Honey I want a Microwave- Wenatchee and Moses Lake Home Inspection

Submitted by DonHester on Thu, 03/29/2012 - 08:33.

Honey I want a Microwave- Wenatchee and Moses Lake Home Inspection

Not too common in years gone by that the home would not be equipped with a microwave. Hadr to imagine now, we are a zapping society.

So many older homes will not have a dedicated circuit for the microwave/range hood like is required by today’s standards.

The microwave came about during WWII when working on radar technology Percy Spencer of Raytheon Company melted a candy bar in his pocket. Experiments later showed that microwave energy could cause the internal temperature of food to heat up. So the world had been introduced to the Radarange.

A typical modern microwave draws around 1500 W (12.5 Amps) and will usually have a 20 amp home run circuit.

So what is one to do if one wants the new over the range Microwave/Range Hood combo and it shares a wall with the garage?

Hole in garage wall for microwave Its better if we use an extension cord

You betcha… drill a hole and run a cord through it, right… wrong! So wrong on many levels.

First off the NEC states in article 400 Flexible Cords and Cables, section 400.8- Uses Not Permitted.
(1)As a substitute for the fixed wiring of a structure and (2)Where run through holes in walls, structural ceilings, suspended ceilings, dropped ceilings, or floors

Next this also breaches the fire resistive assembly of the garage. Thirdly we got the use of an extension cord.

This is not a big fix issue due to the electrical panel is not far away but what is a little troubling was this was done by an Electrician. Hmm.

“I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end.”

Abraham Lincoln

NCW Home Inspections, LLC is a Licensed Washington State Home Inspection service located in Wenatchee Washington serving Chelan County, Douglas County, Kittitas County, Okanogan County and Grant County Washington and the cities of Wenatchee, Leavenworth, Cashmere, Orville, Cle Elum, East Wenatchee, Quincy and many more…

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Honey I want a Microwave- Wenatchee and Moses Lake Home Inspection