Your kitchen is one part of the house that consumes more energy than all the other rooms. For this reason, the national electrical code recommends that it should have at least two or more separate circuits to serve its appliances, both cooking, and washing. Though certain kitchen appliances can share one circuit, others need their own.
Yes, a dishwasher needs its own circuit because of the amount of energy it uses. This dedicated circuit should be put together with the circuit breaker in the electric box. This will ensure that the dishwasher gets the energy required without overloading the electrical system.
Dishwashers operate well on either 115 or 120-volts power. Therefore, its dedicated circuit should be a 15-amp, 125-volt circuit. Read this article to learn more about dishwashers and electricity that will interest you to know.
How Much Power does A Dishwasher with Its Own Circuit Take at Peak?
Dishwashers typically run on either 115-volt or 120-volt power. On average, a new model dishwasher consumes about 1.5KWh to wash one load of dishes, minus water intake.
At its highest point, an older model will take approximately 0.9KWh, while a newer dishwasher model consumes 0.5KWh for each load.
What’s the Amount of Energy a Dishwasher Consumes?
How much energy a dishwasher consumes depends on various factors, including its design, settings, and the cycles you’ve decided to run it. Also, remember that other things such as water intake and water pressure that are not connected to the dishwasher itself will also add to the energy consumption.
All factors considered, your dishwasher may take between 1200 watts to 2400watts of energy.
What’s the Right Thickness for The Dishwasher Electrical Wire ?
The electrical wire you choose for the dishwasher can either lower or increase the chances of the electrical system burning or overheating. Note that as the gauge decreases, the wire thickness increases. Also, that a dishwasher would like to utilize low gauge wires for increased capacity.
For this reason, the standard wire cable for your dishwasher should be 14/2NM(nonmetallic) with a ground. However, if you’re using a 20-amp circuit, the wire cable must be 12/2NM with a ground. The extra slack comes in handy when you want to pull the dishwasher out, probably for maintenance services. You can comfortably do so without disconnecting it.
How to Install A Dishwasher’s Own Circuit?
Before taking you through a step-by-step guide on how you can install a dishwasher dedicated circuit yourself, there are things you first need to know and understand.
- When working with any electrical device, you first must read and follow all the manufacturer’s manual booklet instructions and safety rules.
- Disconnect the energy source before anything else.
- Adhere to the local electrical code and requirements to avoid landing in problems with the authorities.
Requirements
You’ll require the following tools for the installation job
- Screwdriver
- 12-gauge wire
- Wire strippers
- Wire nuts
- Wire cutters
Step by Step Guide Dishwasher Circut Installation
You can install the dishwasher’s own circuit yourself. But, if you’ve never dealt with electrical devices before, or you’re unsure, you can hire a qualified electrician to do the job for you.
Hiring an electrician, however costly it may be, minimizes the risks associated with electricity. Plus, they ensure they do their job correctly, so you don’t have to worry about future mishaps. Follow this step-by-step guide if you’re entirely convinced that you can do it on your own.
Step 1: Turn off the main switch
This is the first thing you should do before you start working. Doing it will keep you protected against electrical shock. You can even switch on the lights just to confirm that the power is off.
Once you’re sure, take the panel to remove its front cover. You need to take off the screws using a screwdriver. At the same time, you need to secure the cover door to the service panel. You can then keep the screws and the door aside for later assembling.
Step 2:Connecting the circuit to the service panel
The first step here is to keep tension off the wire by removing the knock-out and placing a cable clamp instead. Using a wire stripper, you can strip the white ground wires then connect them to the grounding bus. The black wires should also be connected to the circuit breaker but turn off the breaker before joining them.
Step 3: Ensure you join the wires correctly
From both the ends of the 12-gauge wire, strip an inch of the insulation using a wire stripper. Remember, the 12-gauge wire is now connected to the circuit breaker. Join the naked wire to the ground strip that you’ll see at the bottom of the panel.
The white wire should then be installed on the neutral strip while the black wire goes to the single screw. Finally, using a screwdriver, tighten the screws to hold the wires in place.
Step 4: Connect your dishwasher
The dishwasher’s connected terminals lie on its back. Black represents the hot wire, while silver or white stands for neutral. Then, there’s a green screw for the ground connection. There are two ways to connect your dishwasher, either through a pigtail or hard wiring.
The pigtail process requires you to drill a hole through the cabinet for the plug to pass, meaning that you’ll be connecting the dishwasher using a cable since the plug is on the other end.
There’s not much to do should you decide to go the hard wiring way. This is because the dishwasher-fitting circuit wires are already on the breaker. Your job is only to connect them, and then you place wire clamps to keep the cable in place whenever you move your dishwasher.
Before turning the main power on, ensure that the circuit breaker’s switch will extend through the panel door once you put it back on. Then you can replace the door then tighten it well using screws and a screwdriver.
Conclusion
It’s clear from this article that a dishwasher needs its own circuit. However, you must ensure that you install the correct circuit for your dishwasher to avoid overheating or tripping the circuit breaker every time you try running this machine.
So, before purchasing one, you may need to consider various things, such as the dishwasher amperage, GFCI protection requirements with your local authorities, whether it’s a built-in machine or portable, and the plug type. All these will surely lead you to the correct circuit for your dishwasher.
