Electrical Installation Design: The Kitchen Issue

There have been reports that some kitchen designers have been asking for electrical kitchen appliances to be controlled from a single switching point. These appliances could include the washing machine, tumble dryer, microwave, dishwasher and fridge freezer.

To do this the electrical installer must then design circuits so that supplies to the appliances can be switched in one place. Outlets next to each appliance provide the final connection.

In order to be able to successfully make a design such as this work the electrical installer will need to either use Radical Final Circuits or Adapted Ring Final Circuits. (Visit ESC.org for further information on these.)

Radical Final Circuits are usually more flexible that Adapted circuits. However, the arrangement could affect this as terminating conductors of larger LSA could be an issue.

Adapted Ring Final Circuits must have assessed the effect of the load current at the grouped switching position on the distribution of currents in the ring.

When enclosures have live parts of more than one circuit, people must have notices as to the danger before having access to live parts.

Written by Sara Thomson