Ideal Positioning Of Electrical Switches And Outlets In Your Home

By Author: pdhumal
Total Articles: 4
Comment this article

In this blog post, we address the doubts of both residents and building contractors and outline the ideal positioning of home electrical outlets based on common trends and behavior in households.

1. Bedrooms -

i. Entrance: As it was with the living room, it is essential to place at least one outlet near the bedroom entrance or outside the bedroom so that residents can switch on the light and fan before coming in. Otherwise, if you want to avoid this, you could provide low-intensity LED nightlights at the lower half of the bedroom wall for ease of passage.

ii. Main Area: Secondly, the bedroom is dominated by the bed, so residents should first understand where it will be placed before deciding on electrical outlet positions. Placing one outlet at table height over each bedside table is ideal. Creatively, there could be a three-way light switch connected to the entrance outlet and the two bedside table outlets so that each person can switch off the main light before going to sleep, no matter which side of the bed they are on. Lamps will also be attached to the outlets at the bedside table.

iii. Ancillary ...
... Areas: For study tables, electrical outlets should be placed at table height, but since table placements can be difficult to know beforehand, an outlet at ankle height can also work. One particular problem is the placement of wardrobes and armoires, which can completely block off an outlet. Residents should be advised to think about this before installing concealed electrical boxes for outlets within the wall. Otherwise, contractors and architects can assign readymade wardrobe spaces beforehand, so that outlet placement is made easier.

If there is a connected bathroom, refer to the next point.

2. Bathrooms -

i. Entrance: You can arrange your main light outlet in three ways. You can place it outside the bathroom to avoid water seepage problems. The only problem with this is outsiders being able to control the light when someone is using the bathroom; this could cause a bathroom accident if the light gets turned off.

The second way is to use ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) plug points inside the bathroom, which are specially tested for bathroom usage. Place this at the entrance of the bathroom, near the door. Water seepage doesn’t cause problems, as bathrooms tend to have a dry zone near the entrance anyway.

ii. Sink and Dry Zone: Place another GFCI outlet over the sink for electrical razors, trimmers, and other appliances. The hot water geyser outlet should ideally be in the dry zone, at the entrance. An attached washing machine will also need a separate outlet due to its higher current requirements.

3. Kitchen -

i. Main Appliances: Kitchens contain several “heavy load” electrical appliances such as refrigerators, convection ovens, microwave ovens, electrical ranges, dishwashers, and, in some cases, washing machines. You might need to install several separate outlets rated from 20A to 50A. Each of these high current outlets could be controlled by a separate miniature circuit breaker. Keep them well away from the sink and its supply/drainage pipes.

ii. Countertops: In the kitchen, you will also need blenders, mixers, electrical kettles, and other cooking appliances for the countertops. So, you must design outlets at well-spaced points on the wall at countertop height. These can also control low-intensity nightlights near the bottom of the cabinet doors for when someone comes into the kitchen late at night.

Designing the positions of home electrical outlets requires foresight. Residents and contractors are expected to learn the common trends outlined here to make the task easier. But there will always be special requirements based on the owner, so one should also look into customized options such as modular switches and their aesthetic outlets.

Learn more at,
https://precisionelectricals.com/ideal-positioning-of-electrical-switches-and-outlets-in-your-home/