Dedicated Circuit

[cscales]

What exactly is a dedicated circuit per code?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

What exactly is a dedicated circuit per code?

The NEC does not define dedicated circuit. It usually means an individual circuit to a specific appliance or outlet-- nothing else on the circuit.

 

[kingpb]

NEC does not define the term Dedicated Circuit". It does define "Branch Circuit, Individual" which could be construed to be what you are meaning.

Since NEC does not define the term, if it is being used for instance in a specification or on a drawing, then you will need to see what context it is being used in to determine the intent. The term could mean different things to different people.

In general, to me it means that you have a separate breaker feeding an individual load, and if a neutral is involved, there is no sharing between circuits.

 

[skeshesh]

Others have pointed out most everything accurately.

I would just add that I've never really seen the term being used to mean anything other than "this circuit is dedicated to this application". It often means it's serving a single load (i.e one copier machine, fridge, etc.) but I've also seen it used to mean its serving more than one load but with the same applications (i.e. clocks, controller, VAV boxes, etc.).

 

[infinity]

Others have pointed out most everything accurately.

I would just add that I've never really seen the term being used to mean anything other than "this circuit is dedicated to this application". It often means it's serving a single load (i.e one copier machine, fridge, etc.) but I've also seen it used to mean its serving more than one load but with the same applications (i.e. clocks, controller, VAV boxes, etc.).

I agree.