I'm not sure what the door mount kit is, but you have to have a pull out trash in order for the foot pedal to work.

In other words, your trash bins should be hanging from a rail attached to the door OR sitting on a shelf attached to the door. The door should pull open like a drawer (not swing open like a normal cab) and as it pulls open the trash bins come out with it.

Note that Haefele makes two different pedals, one for the bins hanging from rails and one for the bins sitting on the shelf. I'm not clear on which one you've linked to above. Also note that these foot pedals are designed for frameless cabs. I don't know if they can or have been used on framed cabs and would be interested to hear about that if anyone has.

Here are the links I have to the two kinds of Haefele pedals:

Pedal for trash can which hangs from rails

Pedal for trash can which sits on base

Adding to Lowspark's excellent information...

One way to use the Haefele foot pedal with face framed cabinets is to modify the bottom edge of the face frame under that particular door so that it actually is attached to the door rather than the surrounding parts of the face frame. This is not a perfect solution, since there are small vertical gaps on both sides of the "false" face frame bottom rail.

We have worked with our cabinetmaker to do exactly as I've described. I can give you more feedback after the cabinets are installed next week. I'll try to post a picture or two so you can judge the aesthetics for yourself.

A door mount kit is used to attach the trash pull out hardware to some types of doors (depending on the door style). If you're doing an aftermarket trash pullout, you may need one. However, if you bought your trash pullout from your cabinet company, you most likely won't need one.

The trash pedal is totally separate.

We put in Revashelf trash pullouts and needed to get door mount kits so that we could attach them to our doors (otherwise the scews wouldn't go through the door's rails). We have the pedal on the pull out by our sink and LOVE it! Many thanks to Lowspark who answered at least 50 bizillion questions from me on the trash pedal.

If you're looking to buy a trash pedal, I recommend Trashcansandmore.com because they have friendlier policies than Kitchensource.

Here is a link that might be useful: Trash cans and more

perfect thank you all, this is exactly the information I needed. I bought the after market rev a shelf pull out and wanted the foot pedal but didn't know if the door had to be mounted ( I assumed it did ) but I wasn't sure.

Thanks

edric,
I'll be very interested to see pictures of your foot pedal once it is installed. The question of whether this can be used on framed cabs comes up occasionally and it would be good to have someone's kitchen pictures to refer to.

alku,
It was my pleasure! I really wanted a pull out trash but the thought of having to always use my hands to open it convinced me NOT to get it. Thanks to this forum I discovered the foot pedal and my kitchen design was saved. This was only one of many ways my kitchen is totally different than it would have been without this forum.

lowspark: My cabinets are framed, does this mean I may not be able to use the pedal? I already ordered the pedal from trash cans and more, but I didn't order the door mount kit yet.

I would love to see your pictures to

coldtropics,
The way the pedal works, the magnet is attached to the underside of your cabinet and the pedal is attached to the back of the door. The pedal has to attach itself to the magnet, that's what keeps it shut. When you kick the pedal, it releases from the magnet, thereby opening the trash bin.

Problem with framed cabs is that the magnet is under the framed part so that the pedal has to go down from the door to past the frame to be attracted to the cabinet.

Now, I'm not saying that can't work, I'm just saying that depending on the width of the frame, the pedal and magnet might not make contact, or they might make contact but not enough for the magnet to hold the door shut.

That's why I'm very interested to see an application where the pedal has been installed on a framed cab. I suspect it CAN work with a some adjustment, I just don't know how well it can work if installed as designed.

My pictures are currently in flux. I used to have them on Yahoo but they made me move them (yahoo is killing their picture feature) and I haven't yet gotten around to figuring out how to link to them on the new site. I hope to do that this weekend. I'll post a link here when I can.

Coldtropics, one more thing...if you ordered a Revashelf 5349 seiries pull out, it comes with a soft close function. You'll want to remove that to get the best performance from your pedal. Before you install the pull out hardware, use a small screwdriver to unscrew the soft close thingies.

I have frameless cabinets, so I can't comment on the framed issue.

Thanks guys sounds like my dh is going to have to be inventive once again with this diy thanks to me and my bright idea's lol

If he gets it right I will post what he did, if he gets it wrong or can't figure out what to do i'll cry and then let you guys know what not to do lol

I had never heard of such a thing but it sounds fantastic for the pullouts that will be right next to my sink and veggie prep area. Although I can see the *utility* of being able to open the trash while keeping your hands clean while preparing food, I can't say I understand how this works.

