Disposers

Disposers are another kitchen toy few of us live without in newer homes. They’re now installed in houses of all price levels. Oddly, they were not legal in New York City until August 1997, when concerns that zillions of pounds of ground-up orange peels, unfinished blintzes, and coffee grounds would clog the city’s plumbing gave way to consumer demand, a desire to decrease waste in landfills, and health hazards associated with uncollected trash bags full of food waste. Local laws in New York say that disposers can be installed only by licensed plumbers and electricians, who need permits to do the work. New Yorkers can contact the Department of Buildings at 60 Hudson Street to get the application for permits.
Disposers either are hard wired or are plugged into a receptacle under the sink with an appliance cord and plug. Some local codes require that a disposer be plug connected. A plug-in model is easier to work on because you can disconnect it from its power source quickly for servicing or replacement. This receptacle cannot be used for any other load, nor can it be part of a small-appliance circuit.
A disposer can have one of the following three types of “On/Off” switches:

• A standard single-pole switch located above the counter or under the sink.
• An integral switch built into the drain lid that, when twisted, activates the unit.
• A flow switch installed in the cold-water line and activated when the drain lid is twisted.

With this type of switch, the disposer will not run until cold water is flowing into it. (This helps prevent grease buildup.) Disposers are even available for septic systems. In-Sinkerator makes a complete line of disposers. You can see the company’s products at www.insinkerator.com.

Wiring the Fridge

Some modern refrigerators draw a surprisingly small amount of current for all the work they do. Although the NEC figures 1,200 watts in its load calculations for a refrigerator, some only require half that amount. It’s apparent that it takes more electricity to produce heat than to maintain cold. The code allows a refrigerator to be supplied by its own 15- or 20-amp circuit, but it does not require a dedicated circuit. You can run a refrigerator off one of your small-appliance circuits, but many electricians recommend a dedicated circuit for the fridge.
Why? Remember, your small-appliance circuits are GFCI-protected. All it takes is one instance of nuisance tripping, and your refrigerator could be off for hours (or weeks, if you’re out of town). In addition to losing a lot of food, you’ll have to clean out some pretty rank stuff. A Sub Zero brand refrigerator (or other high-end refrigerator) requires a dedicated 15-amp circuit.

Small-Appliance Circuits and GFCIs

I already mentioned the danger of electricity around water and water pipes. An errant current will not hesitate to pass through you on its way to the ground through a water pipe. You also can get a shock or become electrocuted if you have contact with a receptacle and a range, a refrigerator, or a cooktop because they also are grounded. The code recognizes these dangers and steps in with GFCI requirements. Specifically, the code requires that all small-appliance circuits used on countertops be GFCI protected. This includes any receptacles serving kitchen islands. The usual installation calls for the first receptacle on the circuit (the feedthrough receptacle) to be a GFCI type, which in turn protects the additional receptacles down the line. It also is acceptable to install a GFCI circuit breaker, although this is more expensive than a GFCI receptacle.
The key word here is “countertop.” Other receptacles, such as one for the refrigerator or under the sink for a plug-in disposer, do not have to be GFCI protected. The underthe-sink receptacle cannot even be part of a small-appliance circuit; it must be its own dedicated circuit. Small-appliance receptacles must be installed so that any point on the back of the countertop is within 24 inches of a receptacle. Another way of saying this is that no two receptacles can be more than four feet apart. Every counter that’s wider than 12 inches must have at least one receptacle.