The Electrical Code

220.52 Small-Appliance and Laundry Loads — Dwelling Unit. To look at this article a little closer because this is the cause of a lot of problems for home owners who had uncle Billy do there electrical work. Small Appliance in composes anything imaginable used in the kitchen, your typical blow dryer, curling iron, etc…. What can be used in the bathroom. And around the house we have vacuums, your tv and its surrounding peripheral devices that are found. I have seen more and more people installing bitcoin mining machines that are power hungry little devices and require there own breaker. And for good reason. You want the power to that device never to go off by accident. So the code makers want the calculation to be volt-amps. So VA=1500, the 1500 is watts. We know that the circuit in the USA is 120 volts and we have the watts. So 1500/120=12.5 amp circuit. So a 15 amp circuit everywhere is the minimum that they want you run for small appliances. That whole thing is for “A”.

Now “B” Laundry there are two types commercially available 120 volts 15 amps and 240 volt 30 amps. The washer requires a 120 volt 15 amp circuit and its good.

“A” needs 210.11(C)(1), 220.42 table, with an exception 210.52(B)(1), to get more details from those articles. “B” explains the power needed for a laundry machines. An electric dryer uses 240 volt 30 amp circuit. So that said even if you had a washer and a gas dryer a 15 amp circuit is enough even when both machines are running. This will max out the amps able to pull from that breaker so nothing else on that circuit.

“(A) Small-Appliance Circuit Load. In each dwelling unit, the load shall be calculated at 1500 volt-amperes for each 2-wire small-appliance branch circuit as covered by 210.11(C)(1). Where the load is subdivided through two or more feeders, the calculated load for each shall include not less than 1500 volt-amperes for each 2-wire small-appliance branch circuit. These loads shall be permitted to be included with the general lighting load and subjected to the demand factors provided in Table 220.42.

Exception: The individual branch circuit permitted by 210.52(B)(1), Exception No. 2, shall be permitted to be excluded from the calculation required by 220.52.

(B) Laundry Circuit Load. A load of not less than 1500 volt-amperes shall be included for each 2-wire laundry branch circuit installed as covered by 210.11(C)(2). This load shall be permitted to be included with the general lighting load and shall be subjected to the demand factors provided in Table 220.42.”