Streamlining My Home

When you renovate your kitchen, you probably have a wish list of all the upgrades you want such as a garbage disposal, dishwasher, new oven, and an island. What you may not think of right away is that all these additions require an electrical upgrade. When you renovate your kitchen, it's the perfect time to upgrade the wiring in the room so that your kitchen is safer and equipped to handle power-hungry appliances. Here are some upgrades your new kitchen might need.

The Island Needs An Outlet

Your kitchen island needs at least one outlet, so you don't run extension cords in the kitchen. Your electrician has a couple of choices for installing an outlet in an island. He or she may decide to run the cables under the floor and route them toward the island. If the floor is a concrete slab, it might be necessary to dig a small groove into the floor to hold a plastic pipe that holds the wiring. An easier option might be to run the wiring down from the ceiling. This is possible when there is a pillar near the island. Even if a pillar isn't needed for structural support of the ceiling, you might have one installed that's purely decorative to house the electrical cables to the island.

Appliance Outlets Need To Be Upgraded

Depending on what's in your home now, you may need to upgrade the electrical outlets for appliances even if you don't intend to move them. Newer ovens use outlets with four holes. Although the plugs can be adapted to fit older outlets, now is a good time to upgrade so that your home will be ready for newer ovens in the future. You may also need to upgrade the outlet for a new refrigerator if your old one isn't grounded. You might also need to place a new refrigerator on its own circuit, which is a common practice with newer homes.

Kitchen Outlets Should Have GFCI Protection

Another important upgrade kitchen outlets need is GFCI protection. This is required by code in new construction, and it's also a good practice to upgrade old outlets too. A GFCI outlet protects you from an electrical shock when you're around water. Since there's a sink in your kitchen, you're at an increased risk of shock and GFCI outlets eliminate that risk when they're working properly.

In addition to these wiring upgrades, you may also want additional outlets added and new wiring for pendant or recessed lighting. Plan where you'll install all of your appliances and the island, and note where you want the lights and ceiling fan installed. Then, you can hire an electrician and let him or her figure out the most efficient way to add power to your renovated kitchen.

For more information, contact a company like DRB Electric Inc.