I hope I didn't mislead anyone. By vertical, I meant it was mounted on the back wall of the cabinet facing front rather than mounted on the bottom of the cabinet facing down.

If I don't go w/angled, I think this would work better for us since we're a family of tall people (and 2 are getting taller every day!) so we won't have to bend over so far to see the plugs.

You can see it in her finished kitchen pictures, the Bertazzoni range picture. If you look to the left & right under the cabinets you can see it.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Just remember that lots of plugs are bigger than the outlet itself. If you mount plug mold facing either down or forward at a corner there may be plugs you won't be able to get into it.

If you face it down you can pull it forward a bit from the corner to give some clearance. If you mount it facing forward you probably won't want to space it down below the cabinets.

Angling regular plug mold in the corner will give a little extra clearance.

I wanted angled plugmold, but my electrician acted like I was speaking a foreign language (even after I sent him to the angled plugmold website so he could see pictures.) I decided that particular battle wasn't worth fighting, so I let him install regular plugmold (with the outlet part facing foward, not down towards the counter, just like Soonermagic's.) Anyway, it works great for me. I have no problems whatsoever plugging things into it.

Bumping ... to keep this alive

Anyone know why I can't see jamesk's photos above? Two things I really want to see: plugmold and undercab lighting!

thank you.

here's mine... looks a lot like alkus
{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

bump!

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OW!! THAT HURT!

Here is a link to an angled power strip.

Here is a link that might be useful: Angle Strip

JamesK must have moved or removed the pictures on his/her Photo site (Flickr).

What kind of items do you plan on using with either a plugmold or the outlet in the backsplash? The reason I ask is because I don't find it particularly attractive to see a coffee maker or other household item sitting on the counter with the electrical cord reaching above it. Unless the outlet is breaking up a tile design in the backsplash personally I'd skip it. JMHO.

I don't keep any small appliances on the counter except for my mixer, which is on a counter run with no upper cabinets, and thus no tile. If I had a coffeemaker etc that would always be in front of my backsplash, I would have put a traditional outlet behind it.

So people just use the under cabinet plugs for "temporary" purposes, such a using a handmixer to mix a cake batter? Why would you need so many outlets in a row? I'm just trying to understand the uses because I must be missing something here. I do like the under cabinet lighting, though.

With any appliance, no matter how often it's used, it's better to keep it unplugged. Otherwise, it is drawing energy even when not in use.

Neesie -- one reason I find it attractive to have all those outlets in a row is because a lot of small appliances have ridiculously short cords these days. Having more outlets means you can use things where you want to instead of being limited by the length of your cords.

Also, with plugmold you don't have the interruption of outlets in your backsplash. Probably makes tiling a lot quicker and easier.

I like the idea of plugmold, though I agree that for appliances that sit out all the time (toaster), I'd rather not have that cord sticking UP all the time.

Now, I don't actually have the stuff in my house (yet). But I'm interested to hear more from actual users.

Thanks for the explanation scootermom. I didn't think about the flexibility of having so many different options and being limited by the length of the cords. That can really be a PITA sometimes!

Thanks to this forum REAL people can answer these stupid questions I sometimes ask myself as I wander the aisles of the Big Box stores.

For those wondering, as I have been, how to get plugmold that is compliant with the 2008 NEC, which requires tamper resistant (TR) receptacles up to 5.5 feet above the floor, Wiremold/Legrand appears to be manufacturing or is about to manufacture a TR version of plugmold. This version is in the 2000 series and is type 24R. I haven't found the 24R catalog page at Wiremold's web site, but I have found a blurry photo of the page elsewhere.

kas

Here is a link that might be useful: Plugmold 24R

Ah yes the 2008 NEC - just found out about that yesterday in fact after I had already opened my 2 beautiful angled power strips from task lighting that are now not code.
Below is a link to the new product sheet

Here is a link that might be useful: 24R plugmold

Thanks tracyac. I wonder if the 24R plugmold outlet part would snap into the angled task lighting back portion.

kas

mysterymachine you have some great things under your cabinets. how does it impact the interior bottom shelf of your cabinet? does it take up space? do you have a picture?

Thanks!!!!!

Does anybody know where to buy the 24R Tamper Resistant Plugmold?

Actually, the Congress for once has nothing to do with it. The NEC is developed by a private organization, the NFPA.

It is pretty generally recognized that the tamper-proof outlet and AFCI requirements were proposed and voted in by representatives of manufacturers who stand to make a great deal of money from these rules.

I have not seen any evidence at all presented about deaths from existing non-tamper-proof outlets. I believe the argument presented was something along the lines of, "If it saves even one life..." (I note that there are other ways our society can spend these billions of dollars that will reliably save far more than "maybe one life.")

The irony is that this prevents one from upgrading to high-quality commercial and industrial outlets, which are not required to be tamper-proof. We're now stuck which residential-grade cheapies.

Thanks for the clarification, solarpowered. Now I'm soooo embarrassed for implying that our selfless, dedicated public servants might have abused the public trust by passing legislation which was solely self-serving. What was I thinking???

Knowing that this abuse of power is actually coming from an industry organization, dedicated to fattening the bottom lines of its member companies, makes the new rule a good deal easier to swallow...NOT!

