Wire 2 separate lights from a dedicated outlet plug

Question

I have a dedicated 20amp plug for microwave. It’s the only one not on GFCI or on 4 way in kitchen. Should be fine as using all leds.

I spliced off the hot/neutral/ground and ran it to a new 4 gang i installed after tediously getting the 2 gang out. Has cans on a 4 way and breakfast on a 3 way already done. I got that hooked back up no prb and working.

Now I’m second guessing my hours of research... Setup: Spliced dedicated source wire with 3 port connectors so have new 6” black/white/ground run to plug and 1 new 12/2 yellow Romex runs to new 4 gang. Have (2) 12/2 romex cables running to the 1st light location for under cabinets and one to the pendant lights. My goal is 2 switches. One to control 2 pendants and one to control 3 location of under cabinet lights for total of 9 lights.

What I’m unclear on is how to wire the 2 new switches in the 4 gang (one for pendants and one for under cabinets) both to be single pole with no other switches. Once I get the dedicated ones it’s simple to daisy chain them to each light..

Here is my plan. It correct? 12/2 coming from the spliced plug would be my source should it go: Combine all the neutral white wires with big red nut to just pass through so 3 romex all together. Source hot Black split it to each switch with 6” new cable with red nut then wire 2 other 12/2 blacks to switch going to each light chain.

Splice the ground from source and 2 lights 12/2 into large red nut with 2 new 6” wires to each switch as well as to the 12/2 light. So 5 grounds (what color nut for 5x 12/2 ground?)

Does this sound right. My brain is fried. Can submit picks or something if anyone would help greatly appreciated!! Any diagrams would be super helpful!!

Another note. I’m adding 9 under cabinet lights in 3 locations.(6) 12” lights and (3) 9” For a total of 66 watts. The 2 pendants will have LED with 2.5 but using 4 it’s a title of 82w. They should be .68 amps right. If microwave is 1700 watt ther would 14.1 amps. I should be fine right?

Answer 1

You can't pull from the microwave circuit under Code, so use the range hood circuit instead

Your 1700W microwave is far in excess of the 50% limit set by NEC 210.23(B)(2) on the total wattage of fixed appliances connected to branch circuits that also have lighting and/or general-use receptacles on them:

(2) Utilization Equipment Fastened in Place. The total rating of utilization equipment fastened in place, other than luminaires, shall not exceed 50 percent of the branch-circuit ampere rating where lighting units, cord-and-plug-connected utilization equipment not fastened in place, or both, are also supplied.

As a result, attaching your switches to the microwave branch circuit is no good. However, since your range hood pulls far less than the 10A/1200W maximum NEC 210.23(B)(2) sets for a built-in/fixed appliance on a general circuit, running the lighting off the range hood circuit will be fine, barring any local amendment that requires a dedicated circuit for the range hood (which sounds strange, but does exist in a few places in California).