Should You Plug Anything Else in With a Refrigerator?

Some manufacturers say to put your refrigerator on a dedicated circuit.

Whether you can plug something else into the same wall receptacle as a refrigerator depends on a number of variables. There are no rules in the National Electric Code or any local electric code that require a refrigerator to be on a dedicated branch circuit. Some manufacturers, however, specify that their refrigerators be installed on dedicated circuits, and your local planning department may require you to follow those recommendations.

Noncontinuous Duty Loads

Refrigerators are considered noncontinuous duty loads. Loads that draw current for less than three hours at a time are allowed to be on the same circuit with other noncontinuous loads, as long as the total load does not exceed the circuit breaker rating.

Nuisance Tripping

A refrigerator, like any motor load, can draw up to six times its running current on start-up, and that can cause nuisance tripping of a circuit breaker depending on what else is on the circuit. That's why some manufacturers may call for a dedicated circuit, which provides for safer operation.

GFCI Protection

No matter if the refrigerator is on its own dedicated circuit or on a general-purpose receptacle circuit, the 2011 edition of the NEC requires that the receptacle be protected by a ground fault current interrupter. The circuit breakers on the service panel protect against circuit overloads and short-circuits, while GFCI protects you against life-threatening shocks due to ground fault conditions, which the circuit breakers do not detect and protect against.