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Actually, a lot of newer residential installations in the US are using 30-amp breakers these days, although 20-amp ones are probably still more common, even in new installations.

I'm not sure where you heard that, but the required lighting and small appliance circuits in a dwelling as detailed in the National Electrical Code section 210.52 must have overcurrent protection of either 15 or 20 amps. I believe you CAN install general-purpose circuits rated higher than that around the house, but those would be in addition to the required 15/20-amp receptacles (of which there are many: any wall space must be within 6ft of a receptacle, kitchens must have no less than two separate small-appliance circuits feeding not less than two receptacles with any countertop space more than 12-in wide having no point on the wall be further than 24-in from a receptacle, etc, etc, etc), and would require receptacles rated for whatever the circuit is rated for (in most cases). A 15-amp circuit must only have 15-amp receptacles. A 20-amp circuit can have 15- and/or 20-amp receptacles. A 30-amp circuit must have only 30-amp receptacles. Basically, if the plugs in your house don't look like this, then you don't have 30-amp circuits... and frankly why would you?

(Setups from the late twentieth century, however, often use 14-2 cable (instead of 12-2 or better) and so tend to have 15-amp breakers for everything except the dryer and range, because a heftier breaker wouldn't be a real great idea with that cabling. Heaven forfend you put a modern thousand-watt microwave oven on such a circuit, because it'll trip the breaker every time you turn around.

Most new construction still runs 15-amp lighting and small-appliance circuits... and therefore usually runs #14 because it's cheaper. And a 1000W microwave on 120V only draws 8.3A or so... if your wiring is planned out properly such that the microwave mostly has a circuit to itself, it should never trip a breaker. And as for "a heftier breaker wouldn't be a real great idea with that cabling"... there are clear requirements in the form of both text and tables that dictate how you are to plan the circuitry for a residential dwelling as well as what size wire, breakers, etc you are to use. It's very clear-cut. Either what you're installing meets code or it doesn't. If it does, you're fine. If it doesn't, you're breaking the law and risking your life and property (or that of whomever you're doing the work for). I hope you're not installing wiring in your own house using fuzzy logic like that.

And don't even get me started on old fusebox installations that you can find in nooks and crannies in the unfinished basements of older homes from the first half of the twentieth century, complete with pairs of non-cabled cloth-insulated wires [shudder] plastered right into the wall, without the benefit of junction boxes or conduit or even a second layer of insulation, running to ceramic standoffs, with no proper grounding anywhere...)

That's called knob and tube wiring. It was common until the 1930s or so and usually uses wire insulated by a cloth/rubber composite... and it was considered proper and perfectly up to code back then. No grounding anywhere because no appliances needed a ground back then (rather, the need for a ground was not recognized). Most existing K&T installations have extremely brittle insulation and nobody in their right mind should dare fuck with it or you'll end up with some extremely hazardous conditions.

(Hint: I'm an electrician.)

Actually, a lot of newer residential installations in the US are using 30-amp breakers these days, although 20-amp ones are probably still more common, even in new installations.

I'm not sure where you heard that, but the required lighting and small appliance circuits in a dwelling as detailed in the National Electrical Code section 210.52 must have overcurrent protection of either 15 or 20 amps. I believe you CAN install general-purpose circuits rated higher than that around the house, but those would be in addition to the required 15/20-amp receptacles (of which there are many: any wall space must be within 6ft of a receptacle, kitchens must have no less than two separate small-appliance circuits feeding not less than two receptacles with any countertop space more than 12-in wide having no point on the wall be further than 24-in from a receptacle, etc, etc, etc), and would require receptacles rated for whatever the circuit is rated for (in most cases). A 15-amp circuit must only have 15-amp receptacles. A 20-amp circuit can have 15- and/or 20-amp receptacles. A 30-amp circuit must have only 30-amp receptacles. Basically, if the plugs in your house don't look like this, then you don't have 30-amp circuits... and frankly why would you?

(Setups from the late twentieth century, however, often use 14-2 cable (instead of 12-2 or better) and so tend to have 15-amp breakers for everything except the dryer and range, because a heftier breaker wouldn't be a real great idea with that cabling. Heaven forfend you put a modern thousand-watt microwave oven on such a circuit, because it'll trip the breaker every time you turn around.