My cabs are already built and the boxes are installed. The boxes are frameless and my trash bin has two containers suspended from a bottomless box with side rails with two cutouts for the containers. The box pulls out. The cab fronts are still not finished.

Can I have this kind of foot pedal added to my existing boxes? Would the rails have to be reoriented to roll downhill or something? Or is there a spring or something else involved?

Thanks for your help and for providing this wonderful idea.

cold,
if your DH is good at DIY I'll bet he can figure out a way to make it work. I don't know if it can work as designed but I'll be there's a creative way to make it work. Please do post when he does!

rainey,
yes, that sounds like the exact set up I have. It came that way from the manufacturer (brookhaven): frameless cabs with two trash bins hanging from a metal railing which attaches to the door.

There is a spring. The spring makes the door want to open. The magnet at the toekick keeps the door closed. When you release the magnet by pushing the pedal, the spring "springs" into action and makes the door come open.

coldtropics,
I've linked to my kitchen px below.

Here is a link that might be useful: may's kitchen

Lowspark I love your kitchen, I have seen it before while browsing and always loved your kitchen, thanks for the link.

Here is a update:
I just received my foot pedal I bought the cheaper one for 35.99 it looks to me like it will work on framed cabinets with no problem. The only thing is they sent the instructions in German. I tried to translate it over the internet, but they still don't make sense. I sent them a email asking for english instructions so I'll keep you updated.

I'm interested in this as well. I'm planning how to make a trash pull out work well.....I have purchased, but could return, this unit:

{{!gwi}}

I had planned to get the door attachment kit, and then just this week learned about cool things like foot pedals!!

Can I use that metal Haefele foot pedal with what I'm describing? My dad is my cabinet maker, so that makes things more adjustable......I'll return this pullout unit and buy another if I have to in order to have a foot control for it.

My pull out will have a regular hinged cabinet door that I have to swing open to access the trash cans. Can I unhinge the door and mount it to the pull-out and then install the foot pedal? I don't know why I ordered this the way I did. I'm now picturing myself with yicky hands trying to swing open a cabinet and then having to pull out the trash before I can dump anything. I have a feeling that cabinet is going to be left standing open a LOT! Sigh.

coldtropics, thanks! I sure hope the pedal works -- please post pix when you do install it. Pretty crazy to send instructions in German!

muscat, the door has to pull open like a drawer, not swing open like a regular cabinet door on hinges. I'm not sure about the set up you are showing but as long as it pulls out, you should be good to go.

rmlanza, I'm sorry I don't know the answer to your question. My trash pull out was ordered as a pull out with the original cab order. But I bet the answer is yes.

rmlanza, can you show your trash pull-out? Removing the hinges from the door and cabinet is the easy part, but you have to find a way to attach your pull-out to the door so it pulls out together. Some are made to work that way, others aren't (but even the ones that aren't can probably be jerry-rigged (sp?) to work that way.

I have face framed cabinets. Full overlay doors. My trash cans hang from a rail. Just finished installing the Hafele Foot Pedal Door Opener, model 502.15.220. Works perfect. Required two modifications: (1) Longer mounting screws. Used 8-32x2.5" screws. (2) The metal plate mounted on the back of the door was not tall enough. Made a plate that was 3.5" tall. ----------- Though probably not required, to provide extra support, I glued a scrap piece of wood on the back of my face frame.

metoo2, thanks for posting that!! Can you please post pictures as well? The question about using the foot pedal with framed cabinets comes up all the time, it would be great to have pix to go with your description.

Oh yipppeeeee!!! My cabinets arrived and I was checking them out today to make sure none were damaged (unfortunately a few are...ugh) but realized that my trash pull out, which I thought would have a hinged door, is actually mounted to the door so it's more like a drawer. Does that make sense? In other words, I don't have to unhinge it and then mount it, it's already done for me!!! According to the catalog the cabinet company puts out, it was supposed to be hinged but maybe they've changed that and never updated the catalog. Whatever, it works for me, I'm totally thrilled! And what does everyone mean by framed cabinets, forgive me for being stupid but I have no idea what that means! Oh, and by some weird coincidence, the place I ordered my pulls and knobs from accidentally sent me an extra pull, so now I don't have to go order another pull. Will it look weird to have pulls on drawers, knobs on cabinets and then have this one that looks like a cabinet but has a pull on it like a drawer? Oh well, who cares, I definitely want the pull.

metoo2: you said your trash bins hang from a rail- so the door is attached to the rail, right, and slides out?

