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ontariomom

Where to place an island plug or two??

ontariomom
9 years ago

Oh dear, we were ready to sign off on our cabinet order on Monday, when I remembered we needed to plan for where our island plugs would go. We plan to call the electrician for ideas tomorrow, and see what the cabinet maker (Scherr's) says, but likely the decision will fall on us (and that means I need GW's help please).

Can you tell me where you placed your island plug(s) and how the location worked with your planned cabinets/drawers, etc. What part of the drawer etc, did you lose to fit the outlet box?

Here is our island, if you can see a ready location or two can you let us know what you suggest. Our island is slightly over 10 feet long and 51 inches deep.

Here are some island elevation pictures.

Thanks once again GW!!

Comments (33)

  • sjhockeyfan325
    9 years ago

    I can tell you where I put mine, but I don't think it'll help, because we built in a 3-3/4" gap between the microwave drawer and the dish drawers just for the outlets - it goes all the wall through so we have an outlet on the front, and another on the back (although that one is technically not allowed as IRS under an overhang).

  • illinigirl
    9 years ago

    i put mine over my garbage pullout.

  • debrak2008
    9 years ago

    By code we needed one on each side of the island. Find out exactly what you need.

  • kcorn
    9 years ago

    We will have two peninsulas in our space, not an island; however, I can tell you in one peninsula we are placing it on the outside end facing the aisle (which means it will be housed in the top/back section of the trash pullout. In the other peninsula, we have a wine fridge on the end, therefore, we have a 3" end panel next to it where the outlet will be placed. Sorry I don't have pictures.

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    sjhockey, debrak, illinigirl and spartans. Thank you for your ideas. I appreciate hearing what you did. Obviously, we will need to sacrifice something to get these plugs in place. We have put in a call to the electrician, so hopefully we will have the info on our code soon.

    @illinigirl Do you have a drawer over your trash pull-out? If so, where did you squeeze in the junction box? I think over the trash pullout might work for us as well, but we currently show a drawer over the pullout, so not sure how that would work or if we would just narrow that drawer. Our trash pullout on the island is 18 wide.

    We also wondered about putting a plug in what was going to be a tilt down under the prep sink. Obviously it would have to be GFI protected (maybe all kitchen plugs are GFI). We are checking with the electrician if that is safe. Anyone try something like pictured under their prep sink?

    div>

    [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Chicago Kitchen & Bath Designers Jill Jordan

    I also wondered about having a short backing behind the cooktop that could house plugs on both sides. It would serve as a bit of a backsplash that might catch some splatters of grease, guide the vapour upwards towards vent, even be a landing spot for pots that are taken off the burner. However, I am not sure what it would do aesthetically to the look of the island. We will also need to have a seam in our island, which might be able to go along the left hand side of the cooktop so the elevated backsplash behind could be beneficial to further conceal the seam? Below is an inspiration picture of what I was considering. Ours would not also have a down draft, just the short backsplash. We could face the backsplash with our quartz rather than the subway. Maybe we could put steel on the top so it could be a good hot surface. What is your opinion on this idea? I have also posted the overhead view of my island so you can imagine this backsplash island option.

    Thanks for your help.

    Carol

    [Traditional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Stevens Point Kitchen & Bath Designers Welling Kitchen & Bath

  • live_wire_oak
    9 years ago

    You have to think about where you will want to use electrical appliances on the island, as well as the safety of draping the cord from that location to the outlet. For a food processor/blender, your prep area will need to have an outlet, probably interfering with your full use of your drawer above your trash can. I'd do a false panel there, with a slim drawer to house trash bags. I'd also want one to the left of the prep sink, directly underneath the overhang, which might interfere with your prep sink, necessitating a larger cabinet for it, or a smaller prep sink. Even with a pancake work box, you need around 3" of depth to fit in an outlet. I'd also want one on the far side of the island, in the false panel next to the drawer base. (This is where having a slab top drawer sometimes makes the look work better for outlet locations.) I'd actually want to do several there. At least 2x. That is the natural location for doing a buffet and plugging in warmers. Or doing a drinks set up with a blender for margaritas.

