Moving A Range Hood Outlet

6635 Views 12 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Jim Port, Dec 17, 2012

angelatc

Discussion Starter · Dec 17, 2012

I have a microwave to install over the stove. The outlet is on the wall, on the left hand side. The cord on the unit exits the top, on the right.

I can't properly install the unit with the outlet in it's existing location. Can I move up up a few inches into the cabinet? Is there an easier solution? Can I just hard wire the microwave?

Any and all suggestions aside from calling a pro are welcome. I am not calling a pro to move a box.

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HouseHelper

· #2 · Dec 17, 2012

If the wires to that box come from above, it will be easy to move the box to inside the cabinet. If they come from below, you will have to install a junction box in the space behind the range. Please note, the NEC requires that this receptacle be on a dedicated circuit.

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angelatc

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 17, 2012

I'm guessing it was wired to code, because it's been there since the house was built. The stove is on it's own circuit - that much I do know. In fact, it's 220v. That was my first clue. If I were adding circuits, I'd be calling a pro.

The wires come from below. I can add a junction box. I am under the impression that I can do that as long as I don't close up the wall over it. Is that right?

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sublime2

· #4 · Dec 17, 2012

Use the current outlet as your JB,extend the wire to your new outlet for the microwave.

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tylernt

· #5 · Dec 17, 2012 (Edited)

sublime2 said:
Use the current outlet as your JB,extend the wire to your new outlet for the microwave.

Agreed. Code requires your JB to be "accessible", so you can't drywall over it, but removing the micro allows you to access the JB so you're good. Just put a 20 cent blank cover over the JB (I think you might need a "mud ring" so the screws line up?).

By the way, when you install the outlet in the new box in the cabinet, I strongly recommend you use the screw terminals, not the backstab connections. Especially for a high-draw device like a microwave, those backstabs can overheat and cause problems.

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TTW

· #6 · Dec 17, 2012

I agree with the last two posts.

Never backstab!

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HouseHelper

· #7 · Dec 17, 2012

I suggested placing the junction box behind the range instead of behind the microwave because it will be easier to access there should you ever need to.

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Jim Port

· #8 · Dec 17, 2012

Behind the MW does nor count as accessible.

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tylernt

· #9 · Dec 17, 2012

Jim Port said:
Behind the MW does nor count as accessible.

The NEC distinguishes "readily accessible" and "accessible". I agree that a JB behind the micro would not be readily accessible, so you would be correct, if JBs are required to be readily accessible.

From the NEC:

One of the really crucial definitions also comes first because it happens to be first alphabetically. We have to understand exactly the meanings and distinction between accessible and readily accessible and between inaccessible and not readily accessible. This is so because a great many Code provisions depend on these distinctions. Accessible, in regard to equipment, means “admitting close approach.” The concept is further refined by adding “not guarded by locked doors, elevation, or other effective means.” Accessible, in regard to wiring methods, means “capable of being removed or exposed without damaging the building structure or finish or not permanently closed in by the structure or finish of a building.”

Readily accessible means “capable of being reached quickly for operation, renewal, or inspections without requiring individuals to climb over or remove obstacles or resort to portable ladders and so forth.” The classic example of equipment that is accessible but not readily accessible is a junction box above a suspended ceiling. (Junction boxes have to be accessible but not readily accessible.) An entrance panel, by contrast, cannot be above a suspended ceiling because it needs to be readily accessible. Interestingly, a dry transformer of 600 volts nominal or less, not exceeding 50 kVA, is permitted in hollow spaces of buildings not permanently closed in by structure, provided that it meets the ventilation requirements of Section 450.9 and separation from combustible materials requirements of Section 450.21(A). These units are not required to be readily accessible and could go above a suspended ceiling.

In my mind, the JB behind a micro is as accessible as a JB in the attic, which to my reading of the above, is allowed. However I'm happy to be corrected.

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sublime2

· #10 · Dec 17, 2012

JB behind a microwave is no less accessible then one behind a range.

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Jim Port

· #11 · Dec 17, 2012

The range only needs to be pulled out away from the wall. The MW would need to be unbolted from the bracket and then removed.

From the NEC:

Accessible (as applied to wiring methods). Capable of
being removed or exposed without damaging the building
structure or finish or not permanently closed in by the structure
or finish of the building.

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sublime2

· #12 · Dec 17, 2012

Jim Port said:
From the NEC:

Accessible (as applied to wiring methods). Capable of
being removed or exposed without damaging the building
structure or finish or not permanently closed in by the structure
or finish of the building.

So the MW falls under the term of finish?
Not to me. Fact is the rule for accessible JB is more for convenience then safety.

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Jim Port

· #13 · Dec 17, 2012

Lets say that the inspectors disagree with you. For this to be compliant behind a cabinet the back would need to be cut to allow access to the blank plate. You cannot cut the access into the MW.

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Moving A Range Hood Outlet

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