Home Electrical Question

[Hi Ho]

I am working on an old house and redoing the kitchen. It is stripped down to studs at the moment. I would like to install a dishwasher of which there has never been one installed. The house was completely rewired in the past with 12-2 and 20A circuits for all the receptacles and lights. There are two open spots in the breaker panel. I have already run a dedicated circuit for an over-the-range microwave. That leaves one slot. I would like to leave the kitchen outlets on their own dedicated circuit (since this is code, no?). That leaves one circuit that would run the fridge, dishwasher, and a single light in the laundry room.

I could also get a tandem breaker that would give me an extra 20A circuit.

Is it OK to run a fridge and a small (18") dishwasher on the same circuit? The breakers are Pushmatic and they are pricey.

 

[JohnA]

If I remember right, NEC code requires all appliances to be on their own circuit. That is how I did my kitchen.

 

[mtrycrafts]

If I remember right, NEC code requires all appliances to be on their own circuit. That is how I did my kitchen.

I am working on an old house and redoing the kitchen. It is stripped down to studs at the moment. I would like to install a dishwasher of which there has never been one installed. The house was completely rewired in the past with 12-2 and 20A circuits for all the receptacles and lights. There are two open spots in the breaker panel. I have already run a dedicated circuit for an over-the-range microwave. That leaves one slot. I would like to leave the kitchen outlets on their own dedicated circuit (since this is code, no?). That leaves one circuit that would run the fridge, dishwasher, and a single light in the laundry room.

I could also get a tandem breaker that would give me an extra 20A circuit.

Is it OK to run a fridge and a small (18") dishwasher on the same circuit? The breakers are Pushmatic and they are pricey.

I am pretty sure John is correct. I did mine as he. You could double up on each of that two slots and you would have 4 breakers.

 

[just-some-guy]

http://forum.doityourself.com/

 

[Rickster71]

I could also get a tandem breaker that would give me an extra 20A circuit.

Is it OK to run a fridge and a small (18") dishwasher on the same circuit? The breakers are Pushmatic and they are pricey.

I'd go with the piggyback breaker and give the dishwasher it's own circuit.
Pushmatic, how old is this panel?
I'm sorry to open a can of worms here, but Pushmatic breakers don't have a very good reputation.

 

[Rickster71]

Sorry I had to post and run.
Didn't mean to get all gloom & doom in my previous post. Some of the heavier loaded original breakers only lasted 10 to 15 years. They are a bolt-in style and overheated if cross threaded. (not really the fault of the breaker) The reset button has to be pushed pretty hard, and sometimes didn't set properly.

On old Push-Matic breakers, the on/off flag will sometimes stay fixed in either position, giving you a false indication of the condition of the circuit.

Those breakers are a bit hard to find and the reason for the expense; but they are out there. Push-Matic is part of Siemens now. Do a net search to find better pricing.

 

[Pyrrho]

If I remember right, NEC code requires all appliances to be on their own circuit. That is how I did my kitchen.

It certainly should be done that way, and that should be required by code for major appliances.

As for the circuit breakers, if they are not a good type, now might be the time to spring for new ones of a better type for every circuit, perhaps in a new box if they will not properly fit in the old one.

 

[Hi Ho]

I have done quite a bit of research regarding the breakers. Some say tthey were the best consumer model because they bolt on and some don't like them because of the push button nature. The ones installed in this box function perfectly and I have no trouble turning them on and off, which i have bbeen doing a lot. They have a decent rep on Inspectapidia unlike the Zinsco breakers my parents have which I am trying to convince my dad to replace.

http://inspectapedia.com/electric/Pushmatic.htm

http://inspectapedia.com/electric/Zinsco.htm

The best price I've found on the breakers is on Amazon. $44 for tandem and $28 for single.

 

[trnqk7]

Glanced over the NEC, you should have 2 or more small appliance circuits that are 20A. These will serve all wall, floor, and countertop outlets/receptacles and the receptacle for refrigeration. Also, there's an exception for refrigeration in that you can have another branch circuit of 15A or more for the purpose of refrigeration. There's another exception in that a different general purpose branch circuit can feed a switched receptacle in the kitchen area (ie, a light switch).

If you have a copy, it's 210.11C(1), 210.52A,B,C, and 210.70A that I found the info in. Not much fun to read. Simpler to probably just call an electrician friend if you have such a person that familiar with code in your area as well.

 

[trnqk7]

There are two open spots in the breaker panel. I have already run a dedicated circuit for an over-the-range microwave. That leaves one slot. I would like to leave the kitchen outlets on their own dedicated circuit (since this is code, no?). That leaves one circuit that would run the fridge, dishwasher, and a single light in the laundry room.

I could also get a tandem breaker that would give me an extra 20A circuit.

Is it OK to run a fridge and a small (18") dishwasher on the same circuit? The breakers are Pushmatic and they are pricey.

It is code that the kitchen has it's own dedicated circuits. The laundry room light should probably be on a different circuit technically.

The refrigerator's motor should have the ratings on it for full load amps or starting amps. See how that compares to the dishwasher's ratings to see if you could get away with both on a 20A circuit. The problem being if one starts up while the other is running...could potentially overload the breaker and cause it to trip. Something to check into if you can.