    I'm assuming that your peninsula will also have outlets planned for the pony wall?

  • jackfre
    9 years ago

    We took one of the corner drawers/cabinets on the long face and made it into a door with the vertical slots for cookie sheets and other thin pans and such and ran the power up the back of one of those slots. I have only one plug on the 92" island as we have wrap around seating one side and end. Place it up high on the side(s). Our island has no appliances, sinks, stove top. It is a prep and meeting place. In fact, as it has turned out, with the 38x92 island I could have gotten rid of about 1500 sq ft of house as everyone spends time at the island.

    As noted confirm with your electrician what code requirements are.

  • sjhockeyfan325
    9 years ago

    Turns out code required 2 outlets on our small island. (I can only imagine how many you will need).
    Code only requires one outlet per island regardless of size here - so on my 10' island, I only needed one outlet to meet code.

    -- as it has turned out, with the 38x92 island I could have gotten rid of about 1500 sq ft of house as everyone spends time at the island

    -- I used to say that about our two family room sofas - why did we need 3200 sf of living space if we only took up 8' linear feet of sofa most of the time.

  • bellsmom
    9 years ago

    Mine is at the very back of the trash pullout on the island. I used a popup plug. There are now several available on line. I am very pleased with it.

    I can't find my pic of the thing popped up and appliances plugged in. It has three outlets. A quick google search for pop up plugs will find you several sources.

    Here is a link that might be useful: This is the one I used.

  • weedyacres
    9 years ago

    Here's what we did, two outlets on the back side of the island, away from the drawers:

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks so much for all your replies ... this is really helping! I think we are leaning towards making a few of the top drawers along the business end of the island shorter so we can fit in two plugs on that side of the island. We need to figure out how to put the plugs in as streamlined as possible to minimize the lost drawer height. That may bump us down to flat panel drawers for a few of our top drawers.

    @Mags438: We really like what you have done. If possible, if we plan for it now we would like to have space saving plugs like you show, but recessed into the cabinets right under the counter like you have. Is yours a product like plugmold?

    @live_wire_oak: I think your location suggestions will work out well. I appreciate you taking the time to list out where you would find plugs most useful in my kitchen. Sounds like when this is done, I need a GW party where margaritas will be served LOL so I better have the plugs in place. We will try to rework the trash pullout and drawer above to get in a plug there. I wondered why you suggested the pancake work boxes would take 3 inches of depth. We did source out squash boxes that took up 1 1/2 inches of depth.

    @Jackfre, Okay good points made. We will try to get an outlet on each of the short sides of the island. We will keep the outlets up high as noted. LOL about only needing a big island and a lot less square footage elsewhere.

    sjhockeyfan: LOL about the square footage of couches being prime real estate too. I believe our code, here in Ontario Canada requires only one plug on the island too. However, I probably want two on the business end of the island as I feel they will be needed. We will likely put one more on other each of the other sides for a total of 5 plugs.

    @Bellsmom: Those devises are cool. Thanks for letting us know how you like it!

    @ Weedyacres: very interested in the compact way your receptacle fits in; is it simply covered by a thin 1/4" wood veneer?

    Carol

  • Cloud Swift
    9 years ago

    I looked at the code text on outlets and the wording isn't very clear on how many are needed per island size. Our island 8' by 51" and we ended up putting 3 duplex outlets on it I think the inspector would have only required 2.

    We did a fixed panel over the prep sink and put an outlet on it. All kitchen outlets have to be GFI protected and putting it there didn't require anything additional. We used an outlet cover to match our cabinet material and matte black outlets to blend with that:

    The other outlets were done on the sides of cabinets with pull out shelves. We have panels (basically a door without hinges or handle mounted on the cabinet side) which gives a bit of extra depth for the outlet to sit in.

    You could do that on the side of the cabinet to the right of the cooktop toward the back of the cabinet. It would need to be mounted where the drawer glide isn't - there should be enough height if it is mounted with the long direction horizontal.

