Basic Electrical Questions

davidchomes

Hey guys. I have a few basic questions as to how some of you do things. Hopefully someone won't mind answering them.

1) Do most of you run a separate circuit for the Refrigerator vs. using the small appliance circuit?

2) Can the Garbage disposal and dishwasher be on the same circuit?

3) How do you handle the 110 wire from the wall to the furnace as far as conduit etc.

4) Are two NM cables stapled side by side allowed on the side of a stud as long as they are the required 1 1/4" from the edge?

5) What is your theory when building a switch or receptacle box? Such as do you always bring the load wire in a certain hole and feed wires out another etc.

Thanks for any input.

mickeyco

Buy the boxes pre-made, they're real cheap and available all over the place, why waste your time building them. And if you build them yourself they won't be UL approved unless you submit them to UL and that aint cheap.

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GregS

Don't you have an electrician sub that could properly do all of this for you? Because these really are very very basic questions that even a low-vo guy like me could answer.

However since I am not a licensed electrician, I will not post my answers and wait for the DIY notification.

Speedy Petey

1) Always dedicated.

2) Yes. This is typical. 20 amp circuit.

3) Metallic flex whip from a metal box.

4) Yes. Precisely.

5) ABSOLUTELY not! I route my cables to look best. Sometimes I'll group feeds if it is convenient. It helps a bit with splicing.

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mdshunk

My answers are the exact same as Speedy Petey's. In most cases, the answers exceed code but are a good design and the hallmark of a professional installation.

davidchomes

Thank you Speedy Petey and mdshunk for your helpful replies. Very much appreciated! I have seen different ways that electricians handle those situations and have read the code but appreciate hearing from you guys how you do it.

Thanks again.

747

That doesn't make any sense. Why would you have the garbage disposer on the same circuit as a diswasher. Point being you want a switch to fire the garbage disposer on. You plan on running the garbage disposer when running diswasher. See my point. Unless your talking about one of those garbage disposers that have the switch mounted in the sink next to faucet.

Magnettica

Ron the Electrician.

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K2

Ok Captain. Even I can figure out this one. Your going to make me scared to fly.

thom

1) yes, dedicated circuit. we may not put the fridge on a small appliance (dishwasher/disposal circuit) or a countertop receptacle circuit.
2) yes (split the hot side of the duplex and and switch one side).
3) we put a pigtail on the furnace, plug it into a dedicated single (not duplex) receptacle. This is the normal way to do it here. We cannot use a duplex receptacle though. I do put the doorbell transformer (hardwired) and the alarm transformer (another single receptacle mounted high on the wall) on this circuit and the inspector winks at it.
4) yes, though it's easier, looks better, and is less likely to catch a screw/nail if they are stacked one on top of the other.
5) in switch boxes line is always in the bottom. if it feeds additional boxes the outfeed is in the bottom. The load (lights) are always out the top. in a multi switch box, loads exit the box in the order the switches should be placed.

747

I don't have a garbage disposer or a dishwasher in my house. But seriously speaking isn't there usually a plug under cabinet that works off of switch on wall that you plug the disposer in. Unless its possible to wire that plug so only the top recepticle works on the switch and the bottom is always hot for the dishwasher.

ps. Don't make me get md and speedy involved.

househelper

1. Dedicated in new construction, sometimes have to share in remodels due to existing panel constraints.
2. Same 20A circuit, either a split receptacle w/ bottom switched or receptacle with an air switch.
3. Metal whip from metal switch box.
4. OK, but difficult to do on a 2x4 stud. Will put two under one staple or use Stackers.
5. Run power in/out in hole closest to stud

K2

Yes, that's how it's done. There are little tabs in the middle of the receptical that can be broken so you can have the top switched and the bottom constant hot... you've restored my faith in the airline industry.

GregS

What's this? Undercounter dishwashers that 'plug in'?

747

I like those new ones that got out that pull out like a drawer. You can't even tell there a dishwasher. I bet Mike Finley installs those in all his kitchen remodels.

mdshunk

Yes. All dishwasher manufacturers allow for the installation of a cord set. It's one easy way to get the required disconnect for fastened in place equipment. It's been maybe 10 years since I've wired a dishwasher and didn't put a cord on it.

GregS

Interesting, they are all hardwired here and builders just leave 14.2 (or 12.2 now I think) coiled up under the floor where the dishwasher would be.

mdshunk

Maybe a difference between the NEC and the CEC? Perhaps they put a disconnect switch along the counter space someplace?

GregS

Nupe. Straight to the breaker. There is a new code book that I haven't seen yet.

A motor load requires a disconnect. The disconnect is required for safety reasons, IE: someone gets caught in the dishwasher..

But how will this help if the receptical is in the back of the cavity and the dishwasher is screwed in?

Or maybe people around here are just installing them wrong?

I'm gonna go pull some cat5 now..

fridaymean

Ref is always on a 20A individual ckt.

Usualy we run a separate 15A ckt for the d.w. and the disposal. Once in a great while, we'll run one 20A ckt when there are space constraints in the panel.

Furnaces are piped with a 1900 Box on the side with a switch (for the discon) and a simplex or duplex receptacle for accessories (if needed).

For the dishwasher/disposal, we put a single receptacle and a single pole switch under the sink. The recsptacle is for the disposal which is controlled by a switch on one side of the sink. The switch is a "disconnect" for the conduit stub/whip combo that come out from the wall behind the dishwasher.

95% of our work is in EMT, but when we use romex, we make it look good and keep it as far away from nails from the sidding, or screws from the drywall as posible.