Kitchen circuit loads

Status
Not open for further replies.

wireday

Senior Member
Location
New England
Occupation
Master electrician
Any code violations having two refrigerators on one 20 amp branch circuit, what about vending machines and micro waves? I know for some reason new refrigerators don't seem to draw as much as they used to. What about vending machines? I have customers that does not want to add a few branch circuits
 
Yes commercial kitchen, I believe any appliance 8 amps or higher needs its own circuit. just was asking for a code reference if there is one.
 
H
Yes commercial kitchen, I believe any appliance 8 amps or higher needs its own circuit. just was asking for a code reference if there is one.


Correct me if I’m wrong but I do not believe that when a piece of equipment draws 1/2 or more of a circuit ampacity that it would require its own circuit figured at the 80% of total but rather the full current rating. In other words your 8 amps should be 10 amps, assuming your talking about a 20 amp circuit.
 
210.23 states

(1) Cord-and-Plug-Connected Equipment Not Fastened in
Place. The rating of any one cord-and-plug-connected utilization
equipment not fastened in place shall not exceed
80 percent of the branch-circuit ampere rating.
 
I was figuring 80% of 20 amps, that where I came up with 16. If I made it 10 amps per appliance and they used one circuit for two appliances, so 20 amps you believe that is OK? And I am not sure of the draw as I have not seen the appliances. I always used a rule of thumb.
 
I was figuring 80% of 20 amps, that where I came up with 16. If I made it 10 amps per appliance and they used one circuit for two appliances, so 20 amps you believe that is OK? And I am not sure of the draw as I have not seen the appliances. I always used a rule of thumb.
It also depends on the receptacles you install per Section 210.20(B)(2) and Table 210.21(B)(2). If you install 15A rated receptacles on your 20 circuit, the max cord-and-plug connected load is 12A. However, if you install 20A rated receptacles on your 20 circuit, the max cord-and-plug connected load is 16A.

Thus with a 20A receptacle, you could have one 16A load and one 4A load. Or a 15A and a 5A. Or a 14A and a 6A. (Etc.)
So, 10A and 10A is OK too.
 
210.23 states
next part (2) is where the 50% rule is, and applies when there is cord and plug connected equipment not fastened in place, and/or lighting as well as equipment fastened in place on same circuit

I was figuring 80% of 20 amps, that where I came up with 16. If I made it 10 amps per appliance and they used one circuit for two appliances, so 20 amps you believe that is OK? And I am not sure of the draw as I have not seen the appliances. I always used a rule of thumb.

If none of your cord and plug connected equipment is fastened in place, there sort of is nothing in NEC that prohibits them from all being on one circuit, just a rule that says no individual unit can be more than 80% of circuit rating.

Good design will still provide enough circuits that you don't overload anything, especially if you know before hand what loads will be intended to plug into these receptacles.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top