    Our electrician used a shallow box. Between the thickness of the cabinet box side and the panel, the box is close to flush but clearance is needed for the conduit that exits the box. The back of the drawer might need to be modified to clear that but you wouldn't lose much. Some on this forum didn't approve of using a shallow box for a duplex outlet but our inspector approved it. Even if you had to use a standard depth box, you would just lose a bit more of the drawer corner.

    Here is a picture inside the cabinet:


    and outside under the overhang:

    We had to put our outlets toward the front of the side of the cabinet because for the outlet to count for code it has to not be to far under an overhang and within a certain distance of the counter top, IIRC, 6" - we checked with the code people ahead of time and they agreed that the point of not under an overhang was to keep the distance to the counter top short for short cords and as long as we put it near the edge of the overhang it was okay. You don't have an overhang on that side so you put it at the back which is better for your drawer.

    If your code folks are willing to allow the same thing, maybe you could put the outlet on the side of the sink cabinet near the front and still have the tip out - we didn't particularly want a tip out anyway and we find it easy to plug in where they are.

    An outlet by the sink and one at the other end could be enough to satisfy code. It might also find it convenient to have one on the back under the overhang to provide a place to plug in a laptop.

  • Susied3
    9 years ago

    We have a 12 foot island, put two on each end and one in a drawer. I use the drawer plug much more than the ends. The way your island looks configured, and as long as it is, I think one would be well worth it.

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Cloud_swift,

    That is a very useful post. Thanks for taking the time to explain how you solved this dilemma. I am all for getting rid of the prep sink tilt down and replacing with a plug. DH was worried about the proximity of water and electricity. With an overhang from the counter, I can't see the issue so much. Have you ever had an issue with water getting on your plug that is under the sink?

    I also like your pancake box inside the cabinet. I think we will use that idea as well.

    All,

    Just found out about sillites from reading past GW posts. They look like a great solution for tight spaces. The link is below for those that are solving this problem too.

    DH is going to redraw up the island elevations pictures showing how the plugs will effect the drawer heights and lines. Hopefully, you guys will check back and let me know what you think about the changes to the elevation aesthetics.

    I'm guessing no one is in favour of that backsplash area behind the induction cooktop shown in the second photo posted on my 11:31 post. You have to imagine it without the downdraft venting and just the elevated backsplash.

    Carol

    Here is a link that might be useful: sillites size saving plugs

  • Susied3
    9 years ago

    I'm going to try to upload a couple picks. I'm on an iPad and every time I try to share pictures they are upside down even though I rotate them in photobucket. Hope it works!

    I use the box to hide things when we go out of town.

  • illinigirl
    9 years ago

    Carol- no we did the outlets instead of a drawer over the garbage pull out. I did not feel like I needed the drawer there and I had to meet code by having an outlet on a non overhang side of the island. To maximize prep space to the left of my sink I did not want an outlet on the short side of the island to the right of the sink. I'll take pics of that when I get to the (newly cleaned) hose tonight yet.

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    @susie,

    Thanks for the tips and the photos too. It is kind of you to post your solution. If I understand the photos correctly, you have a plug at the back of a drawer right? This looks great for charging items, etc. Would it not be challenging to reach in to use, or is that not an issue.

    I have a feeling, we are not allowed to put plugs in drawers in Canada (I believe our sparky said that). I guess they worry someone will plug in a heat element (say a curling iron in a bath drawer) and close the drawer. Although, I believe it is allowed in the US.

    @illinigirl, Thanks! I look forward to your picture. Hope you are happy with the progress you see tonight on your house visit!

    Carol

    P.S. DH is almost finished drawing in the revised island elevations with version 1 of plug locations I will post it soon.

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi all,

    Thanks to your guidance, we have planned out our plugs, and have a few versions to share. We have used two Sillites near the cooktop and one on the right hand short side to conserve on space.

    Can you please let us know what drawer sizes look best for the right hand side of the island on the working side? The right hand drawer is actually a pullout for utensil storage in upright bins. The drawer fronts (be it 2 or 3) will be attached together.

    Here are the three versions of possible island plug locations for the working side of the island. We put one above the sink cabinet of the prep sink, and left the drawer above the trash intact. Does that work too?

    Please vote on which version (A, B or C) you think works best for the drawer sizes aesthetically).

