On a receptacle branch circuit wired with 14 AWG wire, nobody cares if you use a GFCI+receptacle combo device that is rated 15A or 20A. 15A devices are thru-rated for 20A.

However, they care very much if you use a 20A breaker. That is illegal and unsafe, and you must promptly change it to 15A. I don't know what you were thinking. All breaker sizes cost the same, so the original installer already used the largest breaker that is safe. You must never "just upgrade a breaker".

However, you are not allowed to have a 20A socket (NEMA 5-20) which has the T-shaped neutral, on a 15A circuit. If that is what your new GFCI is, it has to go.

As for running a refrigerator and freezer in a GFCI-protected zone, it's legal, but stupid. These aren't the appliances GFCIs are intended for. You're not likely to drop one in a sink, nor are you likely to touch the hot parts no matter how much the unit fails. Grounding is more than adequate to protect humans. In fact NEC makes specific exceptions for refrigerators and freezers in areas that normally require GFCI protection**.

After all, this is a conflict between two safety systems. The refrigerator's job is to protect food, but it stands in conflict with GFCI's job to protect humans from shocks.

So your best path here is to remove the refrigerator and freezer from GFCI protection, by assigning them dedicated sockets and labeling those sockets "Refrigerator/freezer only". There are several ways to do that.

• A home-run from either a) the panel or b) the LINE side of the GFCI, that runs only to the two dedicated fridge/freezer sockets.
• Fitting a GFCI receptacle at each non-fridge/freezer outlet before the fridge/freezer, and using only their LINE terminals. Thus the onward cable will not be GFCI protected, and can deliver non-protected power to the fridge and freezer. However it is not an efficient use of GFCI devices.

Regardless, the socket must be dedicated. Normally, you must use a single receptacle. Like this.

This also looks good to the inspector.

Since you have both fridge and freezer, you need 2 sockets obviously. If they are right next to each other, you can use a common "duplex" receptacle, but it will be all the more important that you mark it as dedicated.

On a receptacle branch circuit wired with 14 AWG wire, nobody cares if you use a GFCI+receptacle combo device that is rated 15A or 20A. 15A devices are thru-rated for 20A.

However, they care very much if you use a 20A breaker. That is illegal and unsafe, and you must promptly change it to 15A. I don't know what you were thinking. All breaker sizes cost the same, so the original installer already used the largest breaker that is safe. You must never "just upgrade a breaker".

However, you are not allowed to have a 20A socket (NEMA 5-20) which has the T-shaped neutral, on a 15A circuit. If that is what your new GFCI is, it has to go.

As for running a refrigerator and freezer in a GFCI-protected zone, it's legal, but stupid. These aren't the appliances GFCIs are intended for. You're not likely to drop one in a sink, nor are you likely to touch the hot parts no matter how much the unit fails. Grounding is more than adequate to protect humans. In fact NEC makes specific exceptions for refrigerators and freezers in areas that normally require GFCI protection**.

After all, this is a conflict between two safety systems. The refrigerator's job is to protect food, but it stands in conflict with GFCI's job to protect humans from shocks.

So your best path here is to remove the refrigerator and freezer from GFCI protection, by assigning them dedicated sockets and labeling those sockets "Refrigerator/freezer only". There are several ways to do that.

• A home-run from either a) the panel or b) the LINE side of the GFCI, that runs only to the two dedicated fridge/freezer sockets.
• Fitting a GFCI receptacle at each non-fridge/freezer outlet before the fridge/freezer, and using only their LINE terminals. Thus the onward cable will not be GFCI protected, and can deliver non-protected power to the fridge and freezer. However it is not an efficient use of GFCI devices.

Regardless, the socket must be dedicated. Normally, you must use a single receptacle. Like this.

This also looks good to the inspector.

Since you have both fridge and freezer, you need 2 sockets obviously. If they are right next to each other, you can use a common "duplex" receptacle, but it will be all the more important that you mark it as dedicated.