Helpful video reference. Artisan Electrics walks through a real kitchen first fix in "How To Wire Your Kitchen For Electrics: The First Fix". The video covers the full process from planning positions through to pulling in cables, and reflects current BS 7671 requirements for kitchen installations. One of the more practical trade guides available on UK kitchen wiring.
1. Draw a socket and switch plan
Begin with a scaled plan of the kitchen marked with the position of every unit, appliance and worktop run. Mark on it the position of every socket, switch, fused connection unit, and appliance connection point. The plan needs to show heights as well as horizontal positions.
BS 7671 requires that sockets and switches in a kitchen are outside the zones around a sink (zone 1 is within 300mm horizontally and 1500mm above the floor; zone 2 is 300-500mm from the sink). Check zone compliance on the plan before you fix anything.
Mark each circuit identity on the plan: oven circuit, hob circuit, ring final, fridge, dishwasher, washing machine, extractor. This plan becomes the reference for the entire job.
2. Agree positions with the kitchen designer
Walk the plan with the kitchen designer or fitter before cutting any chases. Socket heights above worktop level need to be agreed in the context of the specific units being fitted, not just a generic measurement. The depth of upper units varies between manufacturers, and a socket 150mm above a worktop in one kitchen may end up hidden behind an upper unit in another.
Oven switch positions must not be hidden inside a unit or above a hot appliance when the door is open. Confirm the fridge and freezer positions and where their sockets will sit. Anything agreed verbally at this stage should be noted in writing, since disagreements between trades over who moved what become expensive after plastering.
3. Mark out cable routes
Cable routes in walls must follow the defined zones set out in BS 7671: horizontally within 150mm of the ceiling or floor, or vertically within 150mm of a corner or directly to and from an accessory. These zones exist so that future occupants can predict where cables run without needing to trace them.
Mark every route on the wall with a pencil line and chalk snap. Run a cable and pipe detector along every line before cutting. There are no exceptions to this: gas pipes have been found in unexpected places in many older kitchens, and hitting one with a chasing disc has serious consequences.
4. Chase out and fit back boxes
Cut chases with an angle grinder or dedicated chasing tool set to the correct depth for the cable plus cover. In solid masonry walls, fit steel flush back boxes bedded in mortar or plaster and packed level. In stud walls, use dry lining pattress boxes with the correct knockout size for the conduit or cable entry.
Fit all back boxes before calling the plasterer. Check that every box is level and that the face is set back correctly for the thickness of plaster that will be applied. A box that ends up 5mm proud of the plaster means gaps between the faceplate and wall that are impossible to close neatly.
5. Route cables from the consumer unit
Pull each circuit cable from the consumer unit to its termination point before the plasterer starts. Label every cable at both ends with circuit identity before it disappears. In a full kitchen refit, the following are typically needed as separate circuits:
- Oven: 6mm2 twin and earth on a 32A or 45A radial, to a double pole switch outlet.
- Hob: 6mm2 twin and earth on a 32A or 45A radial, to a double pole switch outlet or connection unit.
- Extractor fan: 1.5mm2 or 2.5mm2 on a fused connection unit rated at the fan load.
- Fridge-freezer: 2.5mm2 on a 20A radial to a dedicated socket or fused spur.
- Dishwasher and washing machine: Each on their own 20A radial in 2.5mm2.
- General sockets: Ring final or 20A radial in 2.5mm2 with 30mA RCD protection.
6. Pull in cables and secure tails
Leave 200mm of cable tail protruding from every back box. This gives enough length for the second fix without leaving so much that it is difficult to fold back into the box. Secure cables in chases with cable clips at the correct spacing for the cable size before plastering starts.
Fold tails neatly into the box and tape across the opening with masking tape to keep plaster out of the box during the skim coat. Do not leave tails hanging loose where they can be bent, trapped or damaged by the plasterer working around them.
7. Label conductors and add CPC sleeving
At every back box, mark the circuit identity on the cable sheath with a permanent marker or cable marker tape. Fit green and yellow insulating sleeving over any bare circuit protective conductors in the tails. Without this, the second fix electrician must trace every cable back to the board to identify it, which adds time and introduces the risk of connecting wrong circuits together.
Photograph every back box with the cable tails visible and the circuit label legible before the plasterer closes up the walls. This photographic record is useful if any query arises at second fix or at inspection.
When to call us
Kitchen electrical work is notifiable under Part P and must be certified. Richard carries out the first fix and second fix stages of kitchen refits, coordinates with your kitchen fitter, and issues the Part P certificate. Covers Sandwich CT13 and surrounding east Kent.
Kitchen electrical work in Sandwich?
Richard carries out the notifiable first fix and second fix stages of kitchen refits, coordinates with your kitchen fitter, and certifies the completed work under Part P. Covers Sandwich CT13 and surrounding east Kent.
Contact Richard