    Here are the plugs on the right short side of the island and the back. We will also put one on the left short side, but we don't have an elevation picture of that.

    Thanks all,

    Carol

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Can you guys please vote on which drawer stack with plug looks best (see version A, B or C above)?

    Thanks,

    Carol

  • Cindi_KS
    9 years ago

    B.
    The way we handled outlets on our island was to raise the seating end of the island to bar height, and put the outlets in the exposed side of the vertical piece. Our cooktop is centered in the island, so we have 30" on either side, and by code here, we have to have outlets every 30", so we didn't exactly meet code. Our inspector let us go because islands are somewhat different. We also have an outlet inside a cabinet near the floor, because we have rope lights running around the perimeter of the island near the floor. i have a rocker switch on the end of the cabinet and it is wired to the outlet inside that cabinet, if that makes sense. I just plugged in the rope lights, tacked them to the cabinet and we were good to go. The inspector did insist that the outlet that is inside the cabinet be inside a plastic box just in case something bumped it. We love the blue rope light. It makes a good night light and it was dirt cheap!

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    cindi_in_ks,

    Thanks for sharing your ideas. The rope light at the bottom of the island sounds wonderful.

    Carol

  • flwrs_n_co
    9 years ago

    I prefer B.

    Thanks for starting this discussion as it resulted in so many great ideas!

  • brightm
    9 years ago

    A or B
    (I don't think GW likes me just typing that.)

    ETA: IT wouldn't post with just A or B. I had to add something.

    This post was edited by cal_quail on Tue, Jul 8, 14 at 1:05

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    flwrs_n_co and cal_quail,

    Thanks for your votes!

    Note: with with plan A, the top drawer has to be a slab drawer front, when the other drawers on the island are all 5 piece drawers. However, plan A does line the drawers up nicely across the island.

    Please add your votes, so I can call in this kitchen order.

    Carol

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Any chance I could get your votes guys on the three options for the island plugs? Please....

    Carol

  • weedyacres
    9 years ago

    It looks like you've gone a different direction than our route, but you asked a question upthread on our "recessed" bare outlets, so I'll answer in case anyone else is curious. The back panel was 3/8" plywood, we used a hole saw to cut a hole just the size of the single outlet, and painstakingly routered around it on the inside so the surface would be flush with the plywood face. I think we put a shallow plastic electrical box around it on the inside as well.

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I'm glad you came back and explained your clever streamlined plug install. Your image made us search further and we found a similar solution made by Sillites.

    Carol

  • Oaktown
    9 years ago

    Hi Carol, if you are still looking for votes, would you be able to re-post your options without the drawer labels (1.2, 3.1, etc.)? Those jump so much I had to look a couple of times to even see that there were differences in the drawer heights. Maybe I am just a bit slow on the uptake.

  • Cloud Swift
    9 years ago

    Our kitchen has been in for around 7 years and there have been zero issues with water getting to the plug area. The small overhang of the counter top keeps any splashing or dripping from getting there. Anyway, spills can happen anywhere on a cabinet. Someone knocks over a glass or a vase and water spills over the edge. I've had that happen elsewhere on the island top so I don't see the sink as more vulnerable.

    The location is convenient for when I want to plug in a prep tool like a food processor or hand mixer.

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    @cloud_swift,

    Thanks for the reassurance on the false front sink location for a plug. We plan on having it there as it was no biggie to give up the tilt down.

    @Oaktown,

    Yes, I would still like your vote. It is my DH who makes those elevation pictures, so I had him remove the numbers on the key drawer stack. BTW, In his picture it looks like all the drawer fronts will have a very short recessed area, but Scherr's (the cabinet company) will build them with a taller recessed part than DH drew. Version A, has a slab door for the top drawer front, the rest of the versions keep all drawer fronts to 5 piece.

    Carol

  • Oaktown
    9 years ago

    I vote C, but I might be unduly influenced by the focus on that stack. In my opinion, A looks busy and B looks unbalanced; I like B better than A.

    Good luck!

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks Oaktown. Your ranking is the same as mine. DH has other opinions.

    Carol

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