Do I need a dedicated line?


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Old 06-04-20, 03:32 PM
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Do I need a dedicated line?

I have received an older freezer and am placing it in my garage. It's a small 8 cu ft freezer with a rating of 5A. I thought I read somewhere that an freezer would need it's own dedicated line but now I'm not sure. I have an outlet nearby on a 20A breaker (this is the outlet where I plug in my power tools) and could easily connect to that, but I'm concerned about doing it right.
Does this need a dedicated line?
 

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06-04-20, 03:42 PM
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That freezer does not require a dedicated circuit. Most fridges and freezers don't.
The reason for putting them on their own circuit is so it doesn't get tripped from something else plugged into the same circuit.

It is an excellent idea to have a power line alarm plugged in there to watch the circuit.
 
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Old 06-04-20, 03:42 PM
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That freezer does not require a dedicated circuit. Most fridges and freezers don't.
The reason for putting them on their own circuit is so it doesn't get tripped from something else plugged into the same circuit.

It is an excellent idea to have a power line alarm plugged in there to watch the circuit.
 
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Old 06-04-20, 03:58 PM
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thanks! I have the alarm on order.
 
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Old 06-05-20, 03:03 AM
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Depending on when your house was built the garage circuit could be GFI protected. If so, I'd run a dedicated non GFI circuit to prevent nuisance tripping.
 
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Old 06-05-20, 06:47 AM
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Depending on when your house was built the garage circuit could be GFI protected. If so, I'd run a dedicated non GFI circuit to prevent nuisance tripping.
I generally don't like to see refrigerators or freezers on GFCI protection because of nuisance trips, but technically the NEC requires it in a garage.
 
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Old 06-05-20, 06:59 AM
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We have [or did have] an electrical inspector that would allow one non GFI receptacle in the garage providing he was notified it was for a freeze/fridge.
 
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Old 06-05-20, 07:56 AM
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Hi, have you determined if the circuit is GFCI protected?
Geo
 
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Old 06-05-20, 08:56 AM
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Getting a bit confused here. I'm now planning on adding the freezer to the existing outlets. (Yes, they are gfci protected) but the garage is a 20A circuit and, if I recall correctly, the GFCI is also 20A so I believe the circuit can handle the Freezer without any nuisance trips.

I find I need an extension and am currently using a medium duty cable. I imagine that this is sufficient for the 5A freezer and will attach an extra outlet at the end for the alarm. Am I planning this out right?
 
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Old 06-05-20, 08:58 AM
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Generally it's not a good idea to use an extension cord on a fridge/freezer. When you must the cord must be short and a heavy enough gauge.

I'd really suggest adding a non GFI circuit just for your freezer!
 
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Old 06-05-20, 09:05 AM
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I had some nuisance tripping of my kitchen refrigerator on a AFCI dedicated circuit breaker. Any GCFI or AFCI "protected" refrigerator had best have a power fail alarm, or don't leave the house for long. I've also had a close lightning hit trip a GFCI recept. Many older homes have a garage GFCI recept tied to bathrooms and outdoor recepts. Putting a freezer filled with bait, seafood, or valuable food on today's electronically protected recepts. is a recipe for disaster, IMO.
 
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Old 06-05-20, 09:25 AM
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The extension cord is only about 9 ft long, and allows me to put the freezer on the opposite side of the door from the outlet. I also have set up the cord to have a spot for the alarm, so that the alarm will go off should teh cable become unplugged or power failure. (This same cord was used on a much larger freezer in our old house for more than 20 years with no problem. It's not a standard elect extension cord.
 
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Old 06-05-20, 02:04 PM
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Getting a bit confused here. I'm now planning on adding the freezer to the existing outlets. (Yes, they are gfci protected) but the garage is a 20A circuit and, if I recall correctly, the GFCI is also 20A so I believe the circuit can handle the Freezer without any nuisance trips.
Nuisance trips have nothing to do with the circuit breaker. A nuisance trip refers to the GFCI device tripping and whether the GFCI device is rated at 15 or 20 amps has nothing to do with it either. Unless you have a high power draw appliance with a 20 amp plug there is absolutely no reason to use a 20 amp GFCI receptacle. I have never in my life ever installed a 20 amp GFCI receptacle in a home.
 
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Old 06-05-20, 05:03 PM
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The gfi is to protect a human against a shock hazard. The exception for the single receptacle in a dedicated space in a garage for an appliance was removed from the code several cycles ago. A properly functioning refrigerator or freezer should not be tripping a gfi.
 
 

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