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Clean Earth sockets

I’m just wondering about how clean earth sockets (Some of you may call these high integrity sockets) fit into the requirements of BS7671 in terms of their use in domestic homes.


One of my clients has asked me to look into the use of some clean earth sockets to be used to power audio equipment in their home studio, the basic idea is that a completely separate Earth helps eliminate what’s known as an earth hum on audio equipment caused by functional earth leakage of other equipment connected to the same circuit and disturbances originating from the suppliers earthing arrangement. The basic concept seems to be to insulate the cpc from the earth terminal of the socket outlet which then has its own independent Earth electrode, high integrity sockets seem designed to accept and insulate a cpc and a separate earth. 


My concern is that this sort of thing is usually used in a restricted access environment where only IT or audio engineers are going to be around and might be considered trained and competent to understand the risk of introducing an earth potential to the equipotential zone that is not in itself connected to the equipotential bonding. It wouldn’t be a problem if I could guarantee restricted access or that the socket would only supply class 2 equipment, but as this is a home studio it seems a bad idea to have an earthed metal casing of some piece of audio equipment that may be completely separate from all other earthing and bonding in the property? 


id appreciate your thoughts and advice please, I’m confident a separate clean earth will resolve the earth hum problem which I’ve seen work well in theatres (essentially restricted access) before but never in a domestic property.


Edit: I should add that the property is a TT property but because the street is a hodgepodge of TNS and TNCS (I have other neighbouring clients really close by) you should assume the gas and water pipe are throwing in a bit of PME related disturbance.
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  • The "hum" can be dramatically reduced by providing a single earth connection to the location, and providing multiple bonding connections to local earth bar once there.


    Yes, isolation transformers can help reduce "hum" for guitars, which are common-mode with Earth, in the manner shown in the IET Guidance for temporary power systems, but the type of transformer I was talking about works in a slightly different way ... to help reduce the impact of common-mode "noise" contribution from mains equipment within the studio in the first place, by turning the single-phase mains from common mode with Earth, to Differential Mode, so a lot of the "noise" will cancel, in the manner shown below (and yes ... overcurrent protection is missing on the primary in the lower diagram, but it's only an illustration, not a design ...)

    How a centre-tapped transformer might reduce common mode noise in final circuits


    Provided you bring a dedicated feed into the studio (with optional large CSA reinforcing earth from MET to a studio "earth bar"), and ensure you don't connect earthing in the studio to other parts of the property, except for these two incoming conductors, there should be fewer "hum" problems on the mains. Guitarists would still have the option to use an isolating transformer.


    From experience playing guitar, removing the mains earth completely with an isolation transformer can cause "pops" and "clicks" as fingers move on the fretboard, but I guess that a connection to the "normal mains" earth could be made through a suitably high impedance to help discharge the static. But also you need to be REALLY careful with this, if the amp is Class I, because it might get a "fortuitous earth" if the amp is interconnected with anything else that's earthed, via guitar signal leads (or maybe these days, comms leads)
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  • The "hum" can be dramatically reduced by providing a single earth connection to the location, and providing multiple bonding connections to local earth bar once there.


    Yes, isolation transformers can help reduce "hum" for guitars, which are common-mode with Earth, in the manner shown in the IET Guidance for temporary power systems, but the type of transformer I was talking about works in a slightly different way ... to help reduce the impact of common-mode "noise" contribution from mains equipment within the studio in the first place, by turning the single-phase mains from common mode with Earth, to Differential Mode, so a lot of the "noise" will cancel, in the manner shown below (and yes ... overcurrent protection is missing on the primary in the lower diagram, but it's only an illustration, not a design ...)

    How a centre-tapped transformer might reduce common mode noise in final circuits


    Provided you bring a dedicated feed into the studio (with optional large CSA reinforcing earth from MET to a studio "earth bar"), and ensure you don't connect earthing in the studio to other parts of the property, except for these two incoming conductors, there should be fewer "hum" problems on the mains. Guitarists would still have the option to use an isolating transformer.


    From experience playing guitar, removing the mains earth completely with an isolation transformer can cause "pops" and "clicks" as fingers move on the fretboard, but I guess that a connection to the "normal mains" earth could be made through a suitably high impedance to help discharge the static. But also you need to be REALLY careful with this, if the amp is Class I, because it might get a "fortuitous earth" if the amp is interconnected with anything else that's earthed, via guitar signal leads (or maybe these days, comms leads)
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