Sockets inside kitchen cabinets...

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We are currently in the middle of an extension which includes a new kitchen. All the electrics are being done by a qualified electrician to normal building regs. but he is off site at the moment and un-contactable.
The kitchen fitters are fitting the kitchen cabinets and we are putting some sockets inside the cabinets for running dishwashers, cookers, washing machines etc. (all the spurs and wiring has already been put in by the sparks).
My question is how do you normally mount sockets inside cabinets? Using a dry-lining box secured through the back panel? Or do they need to be surface mount back boxes inside? Reason I ask is that some of the cabinets that need sockets in have drawer boxes which do not leave enough space at the rear to mount a back box on the surface. If we can use dry lining boxes, they can protrude into the service void at the back of the cabinet, the socket face will be flush with the back panel of the cabinet and there will be enough space for a plug etc. and to still be able to get the drawers closed.
Personally I can't see any reason why we couldn't use dry lining boxes, but I can't get hold of my sparks to check he is happy with that and that it complies with building regs. etc. The kitchen fitters don't want to fit the cabinets until I can give them a definitive answer as its so much harder to cut out for dry lining boxes after the cabinets are fitted.
Can anyone offer any advice?
 
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you mount the sockets on the wall and cut holes in the back of the units.

This also allows you to mount the sockets in the adjacent units rather than behind the appliances, making it a lot easier to isolate/unplug an appliance if it's faulty. Tumble driers especially have a habit of self-combusting when they get clogged up with lint.
 
you mount the sockets on the wall and cut holes in the back of the units.

I agree with that but are there any building regs rules or BRB sections that prohibit them being mounted on the actual units themselves.
 
All the sockets will be mounted in adjacent units, sorry I should have clarified that. So there is a dishwasher sized slot in the run of cabinets.... behind one of the cabinets next to the slot is the wire poking out of the wall.... onto which the socket will go.
If I mount the sockets on the wall and cut a hole through the back of the cabinet to be able to access it I am going to end up with an unsightly hole in the back of the cabinet. That will then allow things in the cabinet to drop through the hole and into the void...
Or is it a question of cutting the hole exactly the same size as the socket faceplate and then spacing the socket off the wall so they mount flush? That seems like a lot of work when it could be done with a dry-lining box if you were allowed to.
 
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Try contacting your electrician again, he may not be happy with what you are doing and at the end of the day he is signing it off to comply with the building regs.
Failing that, try contacting another electrician to do the whole job, preferably one that doesn't holiday on mars.
 
yup.gif


Larry - the only person who can tell you if your electrician will be happy with what you propose is .....

.... your electrican.

You have to make contact with him, and if you can't then you'll have to wait until you can.
 
Fair enough! I will let the kitchen fitters do whatever else they can and come back to this once cleared with the sparks. Thanks all.
 
you mount the sockets on the wall and cut holes in the back of the units.
I agree with that but are there any building regs rules or BRB sections that prohibit them being mounted on the actual units themselves.
I can't speak for the building regs but I can't recall having seen anything in the BRB which imposes any particular restrictions on what accessories can be attached to (provided they are secure). I imagine we've all seen 'accessories', all the way from switches and sockets up to CUs, JBs and switchgear attached to the insides of cupborads of one sort or another.

Kind Regards, John.
 
It's quite possible your electrician won't want to fit the sockets to the wall because it will be harder work for him. Despite all the theories about fitting them on the wall, it doesn't look particularly nice with a hole in the cupboard back.

Here are two options;
1) Leave the cables draped on the floor so they can be accessed by the electrician by removing the plinth when he returns.

2) Cut holes the size of a single fast dry line box and pull the cables through. The electrician can either fit dry line boxes, or he can make the hole bigger and fit surface mounted boxes on the wall if he wants to.

Don't disturb him if he's on holiday.
 
You could ask your electrician to place sockets for appliances, inline with adjacent cabinets but dig out for backboxes so the top is only 150mm from the floor. When he second fixes them, the appliances can be plugged into them by removing the plinth and reaching underneath the cabinets. This way, the plugs cant foul the cabinets as they'll be below the bottom of the cabinets. ;) ;)
I've never been happy with sockets fixed to adjacent cabinets themselves. Invariably if your called back to replace an appliance, the customer has filled the cabinets with all sorts of stuff, which has to be removed to reach the sockets.
 
If you cut holes in the cabinet backs neatly it doesn't look too bad.
If, as seems frequently to be the case, you or the kitchen fitter cut the holes with a hammer it doesn't look as good.

However, I wouldn't expect the electrician to be too happy when he returns.
It'll be like sweeping the hallway through the letter box.

Did he go on holiday unexpectedly or did the kitchen fitters appear early?
 
Whatever the solution, do not forget that the cables into the boxes must be secured (ie clipped, etc).

It will be hard to do this if you use a dry lining box with the cables just hanging out of the bottom, or the top.
 
Thanks for the comments and help. We ended up cutting dry lining back boxes into the back of those cupboards where it was necessary to clear drawers or whatever and surface mounts in those where space isn't such an issue. Electrician is happy, so its all good.
 
Electrician is happy, so its all good.
That is not a sign of satisfaction for the customer, only shows a happy electrician.

We ended up cutting dry lining back boxes into the back of those cupboards where it was necessary to clear drawers
As was mentioned before there is a need to fix the cables and NOT just depend on the screw terminals in the sockets to hold the weight of the cable. If the cables are not clamped then vibration from opening and closing drawers and doors will affect the screw terminals in the sockets.

Using tie wraps to bind the cable to the rear of the cupboard backs is a fiddly but effective way to retro-fit "clamps" to the cables behind the backs of imovable cupboards.
 
I'm sure that the electrician has sorted out proper support for the cables (or will when he installs them).

After all
All the electrics are being done by a qualified electrician to normal building regs.
so if he is happy, then he must know that his EIC will be a valid one, including, as it obviously does, confirmation of compliance with 522.8.4 & 522.8.5......
 

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