# Wiring inside kitchen island?



## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

New kitchen island in San Diego. Made from two 24" base cabinets. 

Power comes up from the concrete floor in the bottom rear corner of one cabinet, the duplex power outlet is in the upper front corner of the other cabinet. 

Can I just run the romex around the inside rear of the cabinets, stapling or otherwise affixing it as appropriate?


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## InPhase277 (Feb 9, 2008)

vsheetz said:


> New kitchen island in San Diego. Made from two 24" base cabinets.
> 
> Power comes up from the concrete floor in the bottom rear corner of one cabinet, the duplex power outlet is in the upper front corner of the other cabinet.
> 
> Can I just run the romex around the inside rear of the cabinets, stapling or otherwise affixing it as appropriate?


Well you really shouldn't have romex in the pipe coming out of the floor, as that would be considered a wet location. I would use a change-over to connect to some metal flex and run that.


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## 220/221 (Oct 9, 2007)

I generally sleeve it in 1/2 Al flex.


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

I agree with the previous posts. The answer to your question is NO. Even in the back of a cabinet the romex is subject to physical damage and must be protected (conduit). There shouldn't be conventional romex in conduit under/in that concrete slab either.


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## HouseHelper (Mar 20, 2007)

thekctermite said:


> I agree with the previous posts. The answer to your question is NO. Even in the back of a cabinet the romex is subject to physical damage and must be protected (conduit). There shouldn't be conventional romex in conduit under/in that concrete slab either.


Curious as to why you consider NM run along the upper backside (inside) of a kitchen island subject to physical damage. I'm talking about that area above where items are stored, typically 2-3in below the top of the cabinet.


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## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

220/221 said:


> I generally sleeve it in 1/2 Al flex.


Help me understand the recommendation. I would have a J-box for the NM coming from under the cabinet to enter - and exit with the flex to run to the outlet box. Can the J-box and the outlet box be plastic?


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## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

HouseHelper said:


> Curious as to why you consider NM run along the upper backside (inside) of a kitchen island subject to physical damage. I'm talking about that area above where items are stored, typically 2-3in below the top of the cabinet.


Yes, this goes to the core of the question. The NM can even be run behind the drawers - even less chance of damage.


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## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

thekctermite said:


> There shouldn't be conventional romex in conduit under/in that concrete slab either.


I realize there can be differing thoughts as to whether romex in conduit is ok for the run to the island. I posed the question here on the forum some time back about this. It passed inspection, but was commented that some inspectors would like to see differing.


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## InPhase277 (Feb 9, 2008)

vsheetz said:


> I realize there can be differing thoughts as to whether romex in conduit is ok for the run to the island. I posed the question here on the forum some time back about this. It passed inspection, but was commented that some inspectors would like to see differing.


It is not a question of whether romex can be installed in conduit; it can. There is no difference of thought as to whether the conduit under the slab is a wet location; it is. Romex cannot be installed in conduit outside or underground.

Is it a huge deal in this instance? Probably not. Just throwing the facts out there.


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## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

Back to the core question...

How should I run the cable around the inside back of the island - in conduit or not? If in conduit, what is easiest way to accomplish thise for a DIY'er - is there a plastic flex conduit with plastic boxes or what?


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## Burbman (May 11, 2009)

Is the issue that the cable coming out of the floor should be UF instead of NM?


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## 220/221 (Oct 9, 2007)

> Help me understand the recommendation. I would have a J-box for the NM coming from under the cabinet to enter - and exit with the flex to run to the outlet box. Can the J-box and the outlet box be plastic?


No jboxes, just slide a piece of 1/2" Al flex over the exposed part of the cable. Terminate the flex in the recep box.

We have gotten tagged twice (out of hundreds of installations) for not running UF in the slab out to the islands. They sitll install NM to the islands in new construction here. I feel it is open to interpetation. I forget the wording but it's one of those "define underground" things. Is _in the slab_ underground? _In the AB_? Where does the _ground _begin?


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## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

220/221 said:


> No jboxes, just slide a piece of 1/2" Al flex over the exposed part of the cable. Terminate the flex in the recep box.
> 
> 
> > The exposed length of cable does not quite reach to the outlet location - so unfortuantly I have to go to first to a j-box, then to the outlet.
> ...


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## Burbman (May 11, 2009)

Put a box onto the end of the conduit wherever it ends coming out of the floor. If up too high, then cut the conduit back closer to the floor. I would use the plastic flex conduit from that j-box to the outlet box. The idea is that you don't want exposed romex in the cabinet.


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## Termite (Apr 13, 2008)

HouseHelper said:


> Curious as to why you consider NM run along the upper backside (inside) of a kitchen island subject to physical damage. I'm talking about that area above where items are stored, typically 2-3in below the top of the cabinet.


I never mentioned what you are describing and neither did posts before mine. However, if it is exposed in a storage cabinet it could be deemed subject to physical damage.


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