Every home has a circuit board, they are the boxes on the walls in your garage or on the outside of your house that is full of switches. Each of these switches provides power to certain aspects of your home; for instance one switch may control your lights while the other controls your water heater.
They basically control the electrical currents in your home to prevent you from overloading appliances (which is why they power turns off if you happen to be to using your microwave, oven and kettle at the same time). To prevent this happening it is better to ensure that most of your appliances have an individual or dedicated circuit, this will not only stop your power from going out so often but will also be better for you appliance and home.
You basically want a dedicated circuit for all of your major home appliances, these include:
- Fridge and freezers
- Electric range
- Microwave
- Water heater
- Washer
- Dryer
- Dishwasher/ garbage disposal (if you hav e one)
- Furnace
- Heat pump
- Air conditioner
- Sump Pump
- Spa or sauna (for the lucky ones)
The basic rule on whether you should have a dedicated circuit for an appliance is if it is fixed and has its own motor or if it’s critical to your comfort or safety, it probably needs its own circuit.
But why do I need dedicated circuits for my appliances?
Our local technicians in Perth explain why this is so important in homes. The main reason it is important is that it protects your appliances. By having multiple major appliances on a single circuit it is more likely that the circuit will overload or trip the breaker halting the flow of electricity. If the circuit trips too many times it can eventually wear down the breaker and soon it won’t trip. Now this may sound like a good thing however, if the power doesn’t trip the electrical overload will overheat the wiring insulation and could possibly lead to an electrical fire.
What circuit sizes should I get for my appliances?
For mid-range or small items like hair dryers and toasters you would only need about 20 amps; but for larger and heavier duty appliances like dryers, dishwashers or air conditioners you would want about a 30-50 amp circuit. Although when looking into circuit breakers at Camtec we always recommend getting a professionals opinion as these are just a rough guide, by hiring a professional they may even be able to provide you with a more cost effective solution.
Here is a short list of the types of appliances that should have specific amps:
15 to amp circuit:
- Microwave
- Electric oven
- Garbage disposal
- Washing machine
- Trash compactor
- Space heater
- Refrigeration
- Split system air conditioner
- Gas furnace
30 or more amp circuit:
- Electric water heaters
- Electric ranges
- Electric dryer
- Ducted air conditioning/ central air conditioning system
- Electric furnace
- Backup heating for heat pump