Most new construction still runs 15-amp lighting and small-appliance circuits... and therefore usually runs #14 because it's cheaper. And a 1000W microwave on 120V only draws 8.3A or so... if your wiring is planned out properly such that the microwave mostly has a circuit to itself, it should never trip a breaker. And as for "a heftier breaker wouldn't be a real great idea with that cabling"... there are clear requirements in the form of both text and tables that dictate how you are to plan the circuitry for a residential dwelling as well as what size wire, breakers, etc you are to use. It's very clear-cut. Either what you're installing meets code or it doesn't. If it does, you're fine. If it doesn't, you're breaking the law and risking your life and property (or that of whomever you're doing the work for). I hope you're not installing wiring in your own house using fuzzy logic like that.

And don't even get me started on old fusebox installations that you can find in nooks and crannies in the unfinished basements of older homes from the first half of the twentieth century, complete with pairs of non-cabled cloth-insulated wires [shudder] plastered right into the wall, without the benefit of junction boxes or conduit or even a second layer of insulation, running to ceramic standoffs, with no proper grounding anywhere...)

That's called knob and tube wiring. It was common until the 1930s or so and usually uses wire insulated by a cloth/rubber composite... and it was considered proper and perfectly up to code back then. No grounding anywhere because no appliances needed a ground back then (rather, the need for a ground was not recognized). Most existing K&T installations have extremely brittle insulation and nobody in their right mind should dare fuck with it or you'll end up with some extremely hazardous conditions.

(Hint: I'm an electrician.)

Actually, a lot of newer residential installations in the US are using 30-amp breakers these days, although 20-amp ones are probably still more common, even in new installations.

I'm not sure where you heard that, but the required lighting and small appliance circuits in a dwelling as detailed in the National Electrical Code section 210.52 must have overcurrent protection of either 15 or 20 amps. I believe you CAN install general-purpose circuits rated higher than that around the house, but those would be in addition to the required 15/20-amp receptacles (of which there are many: any wall space must be within 6ft of a receptacle, kitchens must have no less than two separate small-appliance circuits feeding not less than two receptacles with any countertop space more than 12-in wide having no point on the wall be further than 24-in from a receptacle, etc, etc, etc), and would require receptacles rated for whatever the circuit is rated for (in most cases). A 15-amp circuit must only have 15-amp receptacles. A 20-amp circuit can have 15- and/or 20-amp receptacles. A 30-amp circuit must have only 30-amp receptacles. Basically, if the plugs in your house don't look like this, then you don't have 30-amp circuits... and frankly why would you?

(Setups from the late twentieth century, however, often use 14-2 cable (instead of 12-2 or better) and so tend to have 15-amp breakers for everything except the dryer and range, because a heftier breaker wouldn't be a real great idea with that cabling. Heaven forfend you put a modern thousand-watt microwave oven on such a circuit, because it'll trip the breaker every time you turn around.

Most new construction still runs 15-amp lighting and small-appliance circuits... and therefore usually runs #14 because it's cheaper. And a 1000W microwave on 120V only draws 8.3A or so... if your wiring is planned out properly such that the microwave mostly has a circuit to itself, it should never trip a breaker. And as for "a heftier breaker wouldn't be a real great idea with that cabling"... there are clear requirements in the form of both text and tables that dictate how you are to plan the circuitry for a residential dwelling as well as what size wire, breakers, etc you are to use. It's very clear-cut. Either what you're installing meets code or it doesn't. If it does, you're fine. If it doesn't, you're breaking the law and risking your life and property (or that of whomever you're doing the work for). I hope you're not installing wiring in your own house using fuzzy logic like that.

And don't even get me started on old fusebox installations that you can find in nooks and crannies in the unfinished basements of older homes from the first half of the twentieth century, complete with pairs of non-cabled cloth-insulated wires [shudder] plastered right into the wall, without the benefit of junction boxes or conduit or even a second layer of insulation, running to ceramic standoffs, with no proper grounding anywhere...)

