Last updated on August 14th, 2022 at 01:28 pm
Putting an electric outlet under a sink may seem weird, but not when you have a garbage disposal unit and a dishwasher.
Where would you plug these machines? Because these machines need to be close to the sink to properly function, you may wonder whether they need an outlet there.
You can put an electric outlet under a sink. It’s possible because the area below your sink is quite safe from electrical hazards that may occur. It should be typically a dry place, which is good as water and electricity are a shocking pair. Putting an electric outlet under a sink is okay for your good and benefit.
Does Outlet Under Sink Need To Be GFCI?
Outlet under the sink can only be GFCI when it is within 6 feet of a sink.
A GFCI is an electric device that protects you from electric shock by detecting when water or any liquid has come in contact with a device, thereby interrupting current and probably shutting it off.
The GFCI should be found where you think water could come in contact with your device.
However, it is not a bad idea to be completely safe if your outlets are GFCIs’, including the ones under a sink.
It would help if you didn’t take risks because you feel it’s dry under a sink. Imagine if there’s a burst in the pipe under a sink and water comes in contact?
The disaster might be a terrible one; as such, GFCI can be under a sink. Identifying the GFCI outlet in the bathroom is quite easy.
It typically has two push buttons on it; one at the top and one at the bottom. In addition, the top button is black, and the bottom one is red.
The top one is a test button. When pressed, the breaker would trip off, which means your GFCI outlet is working.
At the same time, the black one is also known as the reset button, which has to be pressed to power it on when it has tripped off.
Again, I earlier stated that outlets under a sink should be a GFCI if it’s within 6 feet of a sink.
This simply means, under the sink, if your outlet is more than a 6 feet distance, a GFCI is not necessarily needed.
But, if its distance is a 6 feet distance or less than that, it needs to be a GFCI.
How Close Can An Electric Socket Be To A Sink?
An electric socket should be about 30cm(12 inches) horizontally from a sink. This is because it should also be accessible.
An electric socket supplies power to appliances that need electricity to function. These appliances need to be plugged into these sockets.
The closeness of an electric socket to a sink should not be less than 30 cm on a horizontal plane.
If you’re confused about the closeness of an electric socket to a sink, then it’s simple! Simple measure 30 cm from the sink, and there you can put your socket.
It is also important to know that it’s not advisable if the distance between the socket and sink is too wide.
It needs to be accessible. This is because some appliances need to be operated on or close to the sink.
Again, a distance less than 30 cm is also not advisable because water might contact it either in the kitchen sink or toilet sink.
How Far From A Sink Do You Need A GFCI?
The farthest distance you would need a GFCI from a sink is 6 feet.
For a sink, you should measure from the edge inside the sink. When it is measured, and 6 feet is outside, then You can put a GFCI there.
This measurement is done to know if an appliance with a 6-foot cord can fall into the sink.
A bathroom sink needs about 3 feet of distance from a GFCI. This short distance is because there are not many appliances requiring electric outlets in the bathroom.
Just a few, if at all any, do the job. So taking it too far doesn’t make sense.
This outlet should be placed beside the sink or behind and not opposite the sink or across the wall.
Only one GFCI is needed in a kitchen, and two are needed in a bathroom if it has two sinks. These two GFCIs should be 3 feet apart from the sinks.
The distance between the kitchen sink and the bathroom sink is different because they’re not the same place, although they require GFCI.
From the explanations, you will agree that electric outlets and GFCI outlets are quite complicated to handle. Having them at home, in the kitchen or bathroom isn’t enough.
Knowing the distances and where to put them is also important as you might have a GFCI, but your location is wrong. So it is important to learn the distancing
Are Electrical Sockets Safe To Use?
Electrical Sockets can be dangerous to use, but at the same time, they’re important in every home.
Even though they pose a threat to our lives when mishandled, they are very important to us.
Electrical sockets can cause burns and shocks to us, especially our children. There are two main instances when electrical sockets can lead to harm.
These are when the outlets are recessed and when they are floating sockets or outlets.
1. Recessed Sockets
This happens when the receptacles to hold the socket in place are placed a bit far from the wall.
This could cause the socket to be weak on the wall as it is not held firmly.
As a result, the wires might become loose when the receptacles reposition, and this might cause a fire.
2. Floating Sockets
A floating socket happens when the receptacles are not lined properly. As such, the cover plate is left alone to hold them.
However, it is not enough for only the cover plates to hold them firmly when you plug and unplug your appliances.
Hence, this could cause a fire as it makes the cover plate weak.
To solve these problems, you need to buy an extension box and disconnect the receptacle and cover in the case of recessed sockets.
It would be best to reinstall the receptacle for the case of floating sockets.
Again, a well-experienced electrician should always check your sockets from time to time to make sure they’re in good shape.
Conclusion
Electric outlets are found in almost every home. Why? Because as far as we have appliances, we need them to give power to them when plugged in.
These outlets may be under a sink too because they are also needed there as far as you’ll use them.
For safety, it is important to use GFCI because they protect us from electrocution. However, You should take proper distance measurements.
Electrical Sockets have proven to be helpful and have also proven to be harmful. However, if it would harm you or help you is all in your hands.
Sources:
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residual-current_device