How High Off The Floor Should Electrical Outlets Be

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.

How high off the floor should electrical outlets be. As a result heights are often a matter of convention or preference. How high should outlets and switches be from the floor. This electrical wiring question came from. 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.

I m working on finishing my basement wiring and i want to run the electrical wiring for my outlets from the basement to the attached garage on the first floor. Jim port jim port october 20 2008 2 24pm 2. Add 2x4 blocks to position boxes away from wide window and door trim. How can i best make sure that i leave myself enough wire from each outlet to make it to the breaker box.

How high should electric outlets be off the floor in a garage. When installing an electrical outlet outdoors the box must be at least 6 1 2 inches above grade and in garages they should be 18 inches or more above the floor as measured from the center of each box. Should i install another circuit breaker box in the basement. Mark the height from the floor to the center of the boxes usually 48 in.

Debbie a homeowner from coffman cove alaska. I am installing electrical wiring in my home for the living room and bedroom. The national electrical code specifies that each room in a house should have at least one switch to operate lights in the room but it doesn t say anything about how high the switch should be. The same for wall plugs how far up should they be.

Electrical code and box heights. For outlets or line them up with existing boxes to determine electrical outlet height. Some states such as california require this minimum height. The national electric code nec now requires a minimum of two exterior receptacles for a home located at the front and back and usually on the wall of the house and they must be gfci protected for shock prevention and have an in use or weatherproof cover.

However your local electrical code is the ultimate voice with these matters. Use letters and symbols to identify boxes. How far are light switches off of the floor.