commercial kitchen receptacles

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Re: commercial kitchen receptacles

Residential food refrigerating equipment is not permitted in commercial use locations.

The reason is; in a restaurant the refrigerators are opened more often than in a home, and a safe temperature is harder to maintain.
The commercial units are better insulated and have faster recovery from the compressor.

The health department will write up a violation, if a residential refrigerator is in a restaurant.
 
Re: commercial kitchen receptacles

most commercial refrigerators have the compressor on the top of the unit...would it be possable to mount a single recpt in the drop ceiling above the unit?
 
Re: commercial kitchen receptacles

He said "in the drop ceiling", not above it. B-Line makes a "T" bar mounting bracket for mounting a device box in a grid ceiling. Use them all the time for the TV receptacle in hospital rooms.
 
Re: commercial kitchen receptacles

in a kitchen remodel we did in a nursing home all the refers were plugged in to outlets cut into the ceiling tile. neither the local inspector or the acha inspector had a problem with it
 
Re: commercial kitchen receptacles

Originally posted by ryan_618:
Amptech: That wouldn't get you around the GFCI requirement though.
Click to expand...
I belive that applies to the outlets on the counter tops and covenince recpts accessible to employees it doesn't say anything about ceiling outlets
 
Re: commercial kitchen receptacles

In reality a circuit and refridgerator in proper working condition should not be a problem on a GFCI. If the restaurant was overly concerned they could alarm and remotely monitor this equipment.

There is no good argument to eliminate the GFCI requirement for these receptacles.

On the otherhand, I don't realy see the need for a dedicated refridgerator circuit to be GFCI protected.

Roger
 
Re: commercial kitchen receptacles

Your right there is no exception in a commercial kitchen... for counter top outlets and convenience outlets, it makes no mention of ceiling outlet or there uses
Roger...
I agree
craig
 
Re: commercial kitchen receptacles

ccha

The first word in the section is 'ALL'. Therefore they do not waste any wording by mentioning, all walls,countertops, ceiling, etc... The same as in dwelling bathrooms.

Pierre
 
Re: commercial kitchen receptacles

Originally posted by ccha9219:
... for counter top outlets and convenience outlets, it makes no mention of ceiling outlet or there uses...
Click to expand...
210.8(B)(3) is the proper section for commercial kitchens. It doesn't say ceilings, it doesn't say countertops, it doesn't say convenience outlets. It just says kitchens. As written that seems to include every receptacle in there.
 
Re: commercial kitchen receptacles

I think if 210.8 (b) is going to remain, we will have to clarify it a little better.

To cut a factory installed cord cap off, and hard wire it into a disconect,cannot be done, we all agreed on that.

To install a non GFCI outlet would be in violation of the NEC.

To get some sort of a written letter, from the owner of the restaurant stating you as the electrician will not be held responsible if something happens might work, (just try getting the letter)in a reasonable amount of time.
This might also work with a small restaurant owner, try getting this from a large corporate chain restaurant.

I think by reworking this article, it could help.

Robert
 
Re: commercial kitchen receptacles

Originally posted by eelectric:

To get some sort of a written letter, from the owner of the restaurant stating you as the electrician will not be held responsible if something happens might work, (just try getting the letter)in a reasonable amount of time.
This might also work with a small restaurant owner, try getting this from a large corporate chain restaurant.

Robert
Click to expand...
It wouldn't stand up in court.
 
Re: commercial kitchen receptacles

The problem is not to protect the equipment but the people that don?t understand the correct and safe way to plug and unplug equipment. My understand was that the NEC code making panel added this because someone or some group of people thought there were too many people getting hurt in commercial kitchens. The concept was great. I would love to save everyone from the potential of electrical hazards. But let?s be real about this, we can?t protect everyone from every hazard. We talk about saving our tails so that we don?t get sued because someone got shocked (or worse) but what about the person that gets sick (or dies) from eating spoiled food? The health departments are always looking for people that don?t prepare or store food products properly. The last thing a young employee wants to do is clean out the refrigerator or freezer when he is not sure if the food is spoiled or not.

How many kids get hurt every year from sticking a metal object into a receptacle? How many adults get hurt every year inserting or pulling out a defective plug (maybe not even defective)? How many people get hurt trying to perform their own electrical work? Maybe the real problem is education. Maybe there needs to be a new definition of ?qualified person? that requires an employee of a commercial kitchen to be trained in the proper use of cord & plug equipment. Too many fast food restaurants employee high school students that don?t understand the dangers of electrical equipment.

Over the past two decades the NEC has done a great job of evolving and changing to make the world we live in safer. Residential construction has changed and they don?t mandate the requirement of ALL kitchen receptacles to be GFCI protected. Or in the garage areas of a home, not all receptacles are required to be GFCI protected, only those that are readily available for people to use. Those for specific equipment or appliances that occupies dedicated space are exempt from this requirement.

Seems that we have two sets of standards here and it all depends on who lobbies the code making panel.
 
Re: commercial kitchen receptacles

Jerry I have no idea the point you are trying to make. :confused:

What is the problem with using GFCIs?
 
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