enigma-2
Member
- Location
- northern Indiana
Have a little battle going with a state electrical official. I approved a set of plans for this state and it concerns receptacle placement on the kitchen countertop.
The overhead cabinets come down and sit directly on countertop, yielding a counter top that is around 9 inches deep. He wants recepts to cover this countertop area (2' / 4' rule).
I contended that receptacle spacing was only intended for countertops over 12 inches deep to serve the small appliance load, and this depth of countertop is not safe for a coffee pot, toaster, fry pan, etc. (Safety, especially the safety of children, is my primary concern.)
He responded that it didn't matter to him, they could only be 1-inch deep and he still wants recepts. (!) (Again, this is a state official, not the local - who agrees with me.)
His stand is based on the NEC which does not differentiate on depth (except for in back of sinks and the like and peninsular or island counters which require recepts when more than 12 inches deep - which is what I am in favor of). He feels that these examples do not carry over to the countertop areas which are not in back of a sink or are peninsular or island.
Main problem is there's no place to put them except inside the wall cabinets (which is what he will accept !!) or by eliminating some drawers in the base cabs and putting them there in a fixed panel. (ugh)
Does any one know of any ruling that exempts recepts over countertops which are less than a certain depth (say 12 inches)? At some point it must be considered as dangerous to place a fry pan full of hot grease on a too-narrow counter.
One extreme example might be having to place recepts to serve a 2-1/2" deep countertop.
The overhead cabinets come down and sit directly on countertop, yielding a counter top that is around 9 inches deep. He wants recepts to cover this countertop area (2' / 4' rule).
I contended that receptacle spacing was only intended for countertops over 12 inches deep to serve the small appliance load, and this depth of countertop is not safe for a coffee pot, toaster, fry pan, etc. (Safety, especially the safety of children, is my primary concern.)
He responded that it didn't matter to him, they could only be 1-inch deep and he still wants recepts. (!) (Again, this is a state official, not the local - who agrees with me.)
His stand is based on the NEC which does not differentiate on depth (except for in back of sinks and the like and peninsular or island counters which require recepts when more than 12 inches deep - which is what I am in favor of). He feels that these examples do not carry over to the countertop areas which are not in back of a sink or are peninsular or island.
Main problem is there's no place to put them except inside the wall cabinets (which is what he will accept !!) or by eliminating some drawers in the base cabs and putting them there in a fixed panel. (ugh)
Does any one know of any ruling that exempts recepts over countertops which are less than a certain depth (say 12 inches)? At some point it must be considered as dangerous to place a fry pan full of hot grease on a too-narrow counter.
One extreme example might be having to place recepts to serve a 2-1/2" deep countertop.
