Most electrical appliances are installed in the kitchen: these are large and small household appliances. Therefore, here is the largest number of outlets. Often they spoil the appearance of the walls, do not fit into the interior, or simply interfere. Then retractable sockets specially designed for the kitchen come to the rescue. They are easy to hide, do not protrude on the work surface and have a number of other advantages that are worth considering in more detail.
Retractable socket blocks: when needed and what they are used for
Modules are mounted on 3 levels: lower, middle and upper.
In the first case, electrical appliances are connected to the network at a distance of 10–30 cm from the floor. Here, sockets are installed for large household appliances that will be constantly turned on, such as refrigerators or dishwashers.
At the middle level, near the surface of the table, there are electrical installation devices for small household appliances - blenders, mixers, multicookers. These sockets are often visible, spoil the view, interfere with cooking and clutter up the space. An effective and simple solution is to hide the socket, for example, in the countertop in the kitchen. Moreover, electrical appliances located at this level are usually not kept constantly connected to the network.
An extractor hood is mounted on the upper tier. In this case, it is allowed to use both standard options (overhead) and built-in ones.
A retractable socket is hidden in a cabinet, headset or somewhere nearby.
Varieties
So, built-in modules for the kitchen are used at an average level for appliances that are turned on irregularly, acting as extension cords and tees. Manufacturers offer 2 options:
- Vertical retractable kitchen outlet. It rises from the tabletop like a column, so that even during operation, the structure takes up a minimum of space. When closed, it is a round cover with a diameter of 6-10 cm. The block is pulled out after pressing the top. Many structures rotate around their axis.
- Swivel socket module. This is a horizontal arrangement. In this case, a rectangular cover is installed on the tabletop, which, after pressing, rises, and sockets are shown from under it.
Places for installation
In fact, there are not many mounting options. More often, mortise sockets are hidden in furniture, such as kitchen cabinets or tables. Possible installation locations:
- Hanging cabinet, upper part of the headset. The built-in block has its pros and cons when located at the top. Of the positive aspects, one can note complete isolation from dangerous factors provoking a short circuit (dirt, grease, water), inaccessibility for children. But such an arrangement is not always convenient, since the cord of the connected device will stretch upwards, as can be seen in the next photo.
- tabletop. The unit is fixed at the level of the working surface, there are no cables lying. If the lid is lowered, then you can put something on it. However, in this case, it is inconvenient to turn on devices with a side plug, there is a risk of water or dirt entering the sockets, which creates a potentially dangerous situation.
- Cabinet, lower part of the headset. Wires go down, do not clutter up the surface on the table. However, it is not always possible to install such sockets: they open to the side and can interfere with moving around the kitchen or moving the cabinet. It also results in a large vertical load on the retractable structure, due to which it can quickly become unusable.
Pros and cons of hidden kitchen outlets
To fully evaluate any device and understand how much it is needed, it is worth analyzing its strengths and weaknesses.Of the advantages of retractable socket blocks for the kitchen, one can note:
- Saving space on the work surface. This is especially true for small countertops.
- Possibility of installation in any convenient place.
- The presence of additional functions: child protection, load controller, network and voltage indicators, etc.
- Enhanced dust, dirt and moisture protection, with proper use, the risk of water ingress is reduced to almost zero, even if these are sockets for the kitchen worktop.
- Modern design. Such blocks fit into any interior and do not stand out against the general background.
- Invisibility when closed.
It is allowed to put any objects on the cover of the socket block, this will not affect the operation of the device in any way.
- Protection from children. When lowered, the socket blocks are safe and completely isolated from prying fingers.
- Lots of outlets per module.
- Impact resistance.
- Reducing the number of wires.
There are also disadvantages, which are few, but they can play a key role when choosing devices:
- Products cannot be used to connect stationary equipment, as the cover will be constantly open and the socket will be raised.
- Hidden units take up space inside cabinets and hanging cabinets.
- Socket modules built into the worktop, are inconvenient for connecting side plugs: the cord rests against the surface or the plug has to be turned over, and then the wire will bend.
- Vertical blocks, especially from unscrupulous manufacturers, quickly become loose and require careful handling: when connecting and disconnecting equipment, they will have to be held by hand.
- The price of products is noticeably higher than the cost of standard wiring devices.
Note! It is not recommended to install retractable outlet blocks near the stove or sink.
In general, plugins are very convenient. A large number of sockets allows you to solve the problem with the simultaneous use of household appliances.
