember, voltage is the supply from the power company, and an amp rating tells us the amount of volts passing by a single instance per second (current). Here is a great simple video that explains all of this. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mvuHsu8S6v8
Since the watts demanded to run today’s sound and lighting have decreased dramatically. Many small events can operate from standard Edison outlets tied to 15 or 20 amp breakers. So yes! We can run many small events from the wall outlets in the room. We just need to be careful and evenly distribute power loads so we don’t overload the breakers. Good cable management is also key so we not only know where everything is, but that we avoid trip points and plugs falling out of the outlets. We also have a few other factors such as building age, and how exactly the outlets are tied together. Just because there are 20 outlets in a room, does not necessarily mean we have the amount of power needed.
Grounding to the earth is also an important concept and to try and keep subsystems ie lighting and sound on separate circuits. When planning your event, don’t forget to inquire about the power situation. You may not need to bring in high voltage power or need special requirements. Speak with an electrician or someone knowledgeable at the venue. And remember, if you feel unsure that the room may not be able to handle your requirements, seek professional help and make smart choices. After all, we don’t want the lights going of in the middle of your show.