Kitchen island and avoiding a column

[ecsmoore]

Hello everyone.

We are removing a kitchen wall which is, essentially, just a room divider. The reason is to open up the living, dining, kitchen area. We are installing an island about where part of the wall was.

There was a 20 amp kitchen circuit in the wall being removed. To get that 20 amp circuit to the island I have 2 choices... one of which is the point of this post.

The first choice is to run a column down to the island. It would be acceptable, but not be our first choice.

The second method is to run NM (or UF) in a very shallow channel (less than 1/2 inch) that runs from an existing kitchen wall, where the circuit is available, to the island.

This "channel" would be located on the cement slab floor at the area where the hardwood floor transitions to the kitchen tile. It would run horizontally along the transition area, about 30 inches, and then come up in to the island, to a legal junction box. The NM cable would be protected by a very low profile steel U channel that would lie over the cable to protect it. The channel would begin inside the kitchen wall and end inside the island.

Digging in to the concrete floor is not acceptable. This is a concrete constructed condominium building.

Anybody know if this would fly with a St Paul inspector?

Otherwise... column it will be. Thanks for feedback

 

[Speedy Petey]

NO. You cannot simply channel that little shallow groove. You would need to cut and bury conduit (or cable).

I see a column in your kitchen's future.

 

[ratdoggy]

How about some pics of the room?

 

[Hpozzuoli]

I notice you decided to pull a permit....column it is then.

 

[Mustang51js]

Or a 8 inch deep trench with conduit in it.

 

[Zeke]

What about wire mold or some other type of raceway? Aren't there floor raceways for industrial?

 

[rsanter]

How about pull down power or install one of those combination lights and pan racks that will have a plug in it

Bob

 

[hilld]

What about wire mold or some other type of raceway? Aren't there floor raceways for industrial?

Don't think this is legal for permanent fixtures, ok for extension cords and low voltage. Hardwired outlets are considered permanent.

 

[sebjsan]

Cut some sheetrock and run it through the wall.

 

[Mustang51js]

Cut some sheetrock and run it through the wall.

It wouldn't be an island if it had Sheetrock connected to it

 

[Morrison]

Is it you that doesn't want to cut the floor open or the condo says you can't. I would probably do it even if the condo says you shouldn't.

 

[ecsmoore]

Thanks for all the replies... especially the last one from Mustang...... helping another understand the meaning of an island...

I think we are going to do the column.... in some ways it seems just fine... put an outlet on it right above the counter. Hang a meaningful philosophical little picture on one side (or two) ... you know... The race is not always to the swift, but to those who ........

I have it in me to put NM under the transition piece, in the floor, but there actually is another consideration that I left out... so column it will be...

except I change my mind about every 12 hours... CHEERS!!

 

[wssix99]

except I change my mind about every 12 hours... CHEERS!!

I'd look again at the option Zeke posted. That's a cross-floor raceway and you can put your electrical through it. (You'd use individual wires, just as you would do through conduit.) The big question is if you can hide/blend it in to your flooring or if you want to just run it as a little speed bump.

You could also grind a 1/2" trench in to the concrete to hide the raceway under the floor. The top part of the concrete is just cover material and (theoretically) you shouldn't run in to any structural reinforcement. Don't worry - we won't tell your Association.