Kitchen appliance A/B circuit question

I’m wiring up a kitchen appliance circuit–the (2) 20 amp circuits that run around the counter tops and have a question. I often use 12/3 to run circuits like this in shops, etc. where I want A/B outlets, but have not done it where GFI’s are required on the circuits
Can you run an A/B circuit using 12/3 and GFI’s at the beginning of the run to cover all the following outlets, or will the common ground and neutral somehow mess up the GFI’s?
Steve
Replies
Wait for one of the real experts but yes on the neutral being ok if split, then run to the two gfci's. I just did it in a kitchen that had block walls and used plugmold. Put in a two gang box, pigtailed neutral, two gfci's.
You have 3 options. If by AB you mean every of ther duplex receptacle
1) install a GFIC at each location. The line out connections are not used. Reuqires lot more GFCI's
2). Use a 2 pole breaker GFCI. Expensive. But cheaper than #1 if you have more than about 5 receptacles.
3). At the first box split it into 2 separeate circuits.
If by A-B you means spliting the receptacles so that 1/2 is on one circuit and the other on the other circuit then only 2 or 3 will work. For #3 you will need to split both the hot and the neutrals on the GFCI and make sure that you keep the right neutral with the right hot at each location.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Bill,I've set two-gang boxes at every outlet location on the countertops, each location will have a duplex outlet on the left that is on circuit A and a duplex on the right that is on circuit B.I've run 12/3 to the first location and was planning on installing two GFI outlets there, and using the "load" out from each GFI to protect the downstream outlets. I have also run 12/3 from box to box downstream, but if I understand correctly, that won't work if I have to keep the neutrals coming from the A and B GFI's separate once they are downstream of the GFI. IS that correct? So do I have to pull the 12/3 and run 12/2 from the GFI's on downstream?If I use the GFI breakers instead, can I leave the 12/3 running from box to box and just pigtail the neutral to both the A and B duplexes at each box? Or would I have to run separate 12/2 wire for each circuit?
"I've run 12/3 to the first location and was planning on installing two GFI outlets there, and using the "load" out from each GFI to protect the downstream outlets. I have also run 12/3 from box to box downstream, but if I understand correctly, that won't work if I have to keep the neutrals coming from the A and B GFI's separate once they are downstream of the GFI. IS that correct? So do I have to pull the 12/3 and run 12/2 from the GFI's on downstream?"Yes."If I use the GFI breakers instead, can I leave the 12/3 running from box to box and just pigtail the neutral to both the A and B duplexes at each box?"Yes.The difference is that the breaker, for GFCI purposes, is one device and it is mearusre the difference between the combined currents in the two hots and the neutral.The GFCI/receptacles only measure the current between the one hot and the neutral. On it can only have current on the neutral that comes from that hot. .
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Thanks so much, Bill. I've got a pretty clear understanding of it now. If you were doing it, ignoring cost, would you prefer the GFI breakers, or two GFI outlets with downstream protection from the them? Cauldwell's book leans towards the breakers. He claims they are longer lasting. I lean towards the breakers at this point because the run is all wired up. My only misgiving about the breakers is that the basement is a dank and unpleasant place in this house, and it would be more convenient for the homeowner not to have to make the trip down there if they trip a GFISteve
I would favor GFCI's rather than the breakers. Just because they are in the kitchen where it would be clearer what happened rather than remembering (or knowing) that it is part of a breaker and then chasing that down..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
It is a little odd that no one has come up with a two pole GFCI outlet, especially since the A/B scheme is required in Canada. There wouldn't be much added cost for the two pole GFCI, and I think the extra coil and contacts could be made to fit fairly easily.
If your view never changes you're following the wrong leader
It does need a 2nd coil. They all go through the one.But it does need extra terminals.If one was going to do that i think that making it a dead face would be more logical. But A/B (with split receptacles) just are done that often in the US.And in Canada they only have the GFCI on a separate circuit by the sink. That is as of a couple of years ago.Counter top receptacles are alway a cr*pshoot. If it is for your kitchen and you know what applicances and cooking style that you will have in the NEW kitchen then you can set them up exactly as needed. Which might be a bank of 3 receptacle, each on a different cirucit.And all of the other on one of those.Otherwise no matter what is done it is never right..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.