Help with wiring in electric hob tonight

[Steve]

6.4kw - we're getting somewhere. Gold star.

6400/230 = 27.8 amps.

Now the oven . . .


I'd ask you for the rating of the fuse that protects this circuit but I dont want really like the thought of you poking around in that fusebox.

Then thinking about it, you must have been in there to isolate this circuit - you HAVE isolated it haven't you? Before you opened the junction box?

 

[attractivebrunette]

Wow. Am I glad I came on here before I plugged the damn thing in. Thanks so much. I'll be at B&Q tomorrow to get some 6mm twin and earth.

Ok, it's all beginning to make sense now. So my 6mm twin and earth needs to be rated at least 30 amps or more, to be able to carry the juice my hob will draw at full whack? You say 47 amps. Ok, good.

This is how I've wired it in though I'm sure you're going to kill me

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• attractivebrunette
• 1 Mar 2009
• 1

So why does the sticker on the hob seem to show that I need 2 x live wires into the hob? Is this correct?

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• attractivebrunette
• 1 Mar 2009
• 1

I switched everything off at the mains before I opened the junction box, yes. The fuse in the box...I can't see what the fuse is without shutting everything down again. What should it be? I can look at it tomorrow.

 

[Steve]

You need to link the bottom 2 terminals, they are both lives. Otherwise only half the hob will work (this is a common diy error though). Its a long story with european wiring systems being different to ours etc.

By the way, your hob wont draw 47 amps, this just happens to be the capacity of 6mm cable. 6mm cable is the smallest cable that can take the load of your hob (27 amps)

The fuse should be one with red spots on it (i think), rated 30 amps old money.

But you should really look at upgrading that old fuse box, to one with better protection including RCDs. Your electrician will advise on this anyway. This would be WAY out of your depth. Sorry.

 

[attractivebrunette]

Great, thanks Steve. So I can link the bottom two with a bit of 6mm live I guess. Ok, to recap:

1. I need to link the bottom two terminals
2. I can wire the hob into that junction box, and the 6mm cable for the hob can share the 'out' points of that junction box with the oven. But obviously it needs to be done properly, with strain reliefs etc. All this is on condition that the fuse behind that red switch is 30 amps.
3. I need to replace that 0.5 flex with proper 6mm cable

Anything else before I go to bed?

 

[flameport]

6mm cable is the size of the black/red wires sticking out of the wall. Unfortunately, this has been cut too short to reach the hob or oven.
You can't join it using that round junction box - far too small.

Depending on the rating of the oven, one solution is to fit a double box on the wall where the cable is sticking out, and fit a single unswitched socket for the oven and a terminal plate for the hob.

Alternatively, a double outlet plate could be used.

It is also possible that the oven and hob together are too powerful to be used with this circuit - in which case, a new circuit will be required.

 

[Steve]

On point 2,

You havent told me what rating the oven is yet. I can confirm nothing until then.

That junction box is too small.

Purchase something bigger while you're shopping, rated at 40 amps. A "cooker outler plate" is ideal. (Looks like this: http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MKK5045.html ) You may need two, depending on the rating of the oven . . .

The red switch? If you mean the one on your kitchen wall near the oven, there is no fuse in there. I was referring to the fuse in your mains fuse box (the grey thing you put a photo of earlier). Under the front cover is a row of fuses. One will be for the cooker circuit.

By the way, I am only telling you all this because I fear if I dont, you'll go ahead and do it anyway, I'm giving you the right way of doing it (I'm glad I did now, since you were ready to go with the firestarter flex)

I'm off to bed now, but I'm sure others will answer your questions, I may be on tomorrow.

 

[attractivebrunette]

Ok thanks for your help so far Steve.

Flameport, why is that junction box too small? Do you mean too small for the cable? Can you post a link to something that I should use?

Also, the cooker outlet plate that Steve posted. I can't see inside the box from the picture. Where do my cables to the hob and the oven come from...it just looks like a flat plate.

I'm almost there...

 

[swidders]

The cable to your hob will come out of the bottom of the plate where it sticks out.

The junction box you have currently wired into looks like it is designed for 20amps. Any connection between cables must be correctly weighted - you have been advised on this already.

You will need

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• swidders
• 1 Mar 2009
• 1

and

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• swidders
• 1 Mar 2009
• 1

to replace it with.

 

[attractivebrunette]

So when you say the junction box is too small, you mean in terms of the amount of amps it can carry, not in terms of the size of the box itself?

The pictures you've posted of the junction box. Perhaps I'm missing something but I still can't see where my cables join in the middle? Shouldn't it look something like this

 

[swidders]

...

 

[flameport]

This is a double cooker outlet plate:

Double outlet cooker plate

• flameport
• 1 Mar 2009
• 3

Made by Scolmore. 'Click' brand.

The terminals in the round box are too small for 6mm cable. It would also be impossible to actually fit 3x 6mm cables into the box, even if the terminals were big enough.

 

[swidders]

Go with flameport now - he's better experienced!

 

[attractivebrunette]

Ah! Now we're talking. Amazing what a picture can do. I've got you now. Ok, I think I've got it. I'll check and double check and triple check everything. thanks so much guys! I'll let you know how it goes and post pictures of it when it's done before I switch the power back on again x

 

[ColJack]

View media item 9113
the bit circled in red is the link bar for linking the 2 live terminals together.. no need to use a bit of 6mm...

 

[swidders]

Don't forget to get some earth sleeving (green / yellow stripe) for the earth wire within the cable.