Commercial Kitchen Receptacle Outlets

[flashlight]

We are wiring a commercial kitchen which has free-standing reach-in refrigerators in the middle of it, about 6x3 ft. footprint, 2 of them.
They will have a work surface on top, so we need to provide outlets for
that (slicers, blenders etc.) plus the units themselves.

A floor poke-through is impossible, so we are dropping power from the grid ceiling above.

We will come down through the ceiling with rigid conduit supported by strut.

A couple questions came up--

Can we have GFCI receptacles mounted in boxes above the ceiling, feeding the receptacles below? The customer thinks it's an easier reset than way down to the basement for GFCI breakers. GFCI receptacles at the point of use would not survive.

Also, the chef wanted retractable cords above the work surface. From my research, I didn't find any hardwired units. So we would provide the GFCI protected receptacle at the ceiling, and they would provide the retractable cord assembly. The GC says just to use laundry drops, about 2 ft. off the work surface.

Any thoughts on code/practical issues here would be appreciated.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

The Gfci protection can be anywhere on the circuit as long as it protects the recep. in the kitchen. I have heard that some EC find a spot below the panel or someplace out of the way and put all the GFCI recep. at that point. Easy to get to- I would not want them up by the ceiling.

Remember the recep can be above the ceiling but the rubber cords may not be allowed up there nor can you penetrate ceilings with the cord. Art. 400.8

 

[flashlight]

Thanks, Dennis, yes I remember about cords through the ceiling.

If they want the drops, thinking about a 4x4x 3 ft. trough below ceiling hung on threaded rod, with drops wired out of that.

 

[sparky=t]

The Gfci protection can be anywhere on the circuit as long as it protects the recep. in the kitchen. I have heard that some EC find a spot below the panel or someplace out of the way and put all the GFCI recep. at that point. Easy to get to- I would not want them up by the ceiling.

Remember the recep can be above the ceiling but the rubber cords may not be allowed up there nor can you penetrate ceilings with the cord. Art. 400.8

what if the ceiling space is a plenum, are you still going to put a receptacle up there? I have been told by inspectors they can cot be above, you can cut them in the tile, but not above due to possible arc between cord and recept. and cord would have to be plenum rated.

 

[jaylectricity]

The Gfci protection can be anywhere on the circuit as long as it protects the recep. in the kitchen. I have heard that some EC find a spot below the panel or someplace out of the way and put all the GFCI recep. at that point. Easy to get to- I would not want them up by the ceiling.

Remember the recep can be above the ceiling but the rubber cords may not be allowed up there nor can you penetrate ceilings with the cord. Art. 400.8

If you put them in the ceiling just buy the GFI device with no receptacle. It's just blank with a test and reset button.

Second device from the right:

 

[Cavie]

LET ME SEE.... prepareing food on the table, gfi trips, get ladder, take out the ceiling tiles over the open food being repaired, reset gfi, replace tile over food being prepared on the table, put ladder away....Yea, that should work.

 

[flashlight]

what if the ceiling space is a plenum, are you still going to put a receptacle up there? I have been told by inspectors they can cot be above, you can cut them in the tile, but not above due to possible arc between cord and recept. and cord would have to be plenum rated.

The ceiling space isn't a plenum, there are specific ducts up there.

 

[Cavie]

Just feed the receps from one wall mounted gfi recept somewhere in the kitchen.

 

[flashlight]

LET ME SEE.... prepareing food on the table, gfi trips, get ladder, take out the ceiling tiles over the open food being repaired, reset gfi, replace tile over food being prepared on the table, put ladder away....Yea, that should work.

Yeah, you're right. Maybe the accessible subpanel with GFI breakers ...

 

[flashlight]

Just feed the receps from one wall mounted gfi recept somewhere in the kitchen.

That would work, would be cheaper than suppanel. It would have to be 3 GFIs
though because they want 3 circuits plus the reach-ins.

Also, do the reach-ins need to be on GFI ? ...Am looking this up now...

 

[LarryFine]

Also, do the reach-ins need to be on GFI ? ...Am looking this up now...

In a commercial kitchen: yes.

 

[flashlight]

Thanks all for your responses. Probably we will feed a 6G (2 positions for future) switch box with blank GFI bodies, which will protect the outlets in kitchen. Also this way we can use 3-wire branch circuits w/o 2 pole GFI breakers, since we can break up the 3-wire circuit into 2-wire circuits protected by GFI @ switch box. Would use 2-wire ckts except for pipe fill.

 

[Buck Parrish]

Flashlight, don't forget the health depts. requirements for cleaning. Unistrut would be difficult to get clean. Just thinking...

 

[flashlight]

Flashlight, don't forget the health depts. requirements for cleaning. Unistrut would be difficult to get clean. Just thinking...

Thanks, in fact we changed our mind on that, (didn't want to go on forever in previous post) We did one rigid riser with wp boxes, one below the refrigs, 2 back to back above the counters, up into the ceiling to a 12x12x4 splice box.
Will run a complete piece of 3/4 rigid next to it flanged to floor and ceiling (no boxes or conductors) as a support structure. Then back to back clevis (mae west) hangers to tie together. Ran the riser with boxes today, pretty sturdy, but still needs support riser.

 

[Cavie]

Thanks, in fact we changed our mind on that, (didn't want to go on forever in previous post) .

We always want to hear the outcome of a problem posted. Too often we never know how the problem was solved.

 

[flashlight]

We always want to hear the outcome of a problem posted. Too often we never know how the problem was solved.

Thanks, this forum is an invaluable resource.