small appliance branch circuit

Status
Not open for further replies.
Looking at 210.52 B 1, you must put refrigeration equipment on the two small appliance branch circuits. Exception No. 2 lets you install an individual branch circuit if you want to.
 

don_resqcapt19

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Illinois
Occupation
retired electrician
Would i be incorrect to say an outlet provided for a refridgerator can be on one of the small appliance branch circuits?
Actually 210.52(B)(1) requires them to be on one of the two or more small appliance branch circuits, but Exception #2 says they can be on an individual branch circuit rated 15 amps or more.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
If it is in the kitchen, dining room, breakfast room, pantry .... similar rooms it will be on a SABC. As Don mentioned there is exception allowing it to be on individual 15 amp circuit, but it is still a part the SABC requirements.

Now to complicate this, is the permitted 15 amp circuit still figured into load calculations as a 1500VA SABC? With a lack of wording stating otherwise (unless I am missing it), I would say this is still a 1500VA circuit to be included in load calculations.
 

infinity

Moderator
Staff member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Journeyman Electrician
Are you saying that a 15 amp individual appliance branch circuit is still a SABC?
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Are you saying that a 15 amp individual appliance branch circuit is still a SABC?
Sure make me go read it:)

Since it is an exception to 210.52(B) Small Appliances .... maybe not. I was first figuring the fact it was part of 210.52(B) that it is still a SABC outlet, just with special permissions. So now I am undecided, and will let others hash it out.
 

EM-1336

New member
Would a stand-alone freezer, whether an upright 6-foot high unit, or a small chest freezer:
  • Be considered "refrigeration equipment" per 210.52(B)(1), and therefore could plug into one of the SABC receptacles?
  • Be considered a small kitchen appliance, and could plug into one of the SABC receptacles as such? (What is the threshold for "small"?)
  • Be considered a fixed appliance and therefore cannot go on an SABC, and should ideally be on its own circuit?
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
Would a stand-alone freezer, whether an upright 6-foot high unit, or a small chest freezer:
  • Be considered "refrigeration equipment" per 210.52(B)(1), and therefore could plug into one of the SABC receptacles?
  • Be considered a small kitchen appliance, and could plug into one of the SABC receptacles as such? (What is the threshold for "small"?)
  • Be considered a fixed appliance and therefore cannot go on an SABC, and should ideally be on its own circuit?
IMO , the appliances you mentioned would be small appliance branch circuit and 210.52(B)(1) includes refrigeration equipment which I think fit the description
 

jumper

Senior Member
Now to complicate this, is the permitted 15 amp circuit still figured into load calculations as a 1500VA SABC? With a lack of wording stating otherwise (unless I am missing it), I would say this is still a 1500VA circuit to be included in load calculations.

220.52(A)

Exception: The individual branch circuit permitted by
210.52(B)(1), Exception No. 2, shall be permitted to be
excluded from the calculation required by 220.52.
 

mbrooke

Batteries Included
Location
United States
Occupation
Technician
Good point about wording and load calc. But in most kitchens I just pull a 15 to the fridge and call it good.
 

GoldDigger

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Placerville, CA, USA
Occupation
Retired PV System Designer
Would a stand-alone freezer, whether an upright 6-foot high unit, or a small chest freezer:
  • Be considered "refrigeration equipment" per 210.52(B)(1), and therefore could plug into one of the SABC receptacles?
  • Be considered a small kitchen appliance, and could plug into one of the SABC receptacles as such? (What is the threshold for "small"?)
  • Be considered a fixed appliance and therefore cannot go on an SABC, and should ideally be on its own circuit?
Yes.
Yes. If it can run on a 20A 120V receptacle, it is small. :)
No. It can be moved without tools or disassembly.
 

