North Carolina Code question

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zog

zog

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Location
Charlotte, NC
I am building (I am the buyer, not the builder) a house in NC and was told that NC code requires the dishwasher to be on a circuit that can be turned off with one of the lightswitches in the kitchen, whats the basis for this?

I was happy to see AFCI's for all of the bedrooms.
 
Thanks Roger.

The builder gave me some line about kids putting cats in dishwashers, I thought it sounded made up. Could the inspector require this? Maybe the inspector lost a pet this way and its personal?
 
I had inspector in Atlantic Beach, NC have me put DW on a switch disconnect and would not allow cord and plug connect. His rationale was motor disconnect. I cannot place the reference off top of my head. I will get back to it if somebody does not beat me to it.:grin:
 
360Youth said:
I had inspector in Atlantic Beach, NC have me put DW on a switch disconnect and would not allow cord and plug connect. His rationale was motor disconnect. I cannot place the reference off top of my head. I will get back to it if somebody does not beat me to it.:grin:
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Not allowing a cord and plug seems to be outside of the requirements of the NEC.
 
infinity said:
Not allowing a cord and plug seems to be outside of the requirements of the NEC.
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You can be opening a can of worms here. I remember a discussion about using cord and plug but the cord had to be approved by for use with a dishwasher. Personally, I don't use cord and plug unless it is factory installed.

The builder's EC probably does all his home with a switch up at the kitchen sink near the light or disposal switch. Many electricians do that around here but I find it a nuisance.

I have had a few homeowners call me after the service man came out only to tell them there is no power at the dw. They call me and I always ask them to try the switches by the sink. You would be surprised how many never realized what that switch was for.

There is no NC code on this issue but perhaps a local thing that everyone does.
 
"The builder's EC probably does all his home with a switch up at the kitchen sink near the light or disposal switch."

Yep


'Many electricians do that around here but I find it a nuisance."

Yep, i agree

"I have had a few homeowners call me after the service man came out only to tell them there is no power at the dw. They call me and I always ask them to try the switches by the sink. You would be surprised how many never realized what that switch was for."

That would have been me if i had not done such a detailed walkthru.

One nice thing the builder does do is install the outlets upside down (Ground plug up) on all of the outlets that are controlled by a switch, non-switched outlets are groud plus down, I thought that was a good idea.
 
zog said:
One nice thing the builder does do is install the outlets upside down (Ground plug up) on all of the outlets that are controlled by a switch, non-switched outlets are groud plus down, I thought that was a good idea.
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That would drive some of my customers crazy. We also only switch half the recep. The other half is always hot.

I have seen some put a blue dot sticky on the plate and after the ho has figured it out they can take it off if they wish.

BTW, Where are moving to in NC?
 
Dennis Alwon said:
That would drive some of my customers crazy. We also only switch half the recep. The other half is always hot.

I have seen some put a blue dot sticky on the plate and after the ho has figured it out they can take it off if they wish.

BTW, Where are moving to in NC?
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That would drive me crazy because it would look terrible.
 
Why in the world you would put the DW on a readily accesible switch baffles me. Even most of our HOs want the disposal switch in a rather inconspicuous space so as to prevent inadvertant use, let alone a DW that would only get turned off every few years.
 
That's funny right there.

That's funny right there.

zog said:
Thanks Roger.

The builder gave me some line about kids putting cats in dishwashers, I thought it sounded made up. Could the inspector require this? Maybe the inspector lost a pet this way and its personal?
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OMG, that's a new one for me. Why in the h*ll would you put a DW on a switched leg:confused: "There's a safety switch on the door honey, it won't operate unless it's bypassed or arced closed." If the kitty starts screaming, just release the latch.
"Here clean kitty-kitty":grin:
 
76nemo said:
OMG, that's a new one for me. Why in the h*ll would you put a DW on a switched leg:confused: "There's a safety switch on the door honey, it won't operate unless it's bypassed or arced closed." If the kitty starts screaming, just release the latch.
"Here clean kitty-kitty":grin:
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The switch on most dishwashers do not disconnect the entire dw and often are not marked "off". The code would require a disconnect or a breaker lock on the panel.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
The code would require a disconnect or a breaker lock on the panel.
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Dennis, you can't use a breaker lock and meet code if the dishwasher motor is over 1/8 HP, The disconnect switch MUST be within sight of the motor, Unless the appliance has a unit switch that complies with 422.34.


If the dishwasher is not cord and plug connected, and over 1/8th HP, then you must have a disconnect within sight. Hence the switch at the counter. This is a very popular code violation by the way.
 
stickboy1375 said:
Dennis, you can't use a breaker lock and meet code Unless the appliance has a unit switch that complies with 422.34.
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I was trying to convey that a disco was needed but a breaker lock would also work. I did not get into the if's of the breaker lock. Thanks for clarifying. I may have misled them there.

I always have a disco either under the adjacent sink cabinet not on the wall. It would be just my luck to be working on the dw and the ho flips the switch while I am lying on the floor.
 
Around here, many dishwashers are hardwired without a disconnect.

I know this is a code violation but it's one of those "regional practices" that is not NEC compliant but inspectors allow.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
The switch on most dishwashers do not disconnect the entire dw and often are not marked "off". The code would require a disconnect or a breaker lock on the panel.
Click to expand...


You mean the safety latch does not cut off all line V? I know that, but what I meant was, if the kitty's screaming, the wash will stop if the HO releases the door latch. A coffee pot includes water and a high wattage heater, I don't put them on a switched leg. I just can't seem to justify a DW switched other than at the panel box. If kitty doesn't like being locked in a DW with high pressure jets, than it should of known better:grin: ORRRR, open the door latch.
"Oh my, you're kitty smells like Cascade.". "Yeah, I know, the dumb*ss electrician didn't permit a switched line except at the breaker box, and there's spiders down there, you won't find me down there!!!"
 
peter d said:
Around here, many dishwashers are hardwired without a disconnect.

I know this is a code violation but it's one of those "regional practices" that is not NEC compliant but inspectors allow.
Click to expand...

Yep.. I see it all the time... I do see a few houses from time to time with a switch for a dishwasher on the counter, I used to think that was so strange until I came here and became educated. ;)
 
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