WARNING: Dangerous when full and hot!

Kitchen outlets are changing as of the first of the year. The 2023 NEC (National Electrical Code) has changed. No more side-mount island outlets. The rule stems from cords draping over the edge of an island and the fear of a crock pot or what have you getting pulled off and causing devastating injuries. I’ve seen bad things in my EMS life. Hot things hurt kids. Hey, I know. Let’s teach adults not to plug hot things that are full into island outlets. My take is that if it prevents one injury, then we will have made some progress. So what does this mean for our clients?  (Oh snap, they couldn’t wait, Inspectors are enforcing it already)

The Rule:

1. Outlets are not allowed in islands on the sides of cabinets or under the overhang.
2. You can provide a junction box on the island without outlets for future outlets to be decided later. (Who are they kidding)
3. You can install pop-up Island-approved outlets.

How Is Levco Adapting

First and foremost, we are not allowing this rule to stop our processes. Whenever we do a kitchen island, we will ask, among other things, what you would like us to do with outlets and show you the appropriate code-compliant options. We will also ask about all the other little things that make a grand island, like corbels or no corbels, edge treatments, slab texture, and material selections. Although something was taken away, we still have plenty of control over what we can do.

A Perspective Shot

A pop-up island outlet

The pop-up island outlet business makes sense. They are out there, and we have installed them on special occasions. It requires a little coordination between the cabinet makers, the solid surface island top companies, and the electrician. I think the new rule is wise from a safety perspective. There is no good way to get the word out. I heard it through the grapevine. A lesser contractor may not hear about it until their electrician comes to wire things up and has to tell their contractor about the new rule. I know I hate finding out about things in this way.

Wait, The Rule Might Go Away

As I write this post, I hear an uproar at some level of the construction world that I don’t have access to. There is pushback, and I am unsure if this rule will last. Island outlets on top of a counter are expensive, ugly (OK, beauty is in the eye of the beholder), and not perfected yet. The Electrical code rule change might have jumped the gun. IMHO, the way to institute a new rule is to make countertop outlets less expensive, attractive, and easier to use than side-mount outlets, and then the rule should follow. Alas, I am a lowly contractor and have no clout.

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