Various Ways of Installing Kitchen Plugmold
The average American kitchen is comprised of different kinds of kitchenware, including appliances such as microwave oven, coffee maker, bread toaster, convection oven, food processor, electric stove, blender, and other food preparation appliances. While other appliances can be plugged on the wall's outlet, the number of appliances that can be plugged is limited, in which case, a kitchen plugmold becomes necessary.
Kitchen plugmold is just like any other outlets. The difference lies on the installation. While typical wall outlets are embedded on concrete, a kitchen plugmold is installed on the surface where you can see where the surface raceway is mounted.
Kitchen plugmolds can be installed in several ways:
Under the cabinet kitchen plugmolds. The plugmold is mounted under the cupboard, just above the backsplash. This is done if you want to hide the plug strips and do not want to mount plugmolds on the wall of the backsplash. One disadvantage is that you can't actually see the outlet when you need to plug your appliances and you may need to duck every time you're going to plug or unplug it. Finding the right length and splicing the plugmolds can also be a problem so if you want under the cabinet kitchen plugmold, hire an electrician that suits the job.
Bottom of kitchen countertops. Plugmolds are located just under the countertops and the backsplash. While this configuration also hides away the outlet and the dangling cords, the cords itself can be a problem since you can trip on the cord (if the cord is too long) or accidentally remove it since you are moving frequently inside the kitchen.
Angled kitchen plugmold. The plugmolds run on the side of the cabinet and can be spotted directly, which makes it easy to plug and unplug appliances. Angled plugmold can also be installed under the cabinet, just mount the flat plugmold on an angled surface (wood, metal, etc) and you can still achieve the same effect of angled plugmold on the side of the cabinet. However, angled plugmold (cabinet side) limits the number of outlets that can be installed. Appliances with short cords can also be a problem with angled plugmolds.
Over the backsplash. This is the most common location where plugmolds are mounted. The plugmold strips are mounted just above the tiles, sometimes running halfway to the end of the tiles.
Kitchen plugmold is mounted on kitchen countertops and over the backsplash to add new outlets where traditional outlets are not applicable. If you need to install or mount plugmolds on your kitchen, refer to the National Electrical Code to ensure that you can mount plugmolds on the kitchen's specific area. The plugmold must also be protected with a GFCI or a ground-fault circuit interrupter to ensure that the plugmold does not overload. There are specific wiring assemblies that need to be followed when mounting outlets on wet locations or locations where the surfaces are frequently washed or damp. To ensure safety and protection, hire a licensed electrician to install and mount the kitchen plugmold for you.