Bob

Take it up with who ever passes building codes where you live, Bob. They're adopted by local governments (at the state, county or city level, depending on where you're at.). They're free to exclude parts of the code, or not adopt NEC 2008 at all.

So....do we not need this 24R version of the plugmold? Does it depend on my local governance?

Yes, it depends on your local codes, which may differ in various ways from the 2008 NEC. For example, here in California, the current CEC (California Electric Code) is based on the 2002 NEC. So the requirement for tamper-resistant receptacles won't arrive here for a few years. (I do have every expectation, though, that that requirement will be adopted here when it comes time to update the CEC with the 2008 NEC.)

Some jurisdictions don't adopt parts of the NEC they don't like. For example, a number of places in the US didn't adopt the AFCI requirements in the 2002 and 2005 NEC.

I am glad NOT to have angled plugmold. When I plug something in (esp. the stand mixer, which STAYS plugged in), the cord falls straight down.

I fear that if it the plugmold were angled, the cord would point out at an angle for a few inches before gravity could make it fall straight down, and then the cord would be out in the middle of the airspace.

wldn't matter much for incidentals plugged in just for a bit. But i sometimes leave the toaster plugged in; if the coffee pot's out, we leave it plugged in. And the stand mixer is permanently plugged in.

I should revise my comments from my post about five posts back--I hadn't looked at the tamper-resistant situation in any depth before, and I've since done some looking around.

First, according to the Hubbell web site, there are said to be 2,400 emergency room visits annually in the U.S. due do children sticking things in outlets. Having seen the whole "battered wives at the emergency room on Supper Bowl Sunday" thing, which turned out to have been "common knowledge" that was urban legend based on a made-up comment by some activist, I have to admit that I'm somewhat skeptical of that statistic. It's not reflected in the CDC mortality data I've seen. However, if that statistic turns out to be valid, I'll agree that tamper-resistant outlets in residences are probably warranted.

Second, I did some checking around about what is available in tamper-resistant outlets. My favorite reasonably-priced (~$1.75) commercial-grade receptacle is the Leviton BR-15. It appears that they have a TR version of that, the TBR-15. Also, the "absolute best" outlet, the Hubbell HBL5262, has long been available in a hospital grade, tamper-resistant version, the HBL8200SG. So, assuming that the "tamper-resistant" mechanisms on these work reliably, and that the costs aren't exorbitantly more than their non-TR counterparts, it appears that my concerns about not having high-quality TR receptacles available were unfounded.

talley_sue_nyc, it looks like you have found the solution to reported cases of toaster oven self immolation. One just needs to adjust the plug so friction is minimized.

I haven't obtained any 24R yet, so I don't know if extraction force is as high as I expect insertion force to have become with the TR "feature." If so, then angled plugmold will not be self releasing in most cases, even if mounted facing down. However, the possibility exits that pushing in compresses springs such that the receptacles are even more self releasing than normal plugmold. TBD

kas

solarpowered, 2,400 visits to the ER sounds like a problem worth addressing. But I'd guess that few, if any, of those injuries were on circuits with GFCI protection. And even fewer were likely from plugmold, which by its nature is installed in out-of-the-way, hard-to-reach locations (i.e., not readily accessible by children). If they were interested in protection, why not simply mandate GFCI on ALL circuits in the house? That would protect not only children sticking forks in the outlets, but idiot homeowners (yeah, I'm one of them) who fiddle with electrical repairs without throwing the circuit breaker.

Bob

I know my electrician was fussing about the tamper resistant issue because mine was his first installation that would be subject to that code.

He found that not all the things he needed were available in a TR form. He told me he would just tell the inspector that and it would be ok, as long as he used what stuff was available.

So I have TR outlets, but my plugmold isn't TR.

I was there when the inspector came, and he didn't ask about it.

I can see how the TR stuff would be better than the after market kiddie protection stuff. But I do get bothered by an excessively "nanny-ish" government.

Thought I'd post what we finally ended up with....we got the actual "angled" Plugmold in aluminum (at least I think it's aluminum...some sort of metal anyway!) ...and that explains the "arm & a leg" cost for the Plugmold + Mocketts!

Front View:

Side View:

I am trying to order the angled power strip plug mold.
The wiremold/legrand site does not show any angled plugmold strips.
The only place I can find it is on TaskLighting. Am I missing something?

Thanks,
Nicole

I'm also having trouble ordering the TaskLighting angled plugmold -- I'm DIY and you need a contractor to order the stuff, even for one strip. Am working that out with a contractor friend, but it's rather an annoyance.

Any other makers/suppliers of the angled strips?

For those of you interested in the Task Lighting Angled Power Strip, here's my experience with them.

I tried about 10 times to get in touch with their distributor in the mid-Atlantic area by phone and email. I received only one return call and no follow-up. Their office is close to mine and I could drive there. My GC also called them with no return call.

Calling Task Lighting directly was the way to go. They said they'd only speak to my GC or a KD for prices so a few days later I called back and said I was a GC. They gave prices which, IMO are outrageous (around $65 per foot IIRC). Their product is not available through any retail outlet, only directly from Task Lighting or their regional distributors.

