Cabinet Mounted Outlets


RobUSMC
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In previous versions there was a library folder in core / mechanical, electrical. plumbing that had cabinet mounted switches and outlets and I can no longer find where it went to.  I used them to add outlets to the end of islands, under sinks for disposals, MW drawers, etc.  All I can find now show they must be placed on a wall, on a ceiling or floor.

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When I attempt to add an outlet to the back wall of a cabinet such as an island for a MW drawer or disposal where I have cabinets connected back to back it wants to snap to the opposite side of the cabinets back wall.  I just knew before there were outlets that you could manually place using cntl. Thanks

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You could Export the Library out of X8 and Try them , see if they work any differently , but as Mark said I thought they had "fixed" that in X9 but they will "jump" to the nearest object they think they need under certain circumstances , eg I have seen them jump from an Island to the nearest Wall before. I know I have picked up a few GFIs etc in the Symbol Forum over the  years too if you need them.

 

*The Jumping Issue happens when you Block Island Groups which causes the Electrical to detach but not move until a subsequent change is made eg changing it's height

 

https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/topic/16131-cabinet-or-island-duplex/?page=2#comment-135609

 

M.

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  • 4 months later...

For whatever reason, in X10 in my plan, it won't allow an outlet to be placed INSIDE a cabinet, or on the side of adjacent cabinets.  Like others here, we put duplex outlets in the sink base for the disposer and dishwasher as a means to meet code for disconnects.  CA will let me put the outlet on the front or back of the cabinet only.  Otherwise, if I use the toolbar outlet, it will let me put an outlet anywhere, but it's a WP (weatherproof) which always  gets a laugh from our electrician.

 

I can put an interior wall "in" the cabinet, add the outlets where I want them THEN make the wall invisible.  Once invisible, I can no longer add outlets to it, but the ones I added are still there.  I wish Chief would alter that behavior.  (I'm using the Surface Mounted duplex -- though it doesn't seem to matter which device I use).

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I had not checked defaults for electrical since moving to X10.

Now that I did, I selected surface mount/duplex for the default receptacle.  Behavior is same as before.  At the front or back of the cabinet, it puts a standard receptacle on.  Move anywhere near the inside of a cabinet (in plan view), and it changes to a WP.

 

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Electrical objects will only attach to the outside of cabinets, not the inside.  Also, they only attach to cabinet sides that are not already attached to walls or other cabinets.

 

You should be able to attach an outlet to the wall behind a cabinet without any trouble.  It won't display inside the cabinet unless you specify the distance from the wall of at least 3/4" though.  You could also remove the back of the cabinet by editing the back face in the cabinet dialog. 

 

Also, you can attach an outlet to the side of a cabinet that is against another wall or cabinet by first moving the cabinet out of the way, attaching the outlet, and then moving the cabinet back.  The outlet should stay attached but it may not be visible in camera views because it might be blocked by either the wall or other cabinet. 

 

For other situations, it can be useful to use an vertical outlet that has been changed to floor mounted,  These can be placed anywhere in the plan and then moved into position as needed.  These do not actually attach to cabinets or walls though.

 

Also, if you really don't care about showing the outlet in camera views (or material lists), you can always just place the outlet cad block where ever you want on your plan.  You can use the Cad Block Management dialog to find the outlet block and then use the Insert tool to place it into your plan.

 

If all else fails, contact tech support.

 

 

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Here is my trick. Take a basic cabinet, place the outlet into it, resize the cabinet as if it was an electrical device box. Turn it into an Architectural Block. You can now move it anywhere and the appropriate electrical cad label will show correctly. As it is already in a little cabinet and blocked it will not snap around when you get close to walls or other objects. You can make the cabinet material a galvanized metal so it looks like a surface mount electrical device box. It will show correctly in all camera views.

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Dermot:

 

The behavior you describe pretty much confirms what I'd been finding.  But the idea of a CAD block -- that's brilliant.  I really don't need anyone to look inside the cabinet (in Chief) and see a duplex or 2 under there;  I just need it for the electrician.  Then again, the only issue is my device count will be off in the material list.

 

I feel Chief should allow us to put outlets inside cabinets.  We have to do this a lot -- say for built-in wall ovens and the like.  Sure, there's a wall to attach to in many cases, but in reality, many times the receptacle is in the cabinet.

 

And then there's the whole thing w/LED lighting, particularly low-voltage.

 

Graham:  Your answer is a great one -- if the electrical device counts in material lists.

 

Thanks, guys!

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8 minutes ago, Klassen_Rem said:

 

Graham:  Your answer is a great one -- if the electrical device counts in material lists.

 

Thanks, guys!

 I just checked and it does show in the material list under electrical. The only thing is the little cabinet shows in the Cabinetry material list, might be a way to exclude this, not sure as rarely use the material lists.

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Thanks for checking!

That's perfect.  There are a lot of things that show up in under cabinets I've learned to ignore, so that's no worry.

Counting receptacles in a complex plan usually means something gets missed, so I rely on the material list.

 

Many thanks,

 

So, now Chief should know what they need to do to make this work for all users . . . !

 

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3 minutes ago, TheKitchenAbode said:

 I just checked and it does show in the material list under electrical. The only thing is the little cabinet shows in the Cabinetry material list, might be a way to exclude this, not sure as rarely use the material lists.

Even better!  Thanks, Graham.

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Quote

So, now Chief should know what they need to do to make this work for all users...

 

Not exactly.  The fact that I posted here to give you some more info about how the program currently works means nothing.  We don't look for features or bugs in the Q&A forum. 

 

If you would like to report a bug to us, then you need to contact tech support:  https://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/

If you would like to make a feature request, then you need to make an official suggestion:  https://chieftalk.chiefarchitect.com/forum/8-suggestions/

 

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  • 6 months later...

i used the cad block management. clicked on duplex, selected insert and inserted into the cabinet as a cad block.  opened the setting of the cad block and changed the line color and and made it transparent.  it looks like all other outlets.  i copied it and pasted to any cabinets that needed an interior outlet.

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