What Appliances Need A Dedicated Circuit?

Do you plan to install multiple large appliances at home for living convenience? That’s a great decision to make your life easier and comfier. However, you need to follow the basic electrical and electronics rules when installing the appliances at home. It requires a good circuit, outlet, GFCI connection, and right wiring for safe and smooth operations.

As National Electronic Code (NEC) suggests, you should use dedicated circuits for large appliances. So, what appliances need a dedicated circuit at home?

Usually, a refrigerator, air conditioner, chest freezer, stove, electric oven, and other large and small appliances need a dedicated circuit. The key is to know the voltage and current requirements for the device and use a dedicated circuit for those who need more current and voltage.

What Is A Dedicated Circuit and Its Importance?

You may think that a dedicated circuit is a specially built circuit for electronic appliances. No, my mate, it isn’t so. A dedicated circuit refers to a single circuit when you connect only one electronic appliance to it for use.

Usually, we use a single circuit at home to connect multiple devices with it for the current supply. So, they have to work with multiple devices. It increases the chance of voltage irregularity that causes the GFCI outlet to trip over. It surely saves the device from electrical damage, but it cannot be very pleasant to reset the GFCI outlet now and then.

Read: Tips on How to Wire A GFCI Outlet with 2 Hot Wires

Thus, using a single circuit for a single appliance will help you eliminate such inconvenience. The dedicated circuit will provide better and regular current flow. So, the device won’t stop due to tripping over the GFCI. It saves you from the hassle and ensures better management of electrical appliances.

Plus, large electronic devices such as chest freezers, air conditioners, microwaves, dishwashers, washing machines, etc., need more current than small ones. So, connecting them with a dedicated circuit ensures better performance from the devices.

What Appliances Need A Dedicated Circuit?

There’s no concrete answer about which appliance requires a dedicated circuit and which don’t. However, experts and different electronic and safety codes suggest using a dedicated circuit for all the large home appliances. Also, a few of the smaller appliances will perform better with the dedicated circuit.

We will break down the list of the home appliances with which you should use a single circuit always. We divided the list according to different usability and home sections for your better understanding.

In bedroom and living room:

We all want comfort and luxury in the living room and bedroom. We shouldn’t compromise on comfort and hygiene in bedrooms, from proper air conditioning to pure air. It goes the same for the living room. It makes us install multiple home appliances in these rooms.

In these rooms, you may use the air conditioner, air purifier, humidifier, humidifier, dehumidifier, etc. Out of them, the following ones will need a dedicated circuit for them.

• The air conditioner must use a dedicated circuit. They are hungry for high electricity flow, so connecting them singly with a circuit will be a good deal.
• A large air purifier for a large room with over 2500 square feet of coverage will also need a dedicated circuit. However, smaller air purifiers will work fine with multiple connections with the same circuit and outlet.
• Similarly, a large dehumidifier or humidifier will also need to be connected singly with a circuit. You can’t use a circuit to connect multiple devices if you use it for these humidity controllable devices.
• Do you have an electronic fireplace or heater in the bed or living room? If yes, use a dedicated circuit for these devices too.

Laundry room or section:

Laundry rooms are used with big electronic appliances. Thus, you should use a dedicated 20AMP circuit for each appliance in the laundry room. The list includes:

• A washing or laundry machine will surely need a more than 20AMP dedicated circuit. Since it almost always uses more electricity than appliances in the bed or living room, you mustn’t use it with a general circuit.
• Although not always necessary, you should also provide the cloth dryer with a dedicated circuit. You may look at its voltage and current rating to know if it truly needs a single circuit.

Kitchen and diner room:

The kitchen and dining rooms are food factories and restaurants of your home. You may have an electric stove, microwave, refrigerator, dishwasher, etc., devices in the kitchen. Similarly, you will have an air conditioner, chest freezer, toaster, etc., and cooling, heating, and cooking items in the dining room.

Almost all of these devices will need a dedicated circuit to operate smoothly. The list includes:

• Chest freezers and refrigerators are among the most electricity-consuming devices. So, you must provide them with a single circuit to stop any inconvenience.
• Microwaves, air fryers, electronic stoves, electronic wovens, and toasters have made preparing different items easy. You can use them for cooking grills, stakes, pizzas, etc. You may help these cooking devices to perform smoothly with a dedicated circuit.
• Dishwashers and garbage disposal have made cooking waste management easy. You will, however, need a dedicated circuit for all these appliances.

Outdoor and utility rooms:

People will use multiple electronic devices in their utility rooms and outdoors in many homes. It is a matter of great worry that most homeowners will ignore the importance of a dedicated circuit for outdoor appliances.

We recommend you use the dedicated circuit for all the following large appliances.

• Furnace and water heater pump
• Sump pump
• Central air conditioning unit
• Water heater

If your spa or air compressor is at home, they also need a single circuit for better usability.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Does a refrigerator need to be on a dedicated circuit?

Although NEC doesn’t recommend using a dedicated circuit for the refrigerator, experts suggest using one. Using a dedicated circuit will stop tripping the refrigerator now and then.

Should a microwave be on a dedicated circuit?

You must use a dedicated circuit with a 20AMP current rating for the microwave ovens. It is also applicable for electronic stoves or dishwashers.

Conclusion

When installing large electronic appliances at home, you must manage them properly for safety and better performance. One of the basics of home appliance management is to know what appliances need a dedicated circuit.

We have discussed the possible devices that should connect with a single circuit instead of the general one. If you have one or multiple of these devices, follow our suggestions to avoid inconvenience.