So I'm going to put in one of those hot water dispensers. I was reading up online on the manufacturer's website and came across the following. How do you read this? I read it differently than what I think the manufacturer is trying to say.

http://www.insinkerator.com/pdfs/ISE...l%20Manual.pdf

Under "What You Should Know Before You Begin"

- A standard 120-volt grounded electrical outlet is required under the sink for the dispenser’s electrical power.

- The wall outlet powering your dispenser must have power supplied to it continuously.

- This outlet must be fused and should not be controlled by the same wall switch that operates the disposer, unless you have a SinkTop Switch from InSinkErator®.

The first two are clear.

Under my sink I have two outlets. One is on a switch for the garbage disposal. The other is always hot and not tied to the switch. The third statement above says that the outlet CAN'T be controlled by the wall switch, which it isn't. However, I get the funny feeling that they don't want the dispenser on the same circuit as the disposal and require the funky switch indicated.

Any ideas on this? I'm going to call the company and see what's up, but I thought I'd ask here too.

 

It just seems to me that they are saying that it shouldn't be controlled by the switch that turns on / off the dispenser....But call them.

 

I think they want the disposal and the dispenser on separate circuits, but it's certainly not obvious from their literature. The disposal will present a very high inductive load on startup, that combined with the heater in the dispenser may pop a single breaker.

I couldn't find any specs on the power draw of the unit though, so this is just theory.

 

How much power does it draw? How much power does the the rest of the stuff on that circuit draw? Is it a 15 or 20 amp circuit?

 

The dispenser draws around 6amps. The disposal is around 7amps. So 13 total...

On the phone right now... Tech support is in the Philippines.

 

Worthless as shit.

Basically said that it "should" be OK. It's on a 15amp breaker, so...

I could probably fish a hot through the conduit from the basement, up into the kitchen and provide it it's own circuit. What a pain in the ass, though.

 

Another thought is moving to a 20amp breaker... But isn't the guideline 15amp with 14 gauge wire, 20amp and 12 gauge??? I'd have to check the wires on that circuit. I can't remember what the builder used; 12 or 14.

 

After looking at what the SinkTop switch is you shouldnt have too much to worry about. Just dont have the outlet the heater is plugged into switched.

Given the combined amperage of the 2 devices, it would be best to have 20amps (12 gauge wire), or 2 circuits. But... Since you run your disposal for short bursts you wont likely have much of a problem. Circuit breakers will frequently allow you to run hot for a short period of time. So on the off chance that the water heater and disposal are both running at the same time, you probably have 60 seconds or so before the breaker trips.

Incidentally, this delay is good because it then means that motors which will often peak above their rated draw upon startup wont blow breakers every time you start one. The bottom line is that IMHO you will be good with 15amps.

 

^^^

Will the breaker trip or would an overload on amps do damage to the wire; potentially start a fire?

 

^^^
Nope. The purpose of the breaker is to trip before the risk of fire becomes a reality.

Now all of that assumes that the wire is firmly connected and that there is no breaks in the wire - I believe that this can be safely assumed with new construction where current standards are followed.

When pulling full load through a 14gauge wire the wire might warm slightly to the touch, but it would certainly not be hot by any means. If you have a loose contact at either end you may experience arcing which would cause visible charring on the insulation of the conductor. This usually occurs in the first few inches of wire only - hence one of the reasons for the standards regarding pigtail length inside the junction boxes. This arcing and heating is *usually* contained to the box reducing the risk of fire, and usually for some reason occurs at the panel instead of at the wall.

The bottom line is that a 15amp circuit will safely sustain continuous load of 12amps. Your application carries a low risk of fire, and a low risk of inconvenient breaker trips at 13amps.

Edit: Breakers that frequently trip, will eventually fail - but I think you are talking 100s of cycles before failure. And they fail open, not closed - reduced risk.

 

Another vote for you "should" be fine.

I'm a sysadmin, I don't commit to anything.

 

As a fellow sysadmin I work the same way, but... If I was to change careers - I would be an electrician. You can be much more sure of the "should"s when it comes to electrical compared to electronics.

 

So should I put in a 20amp breaker or leave it at 15?

Oh and I forgot... Looks like the electricians wires the two recessed lights over the sink to the same circuit. Small, 4" floods... I don't think they're amp-loving...

 

If the wire is 12gauge put in a 20amp breaker.
If the wire is 14gauge leave it at 15amp - dont put in a 20amp breaker

 

Don't sweat it. Just plug it in and see if it works.

I'd be more concerned that the outlet have GFCI protection given the location.

 

You should be fine, the only problem i see is running both units on the same circuit at the same time for a period of time. That might trip the 15amp breaker. Other than that I dont really see a problem. Plug it in!

 

For the record, my disposal is hard wired on its own 15A circuit. I don't think having an outlet under the sink is code around here. I've got one of the huge In-Sink-erators (before they came out with the Evolution line).

 

What did you end up doing Scrib?

 

Pulled another wire. Fortunately, I could share the common; no phase issues.

 

Good call. After reading through the thread that's what I would've done.