In article ,
Andy Hill wrote:

"Matt" wrote:
Naw. I don't really have a code book.

Got ya.

But, when I was doing residential electric.... anything other than a
dedicated 12 gauge 20 amp circuit would fail inspection everytime; and
that was back in 1981.

Got me, I guess. Went and checked my doorstop, I mean, the NEC, and at
least
the 2002 allows the 'fridge to be on one of the kitchen SA circuits (which
have
to be 20A, 'tho -- mis-remembered that one). Sure seems unlikely the newer
NECs would require a dedicated circuit...newer 'fridges draw *less* juice
than
the older ones, not less.

1981 seriously predated my trying to go by code. I occasionally helped my
dad
wire up stuff around the house in that timeframe, but I can guarantee that a
large part of it never met code by any reasonable definition. Wonder if
that
"required 20A dedicated circuit" you had to deal with was a local code
requirement?

The dedicated circuit for the fridge (whether required or not) is a good
idea for two reasons:

1) The kitchen circuits must be GFCI these days, and nuisance tripping
of those outlets means your ice cream could melt.

2) All the high power draws of modern kitchen appliances are more
likely to trip breakers, again causing your ice cream to melt.

It seems to me that a dedicated one-receptacle circuit for the fridge
(allowable by NEC to be non-GFCI) is a small price to pay for peace of
mind.

--
Steve Kives -- Unix sysadmin/netadmin -- Denver, CO
Forward and fiaka, Manacle an den gosaka