General Purpose branch circuit and refrigerators

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nanckekr

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With two under counter refrigerators located in a wet bar in the living room and a combined total consumption of 512W, is it allowed to connect these to a general purpose branch circuit or must a new appliance branch circuit for these two refrigerators be installed? If an appliance branch circuit is required, can the two refrigerators then share the same?
BR,
Anders
 
It does not sound like this is a kitchen so you can connect the refrigerators to a standard circuit. I will advise you to look and see if the manufacturer requires separate 15 amp circuits for these unit. I have seen that otherwise you can wire them with other circuits.
 
If the refrigerators are not located in the kitchen, pantry, breakfast room, or dining room, then they aren't required to be on a small appliance branch circuit.

Chris
 
210.11(c)(1)

210.11(c)(1)

Thanks a lot for the fast reply. Hmm, the living room is also the dining room. Is there an article describing this?

I went through the following articles:
210.11(C)(1): ..?Two or more 20A small appliance branch circuits shall be provided for all receptacle outlets specified by 210.52(B)? and then
210.52(B)(1): ??20A small-appliance branch circuit required by 210.11(C) shall serve all wall and floor receptacle outlets covered by 210.52(A), all countertop outlets covered by 210.52(C), and receptacle outlets for refrigeration equipment.?

Based on this, I think the refrigerator can be connected regardless of the room, as long as the installation instruction does not instruct a dedicated circuit, since the instruction guide must have precedence over the code if the instructions are more restrictive.

Studying 210.11(C)(1) gave me some other headache? Is it allowed to connect recessed light to the two minimum required 20A receptacle circuits, or is that only for receptacles?
 
Dennis Alwon said:
It does not sound like this is a kitchen so you can connect the refrigerators to a standard circuit. I will advise you to look and see if the manufacturer requires separate 15 amp circuits for these unit. I have seen that otherwise you can wire them with other circuits.
Click to expand...

For an appliance that's not fastened in place is the installer responsible for a manufacturer required individual circuit even though he's not the end user?
 
Hmm, the living room is also the dining room. Is there an article describing this?
Click to expand...

If the living room is also the dining room then the refrigerators must be on a small appliance branch circuit or use Exception No.2 to 210.52(B)(1).

210.52(B)(1) requires that all wall and floor outlets within the dining room be served by the two or more small appliance branch circuits. Also, this section requires that any refrigeration equipment within the kitchen dining room pantry ect.. be installed on the two or more small appliance branch circuits unless you use Exception No 2.

Chris
 
raider1 said:
210.52(B)(1) requires that all wall and floor outlets within the dining room be served by the two or more small appliance branch circuits.
Click to expand...


All......or just the code required ones?

Now I am outa here.....:grin:
 
infinity said:
For an appliance that's not fastened in place is the installer responsible for a manufacturer required individual circuit even though he's not the end user?
Click to expand...

I would think if the unit was in place at the time of inspection that the electrician would be. If I ran an 8/4 wire to a free standing range that required a #6 --- then I think I am responsible.

I think this concept of the manufacturer requiring separate service is a bunch of bunk any way. I had 2 icemakers that draw 4 amps each and the info required 15 amp dedicated circuit for each unit. Ridiculous.
 
iwire said:
All......or just the code required ones?

Now I am outa here.....:grin:
Click to expand...

You got me,:D

"All wall and floor receptacle outlets covered by 210.52(A), all countertop outlets covered by 210.52(C), and receptacle outlets for refrigeration equipment."

Chris
 
210.52(B)(1) uses the terminology "kitchen, pantry, breakfast room, dining room, OR SIMILAR AREA to describe the outlets that are to be served by the 2 OR MORE SABC's. Just my opinion here but I would say a wet bar falls under "or similar area". If I was doing the installation I would pull a new 20 amp circuit from the panel to serve the wet bar.
 
The installation guide for subzero wine cooler required a separate circuit, so 210.52(B)(1) exception No 2 will then be used to allow me to follow that installation requirement.

The installation guide for the U-line refrigerator recommended a separate circuit. As the word ?recommended? was used, I am then allowed to either attach it to one of the minimum two 20A small appliance circuits set by 210.52(B)(1) or to use the Exception No 2 on this appliance as well and install a separate circuit.

Given the 2.5A required by the U-line, I will use the existing circuits :)

Do you guys know if ceiling light can be connected to the 210.52(B)(1) small appliance breaker circuits or if separate circuits are needed for lighting?
 
Oh I did read it, and properly misread it...I think I get it now...

All receptacles in the room in floor/wall level must be covered entirely by the SABC, of which minimum two must be 20A.

If there are any receptacles located above 5.5 ft or smoke alarms or ceiling light, then these must be covered by ANOTHER branch circuit than the two covering the receptacles specified in 210.52.

Was this closer?
 
raider1 said:
You got me,:D

"All wall and floor receptacle outlets covered by 210.52(A), all countertop outlets covered by 210.52(C), and receptacle outlets for refrigeration equipment."

Chris
Click to expand...

Right... ceiling outlets are, thankfully, exempt. Clocks are exempt as well -- see FPN on 210.52(B)(2)

edit -- this is clearly wrong since one is a reference to (B)(1) and the other a reference to (B)(2), but I haven't quite figured out what is right yet. Once I get the cobwebs out, I'll post a correction (unless someone else does it better first!)
 
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nanckekr said:
Oh I did read it, and properly misread it...I think I get it now...

All receptacles in the room in floor/wall level must be covered entirely by the SABC, of which minimum two must be 20A.

If there are any receptacles located above 5.5 ft or smoke alarms or ceiling light, then these must be covered by ANOTHER branch circuit than the two covering the receptacles specified in 210.52.

Was this closer?
Click to expand...
Where does it say that they must be on another circuit? I see it as a "may", but I very well might have missed something.
 
tallguy said:
Where does it say that they must be on another circuit? I see it as a "may", but I very well might have missed something.
Click to expand...

Outlets, other than those specified in 210.52(B)(1) shall not be installed on the two or more small appliance branch circuits.

Chris
 
raider1 said:
Outlets, other than those specified in 210.52(B)(1) shall not be installed on the two or more small appliance branch circuits.

Chris
Click to expand...

Not seeing that text there... but appears that you are stating 210.52(B)(2) with different words.

At any rate, I see the principle now.

If this is taken to its logical extreme though, it means that one can not ever have a circuit which straddles the two sides of the demarcation point of 210.52(B)(1). Even if we have 10 SABCs, we can't have a general-purpose circuit that includes a recep. on the dining room wall... Right?

I think this is what iwire was getting at before his hasty exit? :-?
 
This is how I am reading it now, and in a way it makes sense. I believe the reasoning behind is the assumption that a short circuit in an applience a user has connected to a receptacle is higher than the risk of a short circuit in a ceiling light, which the user will interact less with.

In the event of a short circuit, you do not want to loose the light in the room, as then you can not find your way safely to the breaker box. By totally separating the light circuits from the receptacle circuits you are lowering the chance of ending up with no light in a room in the event of a short circuit somewhere in the system.

I recall from Northern Europe, that we do NOT separate the two circuits. Guess what: when something went bad, you sat there in complete darkness, wishing you were a smoker and thus equiped with a lighter to show you the way to the breaker box :)
 
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