Is it safe to plug a refrigerator and a chest freezer in to the same outlet?

Question

The kitchen in my new apartment has some wasted space and I'm thinking that it'd be nice to put a chest freezer (5.0 cubic feet) there. The problem is that there is only one standard outlet nearby, and it is the same outlet that the refrigerator is plugged into.

Will having both appliances plugged into the outlet be drawing too much power? I don't want to be blowing things up!

Answer 1

DO NOT just swap the breaker for a larger ampacity one. If the wire not big enough to handle the load, it will overheat and possibly burn before the breaker ever trips. Keep in mind that even thought the total amperage of the two appliances may be less than say a 20 amp breakers tripping point, most homes are wired with 15 amp plugs, so that would be the weakest link in the circuit and could overheat before the breaker gets the message. Be sure to check the tags on both to be sure the load won't be too much, but these type appliances usually pull less than 5 amps each so you should be ok. good luck!

Answer 2

No I doubt seriously that it would be an oveload.You might want to check the rated amp draw first though because at worst when both compressors cycled on at the same time it would trip the breaker and you would lose the products.If it happened when you are not at home,

that would suck.Don't use an extension cord either if you can avoid it because that will also increase the amps.

Answer 3

Is it safe?  Yes. The recepticle and the wiring it's connected to should be protected by a current limiting device such as a fuse or a breaker.  This will prevent the wire from overheating assuming the breaker is the proper size and everything is properly installed.

Is it wise?  Probably not.  These two items have compressors which might draw too much current and trip the breaker if they were to come on at the same time.  This would shut off the power to both appliances and your stuff would thaw and go bad.

To find out for sure, look for a small metalic plate on each appliance which has the technical specs printed on it.  Find the "F.L.A." or "amps" on the nameplates and add the numbers from each appliance.  This is the total potential current draw.  The breaker or fuse which feeds that recepticle will also have a number printed on it.  If your total amperage exceeds the number on the breaker then you're out of luck.  If not, then you might try it for a while to see what happens.

good luck

Answer 4

I wouldn't

Answer 5

yes it is not going to expload

Answer 6

you need to check on the back of each for the amperage draw of each then check out the breaker to see what the amperage is. if you startup amperage of the combined two are less that the breaker rating then your fine if not you may need to sway out the breaker for a 20 or 30 amp