GFIC Kitchen Wiring Help

13 years ago

Hi,

I am remodeling my kitchen and have a few questions hope you can help.

1. I have a 12/3 wire, red, black, white, ground feeding the kitchen counter and island, no gfic, so I need to install the GFIC to protect these circuits. Currently the 3 wire feeds an outlet and separated into 2 circuits each with 2 outlets, one black the other red wire, sharing the white and ground.

A. Can I feed the 2 circuits off the 3 wire and GFIC protect them? If so how would this be wired?

B If A above is not possible, can I split the 3 wire in a junction box and run 2 GFIC one using the Black wire and another Red wire and share the white and ground?

2. Does the island, no sink, need to be GFIC protected?

3. Can I connect to the GFIC outlet to the under cabinet lighting, 2 LED lights?

Thanks for your help.

Tom

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Comments (4)

Ron Natalie
13 years ago
It's GFCI by the way.

You can't connect a multiwire branch circuit to the protected side of a GFCI.
Your options are:

1. Install the appropriate two pole GFCI back at the panel.
2. Install individual GFCI receptacles at each position without using the feedthrough protection.
3. Connect the down stream wiring from the protected GFCI with their own hot and neutral conductors (12-2) without sharing with any other use.

In the US NEC, all 15/20A 120V receptacles that serve countertop areas in the kitchen (and related areas) need to be GFCI protected. Proximity to the sink is not a factor.

If you are talking about cord and plug connected lights, you can plug them into these receptacles. If you are talking about hardwired lighting, you MAY NOT put them on the these receptacle circuits.
Tom
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks for the quick response.

Not sure by what you mean by option 2? without using the feedthrough protection.

So the 12/3 wire I have can not be used?

Do I need two separate circuits for the counter outlets? Can I supply all 5 outlets off one 12/2 through the single GFCI?

Thanks

Tom
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brickeyee
13 years ago
"Not sure by what you mean by option 2? without using the feedthrough protection."

Every receptacle must be a seperate GFCI device.

"So the 12/3 wire I have can not be used?"

Only if you make every receptacle a seperate GFCI.

"Do I need two separate circuits for the counter outlets? Can I supply all 5 outlets off one 12/2 through the single GFCI?"

you need two 20 amp circuits to feed the kitchen counter receptacles.
They can be either completely separate circuits or a single multi-wire branch circuit since it supplies two 120 V circuits from 3-wires (it is 240 V between the two hots).
Tom
Original Author
13 years ago
OK so just so I completely understand....

The 12/3 wire at the wall outlet, I can feed two of the wall outlets with the black wire and 3 outlets from the red wire, each with a GFCI at the outlet, and share the white and ground wire where the 12/3 wire comes into the wall outlet. Correct??

OR

I can run 2 separate 12/2 wires from the box with a GFCI at the main panel box on each line OR the 1st plug with a GFIC and then feed 2 outlets from one line and 3 outlets on the other.

Last question, I hope, the island is 32" wide by 56" long. How many plugs do I need on the island? One on each end?, one in the center, or only 1 on the end.

Thanks again for your help.

Tom