Morning All! And no, I don’t sleep.
After reading about another poster’s project of installing a stainless steel backsplash behind the cooktop, I got wondering about the electrical codes for the kitchen. I know someone (or two or three) provided a handy reference on the frequency and type of outlets needed in a kitchen per the NEC, but I was wondering about if these outlets had to be in the wall vs. being surface-mounted.
Any able to shed some light on this aspect?
We tried out a range of rotary and random-orbit sanders to compare their dust collection, quality of finish, and user fatigue after hours of sanding.
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Replies
They can be surface mounted. Or even tombstone and mounted on the countertop. But that is not very atractive.
But I can't think of any surface mount that you would do in a kitchen except PlugMold. That is unless you wanted the commercial look and mounted metal boxes and exposed conduit.
I guess the reason why I wondered about surface-mounting was due to the difficult and premium of getting custom laser-cut (factory custom) holes. Unless someone isn't looking for that commercial/industrial-look then why SS in the first place? :)
If SS is installed only behind stove or range area like many people do, you don't need to have an elec outlet. Only if you want to use SS behind counter top, then you need to meet the codes, small appliance outlets every 4' behind counter top. I'm sure that can be done with metal fabricator to cut the holes at extact spots of your elect outlets.
I agree SS is kind of a sterile look but the price shouldn't be the issue.
Laser cutting is getting pretty common. In the Milwaukee area I can name 5 places that do that kind of work. I'm sure it is common throughout the nation. Laser cutting isn't just for the James bond movies. In industrial metal working it is the primary fabrication method for sheet stock.
In our use as a cosmetic backsplash, setup is the cost problem. No one wants to create a drawing from a napkin sketch then lase' it only to have the buyer say it doesn't meet the need 'cause it is "off". Nor do they want you to walk in to the shop and yammer on for an hour. In this environment time is money and often the difference from bankruptcy. Drafter, laser operator, etc all cost a lot when you compute in overhead.
So.. make it simple for them & cheaper for you. If you want to laser cut steel or SS the best way is to create your own cad drawing (a dxf or dwg is the format needed) and take the file (better to e-mail after the relationship is struck) to a laser shop. Lead time is a week or two and it will cost you a minimum of 150 bucks. Now material cost gets factored in the larger it is etc. Also the more hands that touch it the pricier too.
Match that to setting tile and it it could come out the same. Then again the previous thread I chimed in to say cleaning is more of an issue. And it all rests on cosmetics. What does your customer wish to see.Jack of all trades and master of none - you got a problem with that?
PlugMold (a strip of recpetacles in a metal chanel spaced every 6-18") would be ideal for that kind of situation.Mount it on a cant strip just under the bottom of the upper cabinets.
Actually, since 'faceplates' for electrical outlets can be SS (right?), why can't the SS backsplash also be the outlet faceplate, too? Does the GFCI reset button have to be on the outlet vs. the circuit breaker on the main panel?
do you mean just cut out the backsplash for the GFI face?there is no access to the wiring then.
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" Wer hat den Idioten jetzt? "
But kinda neat option would be a larger opening with a matching access panel cut for the outlet. Would ease the problem of getting dead-on accuracy for the outlet locations -- just leave a stub in approximately the right place and install the box afterwards. Or the backsplash could be fabbed with a channel bent into it, and a strip cover installed after wiring through the channel.I hafta believe that this is a general enough problem that solutions are available.
If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people
happy?
that channel idea sounds similar to commercial restaurant equipment.. primarily work tables, where some mfrs weld a j-box to an opening....and the box is usually the smallest one they can find...
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" Wer hat den Idioten jetzt? "
Hi Nuke ,
Check your local codes , here in Oregon believe it or not an out let must be located within 2 feet from the center of the sink . This can create a challenge in some applications . The surface mounted receptacle would be a nice place for water to go .
dusty
I'm not an electrician but I have to deal with their codes on my plumbing placement on many occasions.
Here in WA state not 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure any countertop 18" or wider needs an outlet, & anything within 5' of a water source needs to be GFCI.
Close, try any counter 12" wide needs a receptacle and all kitchen 120 volt receptacles , not just within 6' of sink, need GFCI protection (with a few exceptions for stationary equipment). This is residential NEC.Frank DuVal You can never make something foolproof because fools are so ingenious.
do a layout where the boxes fall between studs ...
get the cut outs sized and placed exact ...
leave the wires hanging loose ...
bust out big holes in the drywall ...
and pop in some remodeling boxes from the front.
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
I've recently dealt with this issue. Let me tell you what my solutions were.
The holes I put in the sheet metal were not particularily neat; I used a drill and a saber saw, with LOTS of masking tape on the saw baseplate. The hole did not need to be "perfect" as I still needed to place a cover plate on the receptacle. The ones I used were also of brushed stainless steel.
If you re-do your kitchen, you should bring it up to current code. I'd like to sum up the NEC requirements. Keep in mind that the NEC is but a "safety minimun," and is not intended to tell you how to design you place!
A kitchen requires at least two "small appliance circuits." These must be 20 amp, and have GFI protection. These are the circuits that are intended to serve the counter-top receptacles.
It is very common for a kitchen to have additional circuits, that are often not GFI protected. For example, refrigerators, dishwashers, trash disposals, compactors, and large microwaves are often on circuits separate from the two required circuitc. So are the lights.
If you are intending to power the range hood with a fan that plugs in (as opposed to hard-wires), then this must be it's own 20 amp circuit. (The code guys figure that someday there will be a microwave over in that space).
The dishwasher and trash disposal typically share a circuit. Here, it is common to have a "split" receptacle under the sink, with one part controlled by a switch (the disposal plug in here). Check your local rules- some places want these appliances 'hard wired.' This circuit is usually not GFI protected....a fine detail of the code is that counter receptalces need GFI protection, but switches do not.
In most cases, receptacle placement is determined by measuring the counter along the wall. Every counter space over 12" wide needs a receptacle, and every point along the wall must be within 2 ft. of a receptacle. Areas behind sinks, stoves, etc., are not included in this, and need no receptacles.
The receptacles may be on the wall, mounted on the backsplash, mounted on the counter top using a "tombstone" (you're not allowed to put them in facing up), in the face of the cabinets (within 6" of the top), under the lip of the counter, or even on the bottom of the cabinets above (so long as the face of the receptacle is not more than 18" above the counter). I suppose that you could also drop a cord from the ceiling!
Plugmold can be a good solution, with one caution: the receptacles need GFI protection! For a 'clean' install, this may mean your using GFI breakers, rather than a GFI recepracle. And- you still need two circuits.
Where the counter forms a peninsula, or there is an island....well, there are some code provisions specific to them- and this post is long enough already! :-)
Here is a summary of all of the requirements.http://www.codecheck.com/pg27_28electrical.html#rough