Undercabinet lights

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(2) No Other Outlets. The two or more small-appliance branch circuits specified in 210.52(B)(1) shall have no other outlets.

Exception No. 1: A receptacle installed solely for the electrical supply to and support of an electric clock in any of the rooms specified in 210.52(B)(1).

Exception No. 2: Receptacles installed to provide power for supplemental equipment and lighting on gas-fired ranges, ovens, or counter-mounted cooking units.


According to the verbiage above I would say that it would not be code compliant to serve the UC lights from the SABC.

Pete
 
jwelectric said:
Good morning my friend. It sure does bring back menories of one hard headed member that just refused to accept what was being presented before him but as you can see he did learn :grin:
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LOL.

I missed you at the electrical institute this year, hope you were just busy.

Roger
 
I disagree. I also disagreed when this subject was debated, at length, sometime ago (2-3 years ago, perhaps?).
pete m. said:
(2) No Other Outlets. The two or more small-appliance branch circuits specified in 210.52(B)(1) shall have no other outlets.
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If a SABC supplies a specific receptacle outlet on a kitchen wall above the countertop, and if you place a table lamp on the countertop and plug it into that receptacle, then it is the receptacle, not the lamp, that comprises the "outlet." I can plug in anything I want (e.g., a coffee pot, a portable drill, a vacuum cleaner, a lamp, a hair dryer, etc.), and I will not have created a new "outlet." Using a screw to attach a lamp to the underside of the cabinet does not change any of this.
 
charlie b said:
I disagree. I also disagreed when this subject was debated, at length, sometime ago (2-3 years ago, perhaps?).If a SABC supplies a specific receptacle outlet on a kitchen wall above the countertop, and if you place a table lamp on the countertop and plug it into that receptacle, then it is the receptacle, not the lamp, that comprises the "outlet." I can plug in anything I want (e.g., a coffee pot, a portable drill, a vacuum cleaner, a lamp, a hair dryer, etc.), and I will not have created a new "outlet." Using a screw to attach a lamp to the underside of the cabinet does not change any of this.
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I agree with you Charlie and Roger and Mike... a cord and plug connected lamp, drill, table saw, etc.. would not constitute a violation. I assumed (and I do know better than to assume:)) that the OP was referring to "hard-wired" UC lights.

Pete
 
And I wasn?t paying close enough attention to who was saying what. My apologies. Perhaps I did not disagree with anyone after all. But I suspect that someone might chime in with a disagreement of their own.

So to clarify, IMHO a plug and cord connected undercabinet light that is plugged into a SABC receptacle outlet is not a violation, and a hard wired undercabinet light that is wired into a SABC circuit is a violation.
 
charlie b said:
....So to clarify, IMHO a plug and cord connected undercabinet light that is plugged into a SABC receptacle outlet is not a violation, and a hard wired undercabinet light that is wired into a SABC circuit is a violation.
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Exactly. I did not specify in the OP that it was hard-wired. We have a fixture that comes with a cord, but is also rated for permanent installation by removing the cord, and hardwiring it.

It would seem to be a safer installation to have it hard wired, instead of a 4 foot cord hanging around the kitchen counter. But the NEC is not always about safety -- as evidenced by this rule. It is not always practical to install a separate lighting circuit in an existing situation with things like finished basements underneath, concrete walls, etc.

We had another installation where the cust wanted it hard-wired, with a wall switch. In order to satisfy the Code, we ended up mounting a shallow wiremold box under the cabinet, and feeding it thru a wall switch. Simply plugged in the light, and you have the best of both worlds.

Too bad we had to use such a back-door approach to remain Code-compliant.
 
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