Help! Where to put the electrical outlets on our new island?

last year

Would love ideas on where is the best place on our new island is best for electrical outlets. Would also love input on what kind of outlet covers to use and where to get them. We’re using brass hardware from Schoolhouse for reference.

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Comments (8)

K S
Original Author
last year
For reference, here is the fridge and you can see where the sink will be. The stove will be below the hole above the empty space on that same wall.
K S
Original Author
last year
(Not exactly where the fridge will be…. It’s actually heavy and full of food so we didn’t move it in all the way yet 😂)
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Hi Laura: My island is dark cherry, and also has furniture ends that I did not want to damage with unsightly outlets. I have seating on one side, and put an outlet on each side of the seating "kneehole" space, up as high as possible. We used brown outlets and covers, and you do not see the outlets unless you bend down to look. I have not found this to be a problem with access, and prefer the small extra effort needed to access the outlet (occurs once in awhile) over the look of seeing the outlet on the cabinetry (would see it all the time). The location actually works quite well in terms of not having appliance cords trailing across the island top--especially if someone wants to sit at the island and use a laptop--which seems to be the primary use of island outlets at our house. I generally do food prep on the perimeter where I have immediately accessable outlets, so the island ones are not as key for usual kitchen chores, which might be a consideration--if you use your island more for food prep.
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With respect to Mocketts: The inspectors who frequent the Mike Holt's forum agree (to the extent that they ever agree on anything) that the round Mockett shown above would not pass for the required outlet because it is attached by a plug and cord and not by fixed wiring. It is allowed to supplement the required outlet. There is now (or soon?) a square Mockett (round hole in granite) that is available with "fixed" wiring in the form of flexible conduit. This is the PCS39 shown in Doug Mockett & Co.'s 2009 catalog, CAT21D.pdf, that I found somewhere on the web. Extract folows: "... the power outlets can come with either a 6 ft. cord or a 6 ft. hardwire for kitchen, lab or medical use. Hardwired version meets NEC requirements." kas
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The prep sink is a good location - especially if you are likely to use anything powered like a food processor when prepping. Where you can put outlets on the other cabinets depends on what is in them, whether they are framed or frameless. Your island might be large enough that outlets are required in two positions. I thought that one was required every 4'. We were initially told that an outlet under the seating overhang wouldn't satisfy the code requirement, but we asked them to check with the county whether one right at the edge of the overhang would because our understanding was that it had to be within 12" of the top of the counter and one there would be. At least our county accepted it. We put one on the false drawer front in front of the prep sink. That one gets used the most. Here is the one at the edge of the overhang (similar to if you slid the ? in your picture as far to the right as possible): If you have a drawer at the top of that cabinet, the side of the drawer might have to be lowered to clear the outlet. We have a cabinet with pull-outs there. We used shallow outlet boxes and there is a panel on the side of the cabinet so part of the depth of the outlet box sits in the panel:
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“Which means it does not apply everywhere, unless in force by municipal choice. That is most likely why I hadn't heard about outlet requirements in islands. It is not required where I am located.” The reason for this Code requirement is so that when someone uses a coffee pot, blender, mixer, or any other counter appliance on the island, she is not plugging it in by stretching the electrical cord across the aisle to a backsplash outlet many feet away. The scenario Joseph Corlett mentioned is the least worrisome. More concerning are (1) someone walking through the aisle and not noticing the cord and tripping on it, (2) not seeing the cord across the aisle and running into it and pulling on it, causing it to short, and (3) an electrical short from @Sherry Brighton stretching the electrical cord across the aisle, starting the blender, and having the stretched and vibrating cord spark. If your contractor tells you local Code says you don’t need receptacles in an island - and even the worst crappy contractors will not say that, because even they have some standards - then you better find another contractor.
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palimpsest
last year
I wonder if you could use Sillites set into the middle panel, if you have the depth. I actually think they are shallower than J boxes. And obviously much smaller overall.

http://www.sillites.com/newconstruction.php
K S
Original Author
last year
Ooh thanks, where does one purchase those ?
User
last year
last modified: last year
They are required to be on both ends, and should have been located in the original design plans. They take up space inside your cabinet that you may not have, because they weren’t planned.
K S
Original Author
last year
It was planned :) Contractor built out electrical for this purpose and there is space inside allotted, we just hasn’t discussed yet where they were going to go. I designed myself and missed this bc I’m not really an interior designer ;)
palimpsest
last year
@K S, there is a Where To Buy link on the link I posted. I believe I ordered mine online, I used mine for the conventional purpose but as you can see they show them mounted in island ends as well.
mtvhike
last year
Hey. hey, let's stop dissing each other, we're all just trying to help. Verbo, why do you think the aisles are too narrow, I don't even see a dimension listed. If you can easily get down the aisle with the drawers pulled out, that's wide enough. Regarding where to place the receptacles, in addition to code requirements, you should consider usage. In my kitchen, there is a quad outlet at the end of the counter where the appliances which are always plugged in - coffee maker, coffee bean grinder, and tea water boiler. Other receptacles should be placed near where you might be using other countertop appliances (blender, mixer, etc.) Especially for these, mount them so the appliances are easy to plug in, not hidden somewhere.

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Help! Where to put the electrical outlets on our new island?

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K S
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K S
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Help! Where to put the electrical outlets on our new island?

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K SOriginal Author

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