Outdoor Kitchen Electrical in Broken Arrow and Tulsa

Outdoor kitchen electrical in Broken Arrow and Tulsa

An outdoor kitchen turns a patio into the place everyone gathers from April to October, and longer with a heater overhead. It also puts appliances, outlets and lights where they face rain, heat and the occasional ice storm. Hot Shot Electric Service Co. handles outdoor kitchen electrical for homes in Broken Arrow, Tulsa, Bixby, Jenks and the surrounding towns, and works alongside the builders and landscape companies who build the kitchens themselves.

What an outdoor kitchen needs electrically

• Dedicated circuits sized for the refrigerator, ice maker, electric grill or warming drawer
• GFCI protection on every outdoor outlet
• Weatherproof, in-use outlet covers that keep rain out while something is plugged in
• Outlets placed along the counter where you actually prep
• Task lighting over the grill and counters, and switches you can reach
• Circuits for ceiling fans and electric patio heaters overhead
• Wire and conduit rated and buried for outdoor use

Most outdoor kitchens need more than one circuit so appliances are not fighting each other for power and tripping a breaker in the middle of dinner. We plan the circuits around your actual appliance list.

Working with your builder or landscaper

Outdoor kitchens are usually built by a landscape, pool or outdoor living company. We work with several of them and fit our work into their schedule: conduit and trenching before the slab or island goes in, boxes set during framing, devices and fixtures installed at the end. That coordination is what keeps the outlets where the plan says they should be and the inspector happy.

Lighting, fans and heaters

A kitchen under a pergola or covered patio usually wants a damp-rated ceiling fan for summer, an electric infrared heater for cool nights, and lighting over the grill and the table. These run on their own circuits and switches. See patio fans, lighting and heaters for that side of the project, and landscape lighting for the yard around it.

Safety around water and gas

Outdoor kitchens often sit near a pool, a sink and a gas grill. Electrical work there has extra requirements, including GFCI protection, clearances and bonding of metal parts to ground, so that a fault cannot leave a metal surface energized. These rules exist because water and electricity together are unforgiving. Every outdoor kitchen we wire is done to code and inspected where the city requires a permit. If the kitchen sits near a pool or hot tub, see pool and hot tub electrical.

Upgrading an outdoor kitchen you already have

Not every project is new. We add outlets to islands that never had enough, replace outlets that trip every time it rains, add GFCI protection where it is missing, and put in lighting so the cook can see the grill after sunset. Customers have called us for extremely quick response on multiple outdoor needs and repairs.

Lighting the cook and the table

The grill needs bright, focused light so you can see what you are cooking. The table needs softer light so dinner does not feel like a work zone. Under-counter lights along an island, a fixture over the grill and a dimmable light over the seating area cover all three. We put them on separate switches near the door.

Running power from the house

Power for an outdoor kitchen usually runs from the main panel or a subpanel in the garage, underground in conduit to the island. The trench depth and the type of conduit depend on the run, and the wire is sized for both the load and the distance so appliances get full voltage at the far end. Long runs to a pavilion at the back of a large lot sometimes need a subpanel at the kitchen itself.

Gas grills still need power

Even a gas grill often needs an outlet for its ignition, rotisserie or lights, and the refrigerator, ice maker and any electric burners need their own circuits. Listing every appliance before the island is built is the best way to make sure nothing is left without an outlet.

Fans and heaters for year-round use

In Oklahoma, a covered outdoor kitchen can be usable most of the year if it has a damp-rated ceiling fan for summer and an electric infrared heater for cool evenings. Heaters often need a dedicated 240-volt circuit, so they belong in the plan from the start. We size the circuits and check the panel so the fan, heater, lights and appliances can all run together.

How it works

1. Send the kitchen plan or describe the appliances and where the island goes.
2. We visit, plan circuits, outlets and lighting, and quote the work up front. Estimates for planned work are free.
3. We trench and set conduit and boxes before construction closes them in.
4. We install devices, fixtures, fans and heaters once the kitchen is built, then test everything.

Panels near capacity sometimes need a subpanel for a large outdoor kitchen, and we will tell you up front if yours does.

Outdoor kitchen electrical is quoted after we see the plan or the site, and estimates for planned work are free. Permits and inspections are handled as part of the job where the city requires them, which matters for insurance and for selling the house later. Financing is available for larger outdoor living projects.

We wire outdoor kitchens across Broken Arrow, Tulsa, Bixby, Jenks, Owasso, Coweta and the surrounding towns. Send the plan and we will tell you what the electrical will take.