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[crisdecuba]

So as a weekend project, I installed an additional outlet to an existing circuit in the living room. The purpose was to be able to plug in the wall-mounted TV without running the cable down to the outlet on the floor.

I believe I did everything correctly, and I checked it with one of those devices that tell you if everything is connected correctly. I plugged everything in and everything works as expected.

The concern: When I turn off the TV, and then turn it back on, there is a slight buzz for half a second, and then the TV turns on. I believe the same thing happens with other devices as they are turned off and turned back on. I'm wondering if this is a concern.

Here are some additional details:

1. The space in the blue electrical box is really tight once the additional cables were installed. (Three romex cables going into one box)
2. There are a total of three power strips plugged into the existing outlet on the ground, with a total of 10 devices plugged into the strips: PC, 5 HDDs, XBox360, BluRay player, Ethernet Switch, USB Hub.

Should I just try to do a neater job of wiring the outlet to make more room? Should I be concerned?

 

[thesuperfunk]

Call an electrician.

Did you use a proper testing device to check insulation, resistance and earth?

Have you tried using the TV with the 3 other power strips unplugged?

 

[TheExodu5]

Sounds like a ground loop issue.

Not necessarily an issue. Many devices on a circuit contribute to a lot of ground noise on a circuit. My dad's speakers have an audible buzz when the light dimmer is on, for example.

Still it could be a problem with the wiring, so you may want to have it checked out.

 

[crisdecuba]

Sounds like a ground loop issue.

Not necessarily an issue. Many devices on a circuit contribute to a lot of ground noise on a circuit. My dad's speakers have an audible buzz when the light dimmer is on, for example.

Still it could be a problem with the wiring, so you may want to have it checked out.

Thanks for the response. This isn't an ongoing buzz, but rather a half-second initial buzz, then the sound goes away, and the TV turns on and functions as normal. I'm thinking I'll go ahead and redo the wiring altogether, make it tighter and neater and see if that addresses the problem...

 

[Cheerilee]

I don't think that simply adding a new plug can make your wires buzz (but I'm not an electrician, so take their word over mine). So if your wires do buzz, then that's bad.

But from my experience, surge-protected power bars can buzz. Also, turning off and on devices is often more stressful to your electrical system than leaving them turned on (that's what a light dimmer does, it "lowers" the power by turning it off and on really fast, and it's why you can't use dimmers with some devices). I suspect that close proximity to your electrically "noisy" TV is making your surge-protected power bars complain and protest. Try unplugging the power bars and seeing if the problem persists.

Also, your TV isn't surge protected anymore, is it? I mean, it's basically just plugged into the wall, not a surge protector? If I were you, I would consider changing your newly-installed wall plug from a regular plug to a GFCI. They're like $15 at Home Depot. I'm not sure if they're the best way to hook up a TV, but it seems like a good idea.

 

[crisdecuba]

Redid the wiring, got rid of a bit of the excess lengths of wire that were making everything a tight fit, and voila! Buzzing is gone, everything is working as expected, and the wiring job looks nice and clean.