That's called knob and tube wiring. It was common until the 1930s or so and usually uses wire insulated by a cloth/rubber composite... and it was considered proper and perfectly up to code back then. No grounding anywhere because no appliances needed a ground back then (rather, the need for a ground was not recognized). Most existing K&T installations have extremely brittle insulation and nobody in their right mind should dare fuck with it or you'll end up with some extremely hazardous conditions.

(Hint: I'm an electrician.)

Actually, a lot of newer residential installations in the US are using 30-amp breakers these days, although 20-amp ones are probably still more common, even in new installations.

I'm not sure where you heard that, but the required lighting and small appliance circuits in a dwelling as detailed in the National Electrical Code section 210.52 must have overcurrent protection of either 15 or 20 amps. I believe you CAN install general-purpose circuits rated higher than that around the house, but those would be in addition to the required 15/20-amp receptacles (of which there are many: any wall space must be within 6ft of a receptacle, kitchens must have no less than two separate small-appliance circuits feeding not less than two receptacles with any countertop space more than 12-in wide having no point on the wall be further than 24-in from a receptacle, etc, etc, etc), and would require receptacles rated for whatever the circuit is rated for (in most cases). A 15-amp circuit must only have 15-amp receptacles. A 20-amp circuit can have 15- and/or 20-amp receptacles. A 30-amp circuit must have only 30-amp receptacles. Basically, if the plugs in your house don't look like this, then you don't have 30-amp circuits... and frankly why would you?

(Setups from the late twentieth century, however, often use 14-2 cable (instead of 12-2 or better) and so tend to have 15-amp breakers for everything except the dryer and range, because a heftier breaker wouldn't be a real great idea with that cabling. Heaven forfend you put a modern thousand-watt microwave oven on such a circuit, because it'll trip the breaker every time you turn around.

Most new construction still runs 15-amp lighting and small-appliance circuits... and therefore usually runs #14 because it's cheaper. And a 1000W microwave on 120V only draws 8.3A or so... if your wiring is planned out properly such that the microwave mostly has a circuit to itself, it should never trip a breaker. And as for "a heftier breaker wouldn't be a real great idea with that cabling"... there are clear requirements in the form of both text and tables that dictate how you are to plan the circuitry for a residential dwelling as well as what size wire, breakers, etc you are to use. It's very clear-cut. Either what you're installing meets code or it doesn't. If it does, you're fine. If it doesn't, you're breaking the law and risking your life and property (or that of whomever you're doing the work for). I hope you're not installing wiring in your own house using fuzzy logic like that.

And don't even get me started on old fusebox installations that you can find in nooks and crannies in the unfinished basements of older homes from the first half of the twentieth century, complete with pairs of non-cabled cloth-insulated wires [shudder] plastered right into the wall, without the benefit of junction boxes or conduit or even a second layer of insulation, running to ceramic standoffs, with no proper grounding anywhere...)

That's called knob and tube wiring. It was common until the 1930s or so and usually uses wire insulated by a cloth/rubber composite... and it was considered proper and perfectly up to code back then. No grounding anywhere because no appliances needed a ground back then (rather, the need for a ground was not recognized). Most existing K&T installations have extremely brittle insulation and nobody in their right mind should dare fuck with it or you'll end up with some extremely hazardous conditions.

(Hint: I'm an electrician.)

Actually, a lot of newer residential installations in the US are using 30-amp breakers these days, although 20-amp ones are probably still more common, even in new installations.

I'm not sure where you heard that, but the required lighting and small appliance circuits in a dwelling as detailed in the National Electrical Code section 210.52 must have overcurrent protection of either 15 or 20 amps. I believe you CAN install general-purpose circuits rated higher than that around the house, but those would be in addition to the required 15/20-amp receptacles (of which there are many: any wall space must be within 6ft of a receptacle, kitchens must have no less than two separate small-appliance circuits feeding not less than two receptacles with any countertop space more than 12-in wide having no point on the wall be further than 24-in from a receptacle, etc, etc, etc), and would require receptacles rated for whatever the circuit is rated for (in most cases). A 15-amp circuit must only have 15-amp receptacles. A 20-amp circuit can have 15- and/or 20-amp receptacles. A 30-amp circuit must have only 30-amp receptacles. Basically, if the plugs in your house don't look like this, then you don't have 30-amp circuits... and frankly why would you?

