Father wants to compromise fire safety to save $175 in construction upgrades

[Gail in Georgia]

"We have a chest freezer that we want to put into the garage, and for fire safety reasons, a dedicated 20 amp 120V outlet is necessary. Unfortunately, my father refuses to add that upgrade for $175, and is willing to plug the chest freezer into one of the GFCI protected outlets included in the garage. This is a serious violation of fire codes, and I am willing to report him to the local fire marshal if he does not add that upgrade."

Why are you assuming this is a serious violation of fire codes? At the most the breaker would blow and the electricity would shut off.

Besides, as the attached points out, it is unlikely the breaker would blow anyway. I've had a chest freezer plugged into a standard outlet (NOT a dedicated one) for the past several decades without any issues.


http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_amps_does_a_chest_freezer_draw

Gail

 

[justalayman]

Gail, the troll is simply being a troll.

As I stated, it is not a fire hazard nor against any electrical code to plug a freezer into a GFCI outlet. Neither fire codes nor electrical codes prohibit such a use. That doesn't mean it is a good idea to do so but it has nothing to do with safety issues.


The National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) (which is strangely enough under the auspices of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)(not a governmental entity) but is not per se a fire code regulatory publication) specifically allows a non-gfci outlet to be installed for many appliances where it would otherwise require a GFCI protected circuit to be. I would have to consult the NEC and possibly any applicable state or local electrical codes to determine if a non-gfci would actually be allowed in a garage. Generally, all receptacles in a garage (specific description per the NEC or other applicable codes) must be gfci protected. I have not verified if a non-gfci recep can be installed in a garage for this purpose because...well...

because the OP has acted like a jerk.

But to why you don't want to plug a freezer into a gfci outlet I described previously. Due to how a gfci works, motor loads (which is what is used to operate the compressor in your freezer) have a tendency to cause gfci to trip when the motor starts. It is considered nuisance tripping and does not indicate a true problem with the appliance. Due to that, there have been exceptions allowed to use a non-gfci protected circuits, or more specificallyl; outlets, for such appliances BUT they are generally required to be dedicated to the appliance (not necessarily a dedicated circuit but the installation designed such that only the applicable appliance will be able to be plugged into the specific outlet).

since you have not experienced any problems by plugging in your freezer into a circuit that is not dedicated to your freezer, great but I suspect it is on a circuit that has little to no other loads typically. Just for the sake of saving you a ton of money if the freezer circuit does trip it could cause a great loss of money, it is always a good idea to use a dedicated circuit for freezers and refrigerators. Too often such an appliance is plugged into a general use circuit and the owner then plugs something like, oh, maybe a high current draw (relatively speaking) appliance like a vacuum cleaner and the freezer happens to start while the vacuum is being used and the breaker is overloaded and trips. Often times people do not realize the freezer was on that same circuit and may end up with a lot of spoiled food.

 

[HuAi]

Presumably they'll realize it when their vacuum cleaner doesn't start and they have to go flip the breaker. To the OP - you're a jerk, and this is not a fire risk. That's why circuit breakers exist.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

And if he ever does, I will sue him for everything he's got.

ROFLMAO. Unless your name is on the deed, you can be kicked out PDQ. Please tell us what union local you served your electrical apprenticeship at. You do not appear to be terribly brilliant for your age. I suggest you investigate SSI at 18.