Should I Run A Dedicated Electrical Line To My Appliances?

Episode 14

"So we have at least two circuits in the kitchen for that.  Your stove and your microwave or your hood and your garbage disposals and your dishwasher all require dedicated circuits." 

- Gareth Kelly, Home Service Expert

 

On the Check A Pro Radio Show today, Gareth Kelly, Owner of Dream Team joins Jim Klauck, aka Check A Pro Joe to help us answer homeowner's questions.  Check A Pro Joe received a question from a radio show listener - "Should I Run A Dedicated Electrical Line To My Appliances?"

You may find the answer not what you expected!

Check out this episode of The Dream Team Plumbing, Heating, Electrical & Cooling Podcast to find out...

Why Dream Team does what it does for the homeowner.

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Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Check a Pro Joe here from the Check A Pro Radio show,
you know,
when I was a kid and we plugged in the toaster or the refrigerator.
Uh,
we just plugged it in it.
You know,
an outlet was an outlet today.
I know things have changed with codes.
You,
you're really supposed to,
I believe,
have dedicated lines for things like refrigerators now.

(00:25):
And I think that's the only thing that's supposed to be on that circuit.
So,
if you were wondering if that's the case,
like I am,
we're gonna get that answered by my good friend Gareth Kelly from dream team,
air conditioning,
heating,
plumbing and electrical.
Long name.
They do it all Gareth.
How are you?
I do.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So am I right?

(00:47):
Years ago,
you might just plug in your refrigerator to anything open.
You might even just have an extension cord.
But that's a,
no,
no.
Correct.
Yeah.
Um,
there's two different things there,
extension cords are,
you know,
just a temporary hook up.
But,
um,
you know,
having a dedicated circuit for your,
um,
appliance,
like a refrigerator is definitely the way to go.

(01:08):
That's also recommended by the national electrical code.
You know,
they also require dedicated circuits for most of your appliances inside your home that are hardwired or in,
in place.
Um But even though above that,
Joe,
like most of the manufacturers on the installation guide will also tell you that dedicated electrical lines are required for the equipment that you're purchasing.

(01:30):
So you always want to double check that as well and they will like give you the details about the size of the wire,
the size of the circle breaker and stuff like that.
So you can make sure you get it installed properly and protect your warranty.
So that's generally true of the refrigerator.
That's gonna be true of a washing machine.
Of course,
a dryer if it's electric.
But how about,

(01:51):
you know,
a toaster oven?
Well,
the toaster oven is normally plugged in,
in the kitchen counter.
And um,
if the kitchen has been wired within the last,
you know,
20 to 30 years,
there's a good chance that they have two circuits in the kitchen.
But what we find is in some of the older homes,
there's only one circuit run to the kitchen counter outlets and that's where we run into an issue.

(02:14):
So the code on that is a minimum of two dedicated services to your kitchen outlet on the countertop.
So that would normally alleviate that problem.
So when houses are built today,
they are built with a plan in terms of the electrical system,
everything is very specific they know where the fridge is gonna go so that the refrigerator's going here.

(02:36):
We need a dedicated circuit for that and we figure there's gonna be a toaster oven and some other appliances that may be drawing quite a bit.
So we have at least two circuits in the kitchen for that.
Yeah,
that's correct.
And,
um,
your,
your stove and your microwave or your hood and your garbage spools and your dishwasher all require dedicated circuits.

(02:58):
Yeah.
And that wasn't the case when I was a kid,
sometimes someone would turn on the garbage disposal and,
uh,
the lights would go off and so would the dishwasher.
But that's not the case today if it's done properly.
Gareth Kelly from dream team.
Thank you so much.
I appreciate it.
I appreciate it.
Joe.
Good talking to you.
Take care.