Is the wall behind the kitchen sink included in the NEC?
The National Electrical Code (NEC) does not count the wall directly behind a kitchen sink in the calculation for the required spacing of countertop appliance receptacles. To learn more about electrical wiring, devices, and receptacles, see these other blog posts:
What to do when an outlet goes dead?
When an outlet goes dead, it’s easy to jump to conclusions and assume the worst. But more often than not the problem is something simple, and you can save the cost of a service call just by taking a few steps to trace the cause. Don’t worry if you’re not comfortable doing electrical work.
Do you need a GFCI receptacle near a kitchen sink?
The GFCI-protection now required for receptacles near sinks does provide a measure of protection from electrical shock at a sink. The National Electrical Code (NEC) does not count the wall directly behind a kitchen sink in the calculation for the required spacing of countertop appliance receptacles.
Is it OK to put a receptacle behind a sink?
But a receptacle put directly behind a sink, like in the photo above of a bathroom sink, is not recommended because the cord can fall into water in the sink and may cause a short circuit. The GFCI-protection now required for receptacles near sinks does provide a measure of protection from electrical shock at a sink.
Do you need an outlet for the kitchen sink?
The answer may surprise you as it did me. How close it is to the kitchen sink doesn’t really matter. First, it’s required by law that kitchens MUST have Ground Fault Current Interrupter (GFCI) outlets only.
The National Electrical Code (NEC) does not count the wall directly behind a kitchen sink in the calculation for the required spacing of countertop appliance receptacles. To learn more about electrical wiring, devices, and receptacles, see these other blog posts:
When an outlet goes dead, it’s easy to jump to conclusions and assume the worst. But more often than not the problem is something simple, and you can save the cost of a service call just by taking a few steps to trace the cause. Don’t worry if you’re not comfortable doing electrical work.
But a receptacle put directly behind a sink, like in the photo above of a bathroom sink, is not recommended because the cord can fall into water in the sink and may cause a short circuit. The GFCI-protection now required for receptacles near sinks does provide a measure of protection from electrical shock at a sink.
