You can use a 15-amp circuit in your kitchen if your local codes permit you to do so. You have to use 20-amp outlets in a kitchen because kitchens house powerful appliances like mixers, toasters, and microwaves. Most professionals you consult will encourage you to add at least two 20A outlets to your kitchen. They also protect consumers, which is why you have to add them to your kitchen. Unlike GFCIs, AFCIs respond to electrical arcing. GFCIs are expensive but they are a legal requirement in kitchens because they save lives. Moisture is a conductor that can trigger a ground fault if it invades the circuitry of an appliance. This is more likely to occur in a kitchen because it exposes appliances, plugs, and outlets to water. If the current in an appliance flows through a new conductor, such as a person, the incoming current will differ from the outgoing current, triggering the GFCIs. Imbalances occur because of electrical leaks. They respond to imbalances in the outgoing and incoming current by tripping and cutting the power off. GFCIs protect consumers from electrical hazards. In other words, don’t be surprised if you find yourself placing a GFCI on an outlet that doesn’t need a GFCI. That first outlet might not fall within the 6-foot range mentioned above. In other words, you can use one GFCI to protect every single outlet in your kitchen.īut you have to place the GFCI on the outlet closest to the breaker that serves the kitchen. If you install a GFCI on the first outlet in the circuit, it will provide GFCI protection to all the outlets downstream. You are probably happy to learn that you only have to install GFCIs on the outlets that neighbor your countertops and sinks.īut what about the people that have several outlets within six feet of their sinks and countertops? Do they have to install a GFCI on every single one of them? NEC rules apply to new construction projects.īut if you want to update the wiring and remodel your kitchen, you must install GFCIs. You are better off doing so because the GFCIs will protect you and your family members from harm.īut if you don’t want to pay for new GFCIs, the NEC doesn’t expect old homes to install GFCIs. If you have an ancient home that was constructed before GFCIs became a requirement in the kitchen, you don’t have to install GFCI protection. You can ignore outlets that are not within 6 feet of a wet bar sink. But the NEC’s rules do not apply to receptacles that operate dishwashers.Īs you can see, this leaves a lot of wiggle room.
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