Buck Parrish

Senior Member
Location
NC & IN
If it's a custom home. Some of the refrigerators such as a Sub Zero, the directions say to use a individual 20 amp circuit. How ever if it's not their during the inspection, it would be your call.
 

david

Senior Member
Location
Pennsylvania
I liked this change when it first came into the code. Prior to this exception if you ran a individual branch circuit to the refrigerator which was common practice for a lot of electricians, you still had to put that on a 20 amp small appliance branch circuit.

That created a conflict for individual branch circuit over current protection for the appliance.

The exception allows the individual branch circuit for the refrigerator appliance to be correctly provided with 15 amp OC protection instead of 20 amp over current protection for these individual branch circuits.

The conflict between two different sections in the code was removed when this exception was allowed
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I liked this change when it first came into the code. Prior to this exception if you ran a individual branch circuit to the refrigerator which was common practice for a lot of electricians, you still had to put that on a 20 amp small appliance branch circuit.

That created a conflict for individual branch circuit over current protection for the appliance.

The exception allows the individual branch circuit for the refrigerator appliance to be correctly provided with 15 amp OC protection instead of 20 amp over current protection for these individual branch circuits.

The conflict between two different sections in the code was removed when this exception was allowed
How many refrigerators are out there with instructions requiring them to be on a 15 amp branch circuit?

A 20 amp circuit with a single receptacle needs a 20 amp receptacle, a single duplex receptacle on a 20 amp circuit can be a 15 amp receptacle.

I don't see any issue with overcurrent protection before the 15 amp circuit was allowed other then if you would happen to have a refrigerator that does have instructions that require a 15 amp overcurrent device.
 

david

Senior Member
Location
Pennsylvania
How many refrigerators are out there with instructions requiring them to be on a 15 amp branch circuit?

A 20 amp circuit with a single receptacle needs a 20 amp receptacle, a single duplex receptacle on a 20 amp circuit can be a 15 amp receptacle.

I don't see any issue with overcurrent protection before the 15 amp circuit was allowed other then if you would happen to have a refrigerator that does have instructions that require a 15 amp overcurrent device.

a 5 star Kenmore refrigerator. 18.2 cubic feet upright. Energy use is 383 kwh per year and 6 amps

If an electrician ran an individual branch circuit to this refrigerator that was a 6 amp load it was a code violation to provide a 15 amp breaker for this unit that would have more closely protected a 6 amp appliance.

You where required to provide 20 amp over-current protection for a 6 amp appliance on an individual branch circuit in a kitchen.

The requirement that you had to provide 20 amp over-current protection for the branch circuit was removed and you could more closely provide 15 amp over-current protection as choice after the exception was allowed.

I never implied that the manufacture required a 15 amp circuit
 
Last edited:

mike1061

Senior Member
Location
Chicago
The last several refrigerators I installed called for an individule 20 branch circuit in the spec sheets. All had name plate ratings of less than 12 amps.
Thanks
Mike
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
a 5 star Kenmore refrigerator. 18.2 cubic feet upright. Energy use is 383 kwh per year and 6 amps

If an electrician ran an individual branch circuit to this refrigerator that was a 6 amp load it was a code violation to provide a 15 amp breaker for this unit that would have more closely protected a 6 amp appliance.

You where required to provide 20 amp over-current protection for a 6 amp appliance on an individual branch circuit in a kitchen.

The requirement that you had to provide 20 amp over-current protection for the branch circuit was removed and you could more closely provide 15 amp over-current protection as choice after the exception was allowed.

I never implied that the manufacture required a 15 amp circuit
Where are you finding any requirement for the refrigerator in question here to be on a 15 amp circuit? Just because it only pulls 6 amps doesn't mean it can't be plugged into a 20 amp circuit, whether the circuit contains one outlet or more then doesn't matter either. If that were an issue we would never be able to plug an average table lamp into a 20 amp circuit either.

The only thing allowing a 15 amp circuit did was allow installers to save a little $$ on copper cost by being able to run a 15 amp instead of a 20 amp conductor to this particular outlet, it changed nothing else if you were running an individual circuit to this outlet anyway.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top