Proper Height Off The Floor For Outlets

The national electric code doesn t establish a minimum standard outlet height in the basement or in any other part of the house but the rule of thumb followed by most electricians is to place the outlets 16 to 18 inches above the floor.

Proper height off the floor for outlets.

The standard height for wall outlet boxes is about 12 inches from the top of the floor covering to the bottom of the receptacle box or 16 inches to the top of the box. Measure 48 inches from the floor with a tape measure and make a mark on the wall or the stud for the center of the box using a pencil. Some states such as california require this minimum height. This is also true for counter top outlets in the kitchen and bathroom where switches and outlets are at the same height.

The height of the outlet should be high enough to clear the built in backsplash on the countertop but no higher than 18 inches from the top of the countertop work surface. The national electrical code nec doesn t say much about the proper height of an electrical outlet above the kitchen floor or any floor for that matter. Depending on local codes outlets that are mounted at the higher end of this range may need more frequent spacing along the length of the countertop. Height of wire passage hole through studs above where electrical receptacles will be installed.

Why are some outlets in the bedrooms six feet off the floor in my 1942 house by the windows. Installing electrical boxes for outlets. The average height for outlets is 12 inches from the floor to the center of the. The average height for light switches is 46 inches from the floor to the center of the switch box.

A 20 amp receptacle is designed to accept the special plug on heavier use appliances and if such an appliance plugs into a 15 amp circuit there is a danger of drawing too much power and. On 2019 07 07 by mod thanks for the interesting question. If the floor is unfinished add the thickness of the floor. There is no danger to installing 15 amp outlet receptacles on a 20 amp circuit in fact this is the standard practice but under no circumstances should a 20 amp receptacle be installed on a 15 amp circuit.

If you are setting box heights prior to the installation of the subfloor floor covering or any underlayment be sure to account for this expected height difference. For example in canada the center of the receptacle box must be at least 14 inches above the floor and in california the bottom of the box must be at least 15 inches above the floor. California also sets a maximum height 48 inches to the top of the box the same as required by the ada.