(Setups from the late twentieth century, however, often use 14-2 cable (instead of 12-2 or better) and so tend to have 15-amp breakers for everything except the dryer and range, because a heftier breaker wouldn't be a real great idea with that cabling. Heaven forfend you put a modern thousand-watt microwave oven on such a circuit, because it'll trip the breaker every time you turn around.

Most new construction still runs 15-amp lighting and small-appliance circuits... and therefore usually runs #14 because it's cheaper. And a 1000W microwave on 120V only draws 8.3A or so... if your wiring is planned out properly such that the microwave mostly has a circuit to itself, it should never trip a breaker. And as for "a heftier breaker wouldn't be a real great idea with that cabling"... there are clear requirements in the form of both text and tables that dictate how you are to plan the circuitry for a residential dwelling as well as what size wire, breakers, etc you are to use. It's very clear-cut. Either what you're installing meets code or it doesn't. If it does, you're fine. If it doesn't, you're breaking the law and risking your life and property (or that of whomever you're doing the work for). I hope you're not installing wiring in your own house using fuzzy logic like that.

And don't even get me started on old fusebox installations that you can find in nooks and crannies in the unfinished basements of older homes from the first half of the twentieth century, complete with pairs of non-cabled cloth-insulated wires [shudder] plastered right into the wall, without the benefit of junction boxes or conduit or even a second layer of insulation, running to ceramic standoffs, with no proper grounding anywhere...)

That's called knob and tube wiring. It was common until the 1930s or so and usually uses wire insulated by a cloth/rubber composite... and it was considered proper and perfectly up to code back then. No grounding anywhere because no appliances needed a ground back then (rather, the need for a ground was not recognized). Most existing K&T installations have extremely brittle insulation and nobody in their right mind should dare fuck with it or you'll end up with some extremely hazardous conditions.

(Hint: I'm an electrician.)

The standard electrical power wall receptacle/plug (NEMA 5-15R/P) is one of many that NEMA and IEC specifies this shows only a single sample of an electrical power device which biases the whole story. I worked in England in a data center over there we had and they have several drawbacks on their higher voltage and amperage devices as standard device. However, most countries do use the IEC standard for their high voltage and amperage devices.

Here are some of NAME "straight blade" devices:
http://www.stayonline.com/reference-nema-straight-blade.aspx

Here are some of NEMA locking devices:
http://www.stayonline.com/reference-nema-locking.aspx

Here are some of IEC devices:
http://www.stayonline.com/reference-iec309-north-american.aspx

The standard electrical power wall receptacle/plug (NEMA 5-15R/P) is one of many that NEMA and IEC specifies this shows only a single sample of an electrical power device which biases the whole story. I worked in England in a data center over there we had and they have several drawbacks on their higher voltage and amperage devices as standard device. However, most countries do use the IEC standard for their high voltage and amperage devices.

Here are some of NAME "straight blade" devices:
http://www.stayonline.com/reference-nema-straight-blade.aspx

Here are some of NEMA locking devices:
http://www.stayonline.com/reference-nema-locking.aspx

Here are some of IEC devices:
http://www.stayonline.com/reference-iec309-north-american.aspx

The standard electrical power wall receptacle/plug (NEMA 5-15R/P) is one of many that NEMA and IEC specifies this shows only a single sample of an electrical power device which biases the whole story. I worked in England in a data center over there we had and they have several drawbacks on their higher voltage and amperage devices as standard device. However, most countries do use the IEC standard for their high voltage and amperage devices.

Here are some of NAME "straight blade" devices:
http://www.stayonline.com/reference-nema-straight-blade.aspx

Here are some of NEMA locking devices:
http://www.stayonline.com/reference-nema-locking.aspx

Here are some of IEC devices:
http://www.stayonline.com/reference-iec309-north-american.aspx

True. Rack mount really isn't that expensive anymore. You also want to consider what your time is worth to try and fit something together instead of just buying the appropriate hardware and doing the job right. I have several 1U and 2U machines now and I just use a relatively inexpensive wall-mount rack to put them up. You can get them for around a $100 from StayOnline.Com or other retailers.

Still, it brought a smile to my face the first time I saw another site selling something like this... seeing that you could fit more drives in just by putting them in sideways.

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