I'm wondering if your set up will work with what I purchased. I'll have face frames, and a pullout like this, with the door mounted to the unit like this pic:

Since the rails are at the bottom, it wont hang like you describe, but does this set up look like it would work with the foot petal? Thanks!

Front View when cabinet is shut:
http://photos.gardenweb.com/home/galleries/2007/08/pull_out_trash_foot_pedal_fron.html?cat=kitchens

View of foot pedal when cabinet is open. Keep in mind this view will be hidden when trash cans are in the cabinet:
http://photos.gardenweb.com/home/galleries/2007/08/pull_out_trash_foot_pedal_door.html?cat=kitchens

Metal plate mounted on bottom back of door. This is the plate that is 3.5" tall--to deal with a face framed cabinet:
http://photos.gardenweb.com/home/galleries/2007/08/pull_out_trash_foot_pedal_meta.html?cat=kitchens

Finally, looking at the bottom of the cabinet. Glued a scrap of wood to the back of the face frame.
http://photos.gardenweb.com/home/galleries/2007/08/pull_out_trash_foot_pedal_unde.html?cat=kitchens

muscat: The rails are always attached to the door-regardless of whether your trash cans hang from a rail, or your trash cans sit on a base. In your picture, the cans sit on a base.

I believe that my modifications will also work with your situation (cans sitting on a base). However, you will need to make one minor modification that I did not do. That modification has to do with the elastic cords that come with the pedal.

Elastic cords (ie, bungee cords) pull the door open when the pedal is kicked. You would have to alter where the front of the cords are mounted inside the cabinet. Very easy to do.

Earlier posts on this thread refer to a version of the Hafele pedal for trash cans which sit on a base. I have not seen this product. I suspect they use the identical pedal, but altered the instructions relative to the location where to mount the elastic cords.

Anyone have anything else to add? Has anyone with a base pullout made modifications similar to MeToo2's mods?? If so, anything to add?

Edric: if you get a chance, could you please post a picture of how yours turned out?

We are probably doing a trash cabinet. Our problem is that we have vintage cabinets with no toe kick. Thus, no foot pedal. I just can't decide if I'll be happy with having to use my hands to open the trash. I've used step cans all my adult life. On the other hand, it would be nice to have the trash out of the way, since I have a small kitchen.

If any engineers have a brilliant idea for a "foot opener" that would work in the absence of a toe kick, please tell!!!!

Francy

Francy: Do your cabinets go all the way to the floor or are they furniture-style with space underneath & between the feet? If there's space, you could build a lever just under the cabinet. You'd have to find a way to either adhere it to the floor to keep it from sliding out of range or maybe put rubber feet (or something like that) under it.
...OR
again if furniture-style, you could attach it to the bottom of the cabinet (from underneath the cabinet) and create a "push" or "kick" lever rather than a step lever.

Just a thought!

I am interested in installing the foot pedal door opener for my trash cabinet but my contractor is concerned about how it opens. He said it seemed like it would hit my leg before I could move my foot from the pedal. Can someone tell me if this is this right and, if so, how fast it opens.

Thanks.

ebie,
This question comes up all the time - in fact a couple of us wondered about it way back when I was still designing my kitchen. Short answer: it's a non-issue.

The door doesn't come bounding open with great force. You have plenty of time to get out of the way. But in fact, I don't always get out of the way, on purpose. Sometimes I let it hit my leg so that I can throw something away without looking.

Thanks, lowspark! I will go ahead with it.

Not quite sure if I am deciphering all this correctly, but can I use this device if I have an inset door? I'm not sure that it would since it looks like the screws for the pedal would extend into the inset door space and there would be no place to attach the metal plate...

Thanks in advance for bearing with my newbie questions!

Let's see....
I've got vintage cabinets with inset doors, and the cabinets do go all the way to the floor (not feet like furniture).

But i've suddenly got an idea. I read on another thread (regarding toe-kick drawers) that Lee Valley sells a device called a "toe kicker." It attached to the back of a drawer (either toe kick drawer, or regular drawer would probably work), and functions sort of like a ball point pen button. When you push against the drawer, it pops open.

So, depending on how my trash is mounted (hanging rails vs bottom platform), can't I set up this cabinet as though it were a drawer (a very, very deep drawer that just happens to be as tall as a cabinet), and use this toe kicker? This could solve this whole trash cabinet dilemma once and for all! I just need to convince the cabinet that it is a drawer!

Francy

The Haefele pedal is designed for frameless cabs. Someone on this forum did make it work for framed, but I'm not mechanical enough or handy enough to know if it would work for inset.

