0

The outlet that is on the front panel of my electric stove is three prong and I have been using it for my coffee maker. Now because I've been looking into the wiring codes regarding another issue, I see that coffee makers/toasters/kettles should be on a 20amp circuit with 12 gauge wiring. So, I'm wondering if this is safe practice to plug the coffee maker into that stove outlet. Basically I'm thinking why would they put an outlet on a stove if you can't use it for a small appliance... (It's also quite an old stove.)

Also, is it safe to plug a kettle or toaster into an outlet that is wired with 14 gauge wire and a 15 amp circuit breaker?

Thanks.

Improve this question
2
  • how old is old? make/model? I suppose your concern is exactly the reason they don't build outlets into ranges any more. (it is almost certainly not GFCI protected either).
    – agentp
    Commented Jan 20, 2018 at 15:32
  • 1
    second point i'm sure all of your small appliances have power/current ratings labels (Unless they are also really old). If you look you will see they are all individually safe on 15 amp circuits. Running several at once on the same circuit is another matter.
    – agentp
    Commented Jan 20, 2018 at 15:35

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
3

I’ve been an electrician for 22y and I hold a masters license. Just know if you can physically plug into the outlet without customizing the plug end. Everything will be fine. The only possible thing that could happen if your appliance draws too much current is that a fuse will blow or a circuit breaker will trip.

The insulation is there to protect the circuit from shorting out. Nothing more. The fuse/breaker limit current on the conductor at a level where the conductor will not heat up and cause fire.

Improve this answer
3

The reason it is safe to plug small appliances into these kinds of outlets is because the wiring is enclosed in the frame of the stove and possibly high tempature rated insulation there is only 1 15amp outlet. The house wires are sized to protect the insulation as the wire can actually handle more than 5x the max code value but the insulation starts melting. Your house is wired with many plugs in parallel. As far as these devices needing to be on a 20 amp circuit this is not true almost no appliances require a 20 amp circuit and if they do 1 blade will be 90 degrees. From normal 15 amp plug so it can not be plugged into a 15 amp outlet. Current code requires 2 20 amp small appliance circuits, the reason for this was to reduce over loading with multiple appliances being used at the same time.

Improve this answer
0

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.