Gas and Electric Supply for Outdoor Kitchens — What You Actually Need
The behind-the-scenes infrastructure that makes an outdoor kitchen work — gas BTU load, electrical circuits, GFCI, code. Here's the full spec.
Gas load math
Built-in BBQ: 50–90K BTU. Side burner: 12–18K. Pizza oven: 30–60K. Power burner (wok): 60K. Add 20% safety margin and size the gas line accordingly — typically 3/4" off the meter for a fully loaded kitchen. Undersized gas lines = weak flame on everything when more than one appliance runs.
Electrical
Minimum: 1 GFCI outlet on a dedicated 20A circuit. Realistic: 2–3 GFCI circuits if you have a fridge, ice maker, lighting, sound, and outlets for toaster/blender. All in weatherproof in-use covers. Lighting on a separate switched circuit.
Plumbing (sinks)
Outdoor sinks need a hot/cold supply with freeze-protected shutoffs, a vented drain, and either tie-in to home graywater or a sealed drain to landscape basin. Most AZ kitchens skip the sink — outdoor sinks freeze, scale, and are rarely used.
Code
All gas and electrical work requires permits in every AZ city. Inspections at rough-in and final. We pull and pass these on every kitchen we build.
