Kitchen Showroom

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Grouch

Grouch

Senior Member
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New York, NY
Hey guys,
We’re designing a kitchen appliance showroom. It’s not a real commercial kitchen. The showroom is only for display purposes. There will be 3 induction cooktops in the showroom (for example), and each one will require a 208 volt, 40 amp circuit breaker.

The heating elements of the cooktops will never be turned on. The owner of the showroom just wants to show customers the bells and whistles of each cooktop, so all that will be shown are the electronic displays.

Does it make sense to give each cooktop its own 40 amp dedicated circuit? I’m thinking it’s overkill. I would just run one 208 volt circuit to all the cooktops, connected to one 20 amp circuit breaker.

Would this make sense? Am I in violation of anything?
 
The only issue I would have is perhaps one day they may use it as a teaching kitchen. I had a customer who did kitchens and she used her showroom as a classroom so the units would be working.

Code, IMO would not allow you to do what you suggest but I get the overkill part.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
The only issue I would have is perhaps one day they may use it as a teaching kitchen. I had a customer who did kitchens and she used her showroom as a classroom so the units would be working.

Code, IMO would not allow you to do what you suggest but I get the overkill part.
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I'd maybe consider that if this display had working sink(s) and not just dry display sinks.
 
If the electronics are still powered by one line and the neutral, run a single 120v circuit.
 
Grouch1980 said:
you can do that, even if the input to the appliance calls for a 208 / 240 volt circuit?
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You wouldn't be using the appliances for cooking, just displays.

Make/use 120v cords with plugs if the ranges don't have cords.

Make adapters with 120v plugs and 240v receptacles if they do.
 
Grouch1980 said:
you can do that, even if the input to the appliance calls for a 208 / 240 volt circuit?
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You'd have to figure out which leg the controls run on, and only power that leg.

But it would backfeed through all the oven wiring if any elements were turned on.

I like the (1) 40 amp circuit approach
 
Grouch1980 said:
you can do that, even if the input to the appliance calls for a 208 / 240 volt circuit?
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Seems to me it would be an easy way to power just the display but not the heating elements, if the appliance is one equipped for 120/240 supply. Most cases those only use the 120 for controls, lights, maybe other accessories if available but heating elements are usually connected to 240 volts.
If you don't supply it with 240 volts it can't heat. I think at one time there may have been some controls that would apply 120 to an element for a low power setting but I don't think that has been done that for a long time with the infinite control switches that have been common for like 50 plus years or with full electronic controllers either.

If it is a 240 volt two wire appliance, chances are you are not disabling the heating without physically disconnecting the elements in some way.
 
In the past 40+ years I have only seen a few cooktops that had a 4 wire connection. I have never seen an induction cooktop that had a 4 wire connection. The small units are either straight 120 or 240. The larger units are straight 240. I'm not going to say they don't exists but if they do they are not from the big US or European appliance manufactures.
 
Barbqranch said:
Unless the stoves are modified, people will turn on the burners at some point. A single 40 amp circuit for all 3 would be a good compromise.
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I did the same for Home Depot many years ago, disconnected the heating elements on the stoves and cooktops, disconnected the magnetron on the microwaves. They wanted the interior light and displays to work.
 
Lowes drops several circuits for their refrigerator displays, but Home Depot only does one or two, problem was, people would turn the refrigerators on, then energy management would turn off those circuits at night, then in the morning, when it would turn them back on, the breaker(s) would trip because all of the compressors would start up at the same time.
 
Barbqranch said:
Unless the stoves are modified, people will turn on the burners at some point. A single 40 amp circuit for all 3 would be a good compromise.
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You may energize elements with one side of the 240 supply but if you don't have other end of element(s) connected to a different potential no current will flow and there will be no heating of the element.
 
Keep in mind, that for induction, there is very little power drawn until you put an induction capable pan on the burner. So, you could demonstrate turning on everything as long as there were no pans actually being used and that should draw very little.
 
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