Francy, the trash cabinet IS a drawer really, so I bet that might work. If you try it please post again to let others know.

I plan to have the Rev a Shelf pull out trash with my frameless cabinets which have yet to be ordered. My cabinet maker does not carry Hafele. Can I order the pedal separate and have my contractor install it when the cabs come in?

kgyso, the Hafele silver pedal works really well with the Rev a Shelf series 5349 pull outs. That's the set-up I have. The pedal was ordered separately, and you can get it online from kitchensource.com or trashcansandmore.com.

The Revashelf 5349 series pull outs come with a soft close function. You'll want to remove that to get the best performance from your pedal. Before you install the pull out hardware, use a small screwdriver to unscrew the soft close thingies. In the picture below, see that gray and white plastic tube? That's the soft close that needs to come off.

Alku, could you take a pic of the mechanism for the toe kick with the door open?

I was going with another brand, but running into problems and don't know how that's going to turn out.

I called Lee valley to ask about their "toe kicker." They didn't have any experience using it with a trash cabinet, but didn't see why it wouldn't work.

Given that it only costs 5 bucks, I'll give it a try. If you are planning on a pedal, you might be interested in this instead. It is invisible, so no pedal to see (if that bothers you). And cheap!

My cabs won't be in for at least another month, but I'll be sure to post back to let you know if it worked.

Francy

Here is a link that might be useful: Lee Valley toe kicker

I would love to "knee" my trash pullout cabinet when my hands are dirty and have it open, and this "drawer kicker" sounds like it would work, but it seems long enough that the drawer wouldn't close all the way?? Am I picturing this wrong? Does it mount in the back of the cabinet? If so, how does it not take up too much space? And if my cabinet is the open style, where the trash cans sit inside a wooden frame, what does this kicker thing kick against? Get my drift?

Natal, I took this picture a while back, so let me know if you need more pictures.

You can see how the bungee connects to the floor of the cabinet and also to one of the holes in the Rev a Shelf pullouts. The pedal itself is mounted in the toe kick area, and the strike plate goes on the door itself. When you push the pedal, it releases the door so the bungee pulls it open.

Hmmmm. The toe kicker extends from 2" to 2 3/4". So if it is mounted on the outside back of the drawer, you need a minimum of 2". I wonder if that is unusual? I've never checked to see how far back my drawers go when they are closed. What is standard? However, it does say that it can be mounted from the inside back of the drawer (presumably this requires drilling a hole for the mechanism to go through). So I might go that route.

I had wanted the kind of trash cabinet where the can hangs from the side rails, but unless there is some kind of back on it, the toe kicker wouldn't work with that set up (and then maybe you'd have to "kick" it higher up with your hip?). So I assume I'll have to change to the kind where the trash can sits on the platform. Then it will be more like a drawer.

Francy

Alku, thank you! I forgot that pedal needs a frameless cabinet. Ours are framed. My search continues.

Francy, thanks for the Lee Valley link. Inset cabs here, too. My DH made them and actually made a drawer for under the sink area where our trash is located. But all our slides are Blum soft close. There is no extra "give" once the drawer closes so we can't think of how we could make the drawer go back that extra 16th of an inch to activate the drawer kicker mechanisms.

Any thoughts? Anyone else installed their own Blum slides and have a suggestion of how this could work with them?

TIA, Diana

Natal: Check MeToo2's posts earlier in the thread. S/he installed it in a face frame, full overlay cabinet.

HTH!

for all you pullout trash mavens:
i am going to assume that i can beat the cabinet manufacturer's price for the integrated trash by buying a system online. do you recommend a 18 inch or 24 inch wide cabinet box? Also, please tell me if you use LIDS on your inside trash cans. i can forsee getting a whiff of something nasty every time i open the door.....
thanks for all the info
LC

My 18" cabinet holds a pullout with two-50qt cans. That was more than enough room for waste, so I stuck with the smaller cabinet.

lacuisine - aftermarket is definitely cheaper IF you are going to install it yourself. Our cabinet manufacturer didn't offer the set-up we wanted so we had no choice but to order after market.

Get the smallest cabinet you can get away with for the trash bins that fit your needs. I think most folks are satisfied with 18" and under. We have 2-50Qt bins in a 21" cabinet (our cabinets are framed so 18" wasn't a choice).

No lid - it would just get mucked up and really irritate me when my hands are full. Smell is only a factor when DH hasn't taken the trash out for several days.

Buehl, thanks, but dh was able to track down the last of Knape & Vogt's discontinued top-mount, toe-kick double bin system. It operates with a spring vs. bungee cord.