Kettle/Toaster etc under kitchen cabinets

Fire_Fox

The instructions leaflet/ manual for small kitchen electricals often recommend clearance above or to the sides or behind when in use. If you can't find the instructions they may be online, or contact the manufacturer.

Kitchen cupboards and worktop materials and quality vary, so does their resistance to direct heat and high humidity. Follow the manufacturer or supplier's recommendations, use your cooker hood/ extractor fan and worktop protectors/ trivet if you don't know who the manufacturer is.

moonpenny

FreeBear wrote: »

An electrical appliance on a drainer - The electricians would be having fits at the idea, and with good reason. There is a very real risk of electric shock, possibly fatal. So please, don't use a toaster on a drainer.

A toaster or kettle shouldn't damage a laminate worktop. If it does, then you either have a faulty appliance or a poor quality worktop.

I take on board what you are saying but I always make sure the surface is totally dry

Head_The_Ball

moonpenny wrote: »

I take on board what you are saying but I always make sure the surface is totally dry

I suspect that the risk is as much to do with the conductivity of a stainless steel sink as to the degree of wetness.

If there is an electrical fault with a kettle, you are far less likely to get a shock when it is on a non conducting surface such as a laminate worktop than when it is on a steel sink drainer.

The risks are small but not worth taking.

I wouldn't put it on a hob either, just in case it has been recently used and is still hot in places.

coffeehound

The other consideration is whether you have heat-sensitive foodstuffs stored in the cupboard above the toaster or kettle. E.g. I wouldn't store coffee, chocolate or spices above a heat source.

With the appliance on a drainer, wouldn't the RCD trip as soon as an earth leakage occurred? Wouldn't want to risk it with an oldskool fuseboard, though.

FreeBear

coffeehound wrote: »

With the appliance on a drainer, wouldn't the RCD trip as soon as an earth leakage occurred? Wouldn't want to risk it with an oldskool fuseboard, though.

Not all households have RCD protection.

The danger with using any appliance around the sink area is using it with wet hands. If the appliance happens to have a fault, one wet hand on the sink and the other picking it up is certain to result in a shock - Possibly even fatal.

Ideally, electrical items should be kept and used a metre or more away from the sink/drainer. Not always possible in small kitchens, so a minimum of 300mm is a good starting point. At this distance, the risk of splashes from the tap is greatly reduced.