Cooker circuit wiring

[Paul2cr]

Hi, looking to hook up a built in microwave and a separate oven in my kitchen.

There is an existing 6mm cable direct from consumer unit. It's on a 32a rcbo.

The oven and microwave came with 13a plugs attached.

At the minute the 6mm is straight into a 45a cooker connection unit.

I will need 2 x 13a single sockets.

What would be the best way to do it?.

 

[ericmark]

Depends where you live, here in Wales I would need to find a scheme member electrician to do the work to get the compliance certificate.

 

[Adam_151]

I'm assuming these appliances are in the same vicinity and quite near the cooker circuit?

In that case, just wire two single sockets as a 4mm radial from your existing cooker connection unit. If the Microwave happens to be on the other side of the kitchen, you'd be better just comming off the ring somewhere nearby.

Does your cooker cirucit not have a cooker control switch as well as a connection point?

 

[Paul2cr]

Hi, the oven and the microwave are within 1 meter of the 45a cooker connection.

I have a 45a cooker switch. Would it be better to use this and have the 6mm going in as supply then wire out to 2 x 13a single sockets?. Would 2.5mm twin and earth be ok or would I need to buy some 4mm. Or I would probably have spare 6mm.

 

[Adam_151]

I'm assuming you have the standard setup of 45A switch above the counter top, and connection unit below? in that case, come off the connection point under the counter but please make sure it stays accessible (hole in back of unit, etc)

While you could subsitute 6mm for 4mm, a 13A socket is not actually required to accept 2x6mm, in reality most will and MK actually state theirs are suitable, however it'll be a little bit tight in the back box, if you do this then you might have to go for a at least a 32mm pattress and take care when dressing it in, it can be done with care.

If using 2.5mm then you would need putto a separate leg back to the connection from each socket, not daisy chain them, and don't go onto anything else from either socket. In theory if you needed three points (say 2 ovens and the microwave) you could do the 2.5mm as a ring and make it into a hybrid/lollypop cirucit, but this will not be necessary if you only need sockets for two appliances.

(Just so we are on the same page with correct mental pictures, etc, I'm picturing this as a surface addition, wired to the fixed cooker point, with surface mounted sockets to be fixed into the units, and wired clipped direct - I'm assuming thats whats going to be happening?)

 

[Paul2cr]

Hi, at the moment the 6mm comes straight from the consumer unit down inside the partition wall and into the connection unit. The 45a cooker switch was removed temporarily for decorating. I put the 45a connection to avoid hanging wires in case anyone turned on electric.

The new 13a sockets will be in the wall also. Not surface mounted boxes. I think it would be better to have a 45a cooker switch so the cooker and microwave can be turned off above the worktop if needed. Then I could connect 2 x 2.5mm tails from the load side of the 45a switch to 2 separate 13a single sockets. There will be nothing else connected to these or taken from these. Or would it be better to use the 2x 6mm from load side to the 2 sockets?.

1 for the oven and 1 for the microwave.

The gas hob igniter will be supplied by ring mains for kitchen there is already a 13a fused with a switch behind where hob will be.

 

[ebee]

Yes you could use 2.5 radials and even join those radials at the socket end to form a ring, you would need to make sure and 3 or 4 cooking appliances on that circuit are extremely unlikely to overload 13KW notional loading might be a good start and it would give you plenty of scope - just make sure that in any event both yourself and any future persons are aware of the set up because it is slightly unusual though.

 

[Adam_151]

Personally in that case, I'd look to re-instate the cooker cirucit to pretty much the standard arrangement for if you need it future, so that is

6mm from board, through isolator and then onto a box for an outlet below the countertop. Fit a dual accessory box under the counter and then a couple of single sockets on it, that way if you ever need a standard cooker circuit, you can change the first one back to a cooker outlet plate.

My Bad, I was presuming you already had a standard cooker cirucit in the walls and were just fitting new cabinets and appliances without disturbing the walls or the fixed wiring

 

[ebee]

Yes agreed if near enough for plug in both items it would do nicely, I had assumed it needed re-siting for the plug ins. Never Assume because Assume makes an ASS of U and ME , maybe it did in my case