Steve Rands
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We are planning to install a brand-new kitchen early next year, and have a
fairly good idea of which
cabinet units and appliances we want and where they will go. However, we’re not sure exactly what we need in terms of sockets
for appliances.
We already have our washing machine and tumble drier: these are both freestanding. All of the other
appliances (fridge, freezer, dishwasher, electric hob, single electric oven, and
combi/microwave oven) will be
integrated. We will also be installing a hood above the hob.
Am I right in assuming that most of these appliances will
come fitted with a standard 3-pin plug? From what I have read in this forum and elsewhere on the web, the only appliances
that might not would be the hob, oven and hood. The appliance brochures generally aren’t much help in this regard. I
have read that electric ovens are generally connected to a
dedicated cooker supply unit and have their own circuit: is
this still the case for a single oven?
Regarding sockets, I assume most of the appliances will be plugged into single
unswitched sockets that are run as spurs from double-pole switches located above the worktop?
ie. from top to
bottom:
(a) double-pole switch above worktop
(b) worktop
(c) unswitched socket on spur from (a) — appliance 3-pin
plug connected here
Is this the way things are typically done these days? I know there is some debate about whether to
mount the sockets on the wall or inside the cabinets, but to be honest this isn’t an
issue for us as the electrics
will be installed long before the kitchen is, so I’m afraid they’ll have to go on the wall!!
I hope somebody can give
me some pointers regarding the above, it would be much appreciated.
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timfoley
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Steve,
Welcome to our forum and I hope you find it of use in your project.
Not all appliances
arrive with an attached plug and you must determine the rating of each appliance before connection. The manufacturers
instructions will detail this for each
appliance and their instructions should be adhered to. In general, it is
correct to assume that single ovens can be connected to the ring circuit via a 3 pin plug if the rating
allows, and
again advice will be forthcoming in your manufacturers manual.
Sockets for appliances can be configured in the way you
suggest, ie a fused spur sited above the worksurface, but appliances can also be connected to a socket in an adjacent base
unit. This frees up an element of congestion above the surface which seems to be a preference for most. In addition it
frees up space you will require behind the appliance,
particularly if it is integrated.
Sockets can be mounted
inside a base cabinet and this is a debate previously discussed on the forum. The criteria I would use is to mount the socket
on a solid board, the back of the
unit being ideal, but not to a hardboard surface if your cabinets are constructed
this way.
In preparation for this your electrician, who must be Part P compliant, can leave sufficient cable length to
achieve this prior to installation.
I hope this helps and good luck with your kitchen.
Tim
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Steve Rands
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Tim, thanks for your advice, and thanks too for this forum,
it has been a great source of
information while I have been planning the new kitchen. 
I did have another query about kitchen cabinets. The
integrated fridge and freezer we are thinking of buying are each 1393mm tall, but all of the appliance housing units I have
seen
on the web do not seem to be available with a large-enough niche opening. Are these appliances atypical in size,
and if so how would I fit them into a cabinet? Would I need to modify
the cabinet somehow; are the shelves moveable?
Sorry if these seem like dumb questions, but I’m not entirely sure how appliance units come configured when
bought.
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timfoley
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Steve,
This is always a tricky situation and
as the majority of housings are 2115mm height including plinth, manufacturers tend to make doors to suit the fascia height. In
the case of a
2115mm the height of a lower door is normally 1245mm the upper door of 715mm makes up the door sizes for
a standard larder with 5mm opening clearance for the doors.
The minimum height of the aperture you need is 1393mm and
you will have to adapt the fridge housing to suit. What you need is to identify the door/s that best suits the fridge from
your chosen manufacturer. In this case the ideal size door would be 1393mm + 18mm + 5mm = 1416mm.
This leaves a
make up size of 545mm presuming that the height of your larder is indeed 2115mm. Again you will need to indentify and combine
door sizes that suit the height whilst at
the same time ensuring you choose the correct height to suit the
appliance.
Very rarely does a manufacturer make a door this height unless bespoke so it seems you would have to use two
doors adjoined to make up the next larger size than the aperture. As most
manufacturers use a 715mm height door this
appears to be your best option.
Doing this will render that you make up the rest of the door sizes using the remaining
available sizes produced by your manufacturer and this is not always possible. If you are unable
to achieve this you
will have to employ a door matching filler at the top of the housing to make up the size required to cover the
housing.
Of course all this would not be necessary if your door sizes were available bespoke but I hear this week that
one manufacturer has teamed up with an appliance manufacturer and an
association of this kind would overcome problems
of this sort. It seems a logical progression that more cabinet manufacturers will do the same but your choice of appliances
will be
limited if opting for kitchen furniture that is suitably sized to fit one particular brand.
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Harricook
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Hi,
I have been following this useful thread – but
have a further question …..
If you do install appliance sockets inside base carcasses – can they be in the sink base
??
Regards
Roy Harrington
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timfoley
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Welcome Harricook.
Yes, a socket can be installed in a sink base
unit but should be installed close to the front edge away from any potential leak source and with easy access for the
consumer. Trunking
will provide a neat finish.
It is not regulatory however and a socket can be installed to a
solid back board as long as it is again located in a position that would minimise the potential tisk.
Ideally, if located
to the back board of the cabinet you should consider using an 1P56 Weatherproof socket.
Tim.
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