Gfci protection for kitchen outlet receptacles according to electrical code kitchen counter top outlets must be protected by gfci ground fault circuit interruption.
Gfci outlet in kitchen. Over the years the nec has required. Known as afci arc fault circuit interrupters these devices are designed to sense sparking arcing that occurs when electricity jumps between faulty wire connections. Outlet being wired correctly to the hot wire the common wire and the ground wire. Typically gfci protection is provided by positioning the gfci receptacle in the first position of the circuit which is wired as the line of the gfci outlet then the additional.
Older code rules may have permitted non gfci outlets inside a cabinet or behind the fridge next to a sink but that is no longer the case. In addition if a dishwasher is wired with a cord and plug the outlet it plugs into must be a gfci. Small appliance circuit countertop space wall and hallway space. The 6 foot rule applies no matter where the outlet is located.
Gfci outlets must be places for all 15a 20a and 125v outlets in kitchens. Other circuits in the kitchen include microwave fridge and dishwasher. This goes for all outlets in the kitchen that meet these standards not just those 6 feet away from the sink. All 15 amp and 20 amp outlets whether gfci or not must be tamper resistant in the following kitchen related places.
Beginning with the 2014 national electrical code revision and extended in the 2017 revision a special type of circuit protection became required for many circuits in the home including the kitchen. Protected outlets in your kitchen. Other than that wall outlets and dedicated outlets serving other appliances do not have to have gfci protection. If you place a dishwasher it must also be connected to a gfci outlet.
At one point only outdoor outlets needed gfci protection. For 5 kitchen gfci receptacles serving countertops there should be a minimum of 2 circuit breakers or two fuses in your electrical panel one protecting 3 of those outlets and second responsible for other 2 or 4 1 it doesn t matter. I have the 2 circuits in the kitchen with gfci outlets but i m not quite sure which other ones do not need gfci. The nec requires all countertop outlets in the kitchen to have gfci protection as well as outlets within 6 feet of the rim of a sink and the dedicated outlet serving the dishwasher.
What you need to know. Kitchen gfci receptacles installed on those 20 amp circuits must be also 20 amp rated. If you have not done electrical work for a few years you may be surprised by this requirement.