Having access to a home gym can be a great way to stay motivated to exercise. When you start planning the design of your home gym, you may be considering the equipment and layout you wish to have. However, it’s important to also consider the electrical needs you’ll have for the room.
Outlets on Individual Circuits
One of the first main considerations you’ll need to take into account for your home gym is the number of outlets you’ll need. With equipment like treadmills and ellipticals, each machine must be on a separate 120-volt circuit, with at least a 20-amp circuit breaker.
It is never a good idea to use power strips to provide power for multiple exercise machines. Furthermore, you should never be using an extension cord to connect one of these exercise machines to an outlet. You should take the time to decide how many machines you want to house in your home gym and ensure that you have a separate outlet for each.
Additionally, it’s important to realize the cords attached to exercise machines tend to be relatively short, measuring six to eight feet long. You’ll want to keep this in mind when designing where your outlets will need to be. You may want to consider installing outlets higher up on the wall and even some hidden floor outlets to have them available wherever you want to use your exercise machines.
Adequate Lighting
It’s not a lot of fun working out in a dark dungeon. To ensure that you get maximum motivation, you’ll want to opt for installing adequate lighting throughout your home gym. Ideally, you want to choose lighting options that don’t hang down or have cords you can trip over. Recessed lighting is a great choice that can provide an adequate amount of lighting safely.
Furthermore, you want to ensure that you invest in LED lighting. Opting for incandescent lighting can create unnecessary heat inside your gym. If you want to complete your gym with a digital timer that gets positioned on the wall, you want to ensure that it either gets hardwired into your electrical system or that there is an outlet. The outlet should be installed higher up on the wall so that no cord is hanging down from the timer.
Stereo System
No great home gym is complete without having a good stereo system. The ability to have heart-pumping music not only helps with motivation but also sets a good tone for your home gym environment. By incorporating smart automation into your sound system, you can easily rotate your playlist or change the volume by voice or touchscreen. Consider having your electrician wire smart speakers to the corners of your home gym so they’re up and out of the way.
Television
Whether you want to follow a workout video or simply want to catch up on the news while you’re on the treadmill, having a well-working television is a must in your home gym. A great option is to have a professional install a special outlet high on the wall for your television. Ideally, you want to have your TV mounted on the wall instead of on a stand or hanging out in the room. Make sure that you have enough outlets in the same area to power items like your streaming devices, Wi-Fi routers and speakers.
Whole-Home Surge Protector
There’s no denying the fact that electronic workout equipment can be quite costly for the average person. You want to do everything possible to protect your investment so that it lasts as long as possible. One of the best ways you can do this is to invest in a whole-home surge protector. When a power surge happens, the surge protector will help to prevent damage to your electronic exercise equipment.
Consider Cooling Options
One attribute of your new home gym that you simply don’t want to overlook is its temperature. Working out can make you hot, and you’ll likely need to supplement with some sort of cooling system. Having a simple ceiling fan installed can be a great way to help create a nice breeze to cool you down while working out.
If you want to take it a step further, you can opt for having a mini split AC unit installed. This will give you independent control of the temperature in your home gym without having to run up the cooling bill for the rest of your home. You need to have a professional electrician or HVAC technician supply the necessary circuit to run your new mini-split unit.
GFCI Outlets
Known as ground-fault circuit interrupters, these outlets are specifically designed to protect users against electrical shock. Whenever you come into contact with water and your electrical outlet, it can be a recipe for disaster. Water and electricity simply don’t mix, as they result in electrocution. Since you’re going to be working out in your home gym and likely sweating, it only makes sense to have GFCI outlets installed for your safety. These outlets will work by sensing that there’s an issue and killing the power.
Sauna Box
When it comes to helping speed up your body’s recovery after a long, tough workout, a sauna is a great option. With the invention of smaller home sauna boxes, homeowners can now enjoy this recovery process in the comfort of their own homes. However, if you plan on having a home sauna box installed, you’ll need to have an electrician run specialized power to the unit. Most home sauna boxes will require a 220-volt dedicated circuit with a 30-amp circuit breaker to operate correctly.
Electrical Fire Extinguisher
When planning your electrical setup for your new home gym, it’s also important to take safety precautions. If any of your machines malfunction and overheat, it’s important to have the appropriate fire extinguisher on hand to put out the fire. Not all fire extinguishers are created equal. You’ll need a type-C fire extinguisher, which is specifically rated to handle electrical fires. Make sure to install this in a prominent place to see but far enough out of the way that it doesn’t get accidentally bumped during your workout.
Cooler or Kitchenette
If your home gym is far from your kitchen, you might consider a small kitchen in the room. At a minimum, you could add a refrigerator and freezer to store cool water and healthy snacks. You can also add a counter to prepare things like pre/post-workout smoothies. Depending on the amenities in a kitchenette, you will need outlets on circuits that can handle a refrigerator and small appliances. Be sure that any outlets near a sink are GFCI protected.
Exceptional Electrician Service
Huft Home Services offers top-quality electrician services for the whole Sacramento, CA, region. We can also assist with all your heating, cooling, plumbing, ductless mini-split, home electrification, home inspection, surge protection, indoor air quality, and insulation services. Call our office today to schedule a service consultation.