Because of their poor service and ridiculous prices I refused to buy their product.

If anyone, including Plug Mold, has the wherewithal to make their own version of an angled under-cabinet power strip, I think they'd sell quite well. I may be wrong, but the cost of design and manufacture cannot be anywhere close to justifying what Task Lighting is charging.

If it becomes too much of a hassle...could you do what Alku05 did? (See earlier post) She used straight Plug/wire mold and mounted it to a piece of "angled" wood...much cheaper too, as I recall!

I am looking at the pictures of other kitchens and I do not see wiring boxes for the plugmolds. My electrician put in a box at the end of the strip it has 1.5" height. The lightrail is 1 1/4", and so this does not look right.

My electrician says you need those boxes and there are no other options. (This is the second electrician the first we already had to replace.)

Any thoughts how to deal with this?

I have no box at the end of my Plugmold strips...I'm not sure if there's a box inside the top of my cabinets for it, but I don't think so...I think the boxes there are for the undercabinet & inside cabinet lighting (I have two glass front cabinets). If I recall correctly (IIRC), my electrician wired for them behind the wall and only the wires for the Plugmold strip "stuck out" from the wall prior to installing the Plugmold.

I don't know what you're electrician is talking about...but there are always options! Some options cost more than others, but there are options!

linochka28,

I felt sick when I saw how the electricians had installed the plugmold on my island and under my window (code, and the only option they knew about since we had forgotten to plan space for outlets in the island). That box is so unsightly. When I asked if there was any other way, he said no, but I persisted plaintively, and he finally agreed that he could extend the strip and cut it off just before the next outlet and that would give him enough room to tuck the wires in. That's what he did and it did look much better. (I ended up having them take those out and install Sillites instead, but under uppers just extending the strip for the wires should look fine.)

There's another more current thread going on about this. If you want more information or pictures, feel free to e-mail me, but I don't have any under upper cabinets.

I'm an electrician by trade but do mostly commercial work.
What I did not like about the outlets on the back splash was many times I've seen them not even and split between tiles. This sloppy work is most likely why homeowners are looking for options. When I did my own kitchen (#1) I had the cabinets built with a large reveal (1.5 inches) so I could mount surface wiremold boxes under the cabinets facing down. Looked great without switches and outlets on the tile backplash but a real hassel to use.(Had to bend over to plug in appliance and used a lot of the 2 foot cord.) Kitchen #2 I worked with the tile setter and left the wire hanging out of the wall where I wanted the outlet.
Tile cutter cut opening exactly in center of tile and then I went back and used a old work box. Also put outlet in first tile with cover resting on countertop. Screwless covers that are a close color match. Beautiful job! Kitchen #3 is going to be a glass tile backsplash. I was thinking of using plugmold between the countertop and first tile. Not under the cabinets! The plugmold by being mounted on the sheetrock and not the tile would make the plugmold semi-recessed. Paint plugmold if needed to match glass tiles.

I've been installing plugmold under cabinets for years without any problems till now. Apparently some electrical inspectors are enforcing the 2008 NEC which requires all outlets to be tamperproof. I hope Plugmold Inc is going to keep up with this.

Answered my own question. Wiremold Plugmold 2000TR Series

Sorry to bump such an old thread!

How do I figure out what code covers my area? I'm in Blacksburg, VA.

Google you local Blacksburg City Office of Code enforcement and read. Most break it into residential vs commercial, then new or refinish builds. Study hard. Then if still unsure call and ask to speak with person in the code office knowledgeable of electrical codes (also same person as plumbing) and then ask for specifics or to be directed to site stating specifics. Be mindful that islands above certain sizes have their own electrical code requirements.

Most municipalities follow international electrical codes. For example, mandatory GFCI on each circuit, followed by x number of outlets per feet on same circuit

Your General Contractor should know the local codes as well as the electrician for plumbing and electrics. Less so on the V in HVAC in my experience.

I really like plugmold but was able to have it only in one long stretch due to the mandatory GFCI rules. Those necessitated wiremold. Good luck.

GO HOKIES! Sorry, can't help it. My daughter is a VT grad.

All good people are VT grads. ;)

SparkingWater: I tried that first and couldn't find the code online. (Blacksburg's a town, not a city.)

I suppose I'll have to call. Bleh.

Thanks for the response!

Saw this earlier in the thread: " I wonder if the 24R plugmold outlet part would snap into the angled task lighting back portion"

Has anyone tried to replace a receptacle in a Task lighting angled power strip with a gfci receptacle? I was looking at the spec sheet (tasklighting.com/s/TR-SpecInstall.pdf), and it seems that the stock receptacles can be replaced with others, and they are all decora style.

So now I am wondering if instead of using a full space gfci breaker (is there a half space/ tandem gfci breaker) or installing a gfci receptacle on the line side, I can replace the first receptacle in the power strip with a decora style gfci receptacle.

A question for those who have posted, how are you making the connection from the house wiring to these power strips? Wiremold does not have the space to make a joint up in it, and I'm looking for ideas on how to do this.

Bump. Reviving. Above.