I've got some pretty basic knowledge of electrical...enough to not kill myself, always check electrical codes before doing any sort of work, and I won't do anything I'm not comfortable with. We bought this house a few years ago, the home builder did all the work on the house except for the plumbing, electric, and hvac. All work was inspected once the pro finished as there are KY state cert stickers on the panel and hot water heater and so on...I was under the assumption everything would be OK but lately as I've learned there have been a few code violations, some in which I fixed fairly easily (ceiling outlet in garage not GFCI, jacuzzi tub gfci not accessible, TR receptacles in rooms that get painted here going forward, and so on).

Two are a bit advanced for me and I'm not sure if it's even worth attempting or even having someone else do it. I've discovered that my two dedicated 20amp countertop circuits aren't completely dedicated. One circuit has a small light fixture above the sink that is on the load side of the gfci. The other circuit has a range hood tied into it on the load side of the gfci. Both are very minor loads probably totalling less than one or two amps each. Is this anything of concern? I'm aware those are both code violations but it seems so minor? Never had it trip the gfci or breaker as of yet. Fire hazard? Insurance issues down the road?

House wired in 2008, state of KY.

 

What version of the NEC was the house wired under? Did your municipality have any amendments to the version of the code they had adopted when the house was built? Yes, they are current day code violations and I wouldn't have done it that way, but since you haven't had any problems with them, I'd be tempted to remember they are violations, but for now leave them alone. The inspectors aren't perfect, they aren't going to catch everything. That being said, 30 or 40 years ago that was how kitchens were frequently wired and even the disposer would sometimes be on the countertop circuit. This was in the days before the requirement for 2 small appliance branch circuits.

 

I'm not sure what version it was wired under, but the inspection sticker says inspection was done in 2008. I can see this was overlooked as the hood range romex comes out of a tiny hole in the wall and is direct wires to romex. I guess the metal electrical cover on the hood is considered an accessible junction box. No amendments were made that I'm aware of. Are there any dangers of leaving it alone or future issues with insurance?

 

I've also discovered the hall / livingroom / kitchen light 15A breaker circuit supplies the hall receptacles and two regular kitchen receptacles (by dining room table in kitchen)

 

None of what you mentioned may have been code violations except the counter top circuits. Most of the others were likely OK at the time of install unless the entire house was completely gutted, including the electrical system.

 

I don't see any dangers as long as the circuits are properly protected (20 amps for #12 wire and 15 amps for #14 wire). As far as insurance, you have the inspection stickers so you should be fine there. I don't think I would recommend that builder to my friends though.

 

Nobody can tell you if a code violation is a danger or not, no matter how insignificant or low on the pecking order they are.

 

Some code such as dedicated receptacles are aimed at not overloading the circuit not so much safety specifically.. A single light drawing probably less than 1 amp is insignificant and an overload should trip a breaker not cause a fire.