Household dishwashers use 10 amps of power, mostly. Having said that, your breaker should be on a higher rating than the appliance being used for safety purposes.
Dishwasher Circuit
When installing a dishwasher, the circuit should be a dedicated 120/125-volt, 15-amp circuit. This 15-amp circuit is fed with a 14/2 NM wire with a ground.
A dishwasher should be on at least a 15 amp circuit. 15 amps is enough for most dishwashers on their own dedicated circuit. A dedicated circuit is a plug used for just one appliance, with nothing else plugged into it. Some dishwashers draw more power than most, and may need to be placed on a 20-circuit breaker.
We all know refrigerators and dishwashers require a power source to operate, but can they be on the same circuit? Yes, a dishwasher and refrigerator can be on the same circuit if you can reach the requirements on the NEC.
The dishwasher needs a single-pole breaker that has at least 15amps. If you operate the dishwasher on the same circuit breaker as the garbage disposal, you need to use a 20 Amp breaker.
Dishwasher Circuit Breaker
As of 2014, the National Electrical Code (NEC) had already required circuits feeding kitchens to be AFCI (arc-fault circuit-interrupter) protected. These AFCI devices apply to 15 and 20 amp 125-volt circuits, providing protection from arc faults that could start an electrical fire.
Since 15A outlets have been the standard for so long, almost all small home appliances are designed to work with a 15A outlet. Some high-end dishwashers do require a 20A circuit, but most mainstream units are still 15A.
Kitchen dishwashers installed in dwelling units require GFCI protection whether hard wired or cord and plug connected. Code Change Summary: A new subsection was added regarding dwelling unit kitchen dishwashers. Now, outlets that supply dwelling unit kitchen dishwashers must have GFCI protection.
According to the electrical code, the dishwasher should be on its own circuit. The dedicated dishwasher circuit can't supply any other appliances, lights, fixtures, or outlets. In addition, the circuit that is servicing the dishwasher also needs to have a circuit breaker with at least 15-amps.
Dishwashers are hardwired. They consume a relatively high amount of power, so it is not advised to use the same method to connect your other household appliances.
The dishwasher circuit needs to be dedicated to 120/125-volt. A 14/2 NM wire is fed into this 15-amp circuit. You can also feed the dishwasher with a 20-amp circuit using 12/2 NM wire.
Dishwasher – A large range of dishwashers use the standard current of 110 volts. It is best to use an outlet that has a Ground Fault Interrupter or GFI. This will provide an extra precaution if the outlet gets wet. A GFI is designed to trip or disconnect power to prevent electrocution.
There are no physical complications preventing you from installing a 20 amp outlet on a 15 amp circuit. You might argue that a 20 amp outlet will cause an overload. But receptacles don't draw power. Unless you plug an appliance into its slots, a 20 Amp receptacle on a 15 amp circuit is completely harmless.
Most dishwashers use an average of 1,800 watts, and water rates depend on your local area, the time of year, and even the time of day. A dishwasher's base electricity usage is pretty cheap; for an 1,800-watt model and an hour-long load, you'll use approximately 1.8 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity.
Can You Run a Dishwasher and Garbage Disposal on the Same Circuit? Yes, the dishwasher and garbage disposal can run on the same circuit. But they are more preferred to be powered by two different circuits rather than one.
A kitchen requires minimum of two 20-amp small appliance circuits, and they must be GFCI-protected. Dishwasher circuit must now be GFCI-protected, with cord/plug to a receptacle. If the receptacle contains the GFCI-device, it must be accessible (not behind the dishwasher).
Each of these appliances will run fine on the same 20-amp circuit if they are run one at a time. But if you tried to run two at a time or all three at once, you could overload the circuit capacity and trip off the circuit breaker.
Another revision to GFCI protection in the 2020 NEC is to section 422.5(A) dealing with appliances that require GFCI protection. This section was revised to include dishwashers. Yes, dishwashers!
No, not all dishwashers are hardwired. Instead, you can purchase dishwashers that come prepared with an electrical cord and a three-prong plug. These units will easily connect to a regular wall socket that you'd have in your household kitchen.
Registered User. The receptacle should not be behind the dishwasher. To access it; you would have to remove the dishwasher. Just like the dishwasher drain and water line that go to the sink water valve and drain; the dishwasher electric cord plug should go to a receptacle under the kitchen sink.
We recommend to never use an extension cord to connect your dishwasher to an electrical outlet. Yes, using an extension cord will work, but it's extremely dangerous. Your power cord will eventually overheat, causing your cord and anything surrounding the cord to melt.
Air gaps are the most effective means of preventing your drain from cross-contaminating your dishwasher with waste. If you want to protect your dishwasher from flooding with contaminated water, you need an air gap. Dishwasher air gaps are also required by plumbing codes in many locations.
Most everyday appliances only need enough electricity for a 120 volt outlet. Microwaves, refrigerators, and dishwashers are examples of examples that will function perfectly fine on 120 volt outlets. You will recognize these outlets anywhere in your home.