Help with wiring in electric hob tonight

[Steve]

Because the cooker is a high-load device. That hob is the most powerful thing in your flat. To give you an idea of the scale of things here.

 

[rebuke]

Firstly, I agree with what everyone else is saying - you are massively under-experienced to be doing this work - get an electrician in!

However, to avoid you injuring yourself or others - some advice:

You can't simply replace the fuse with a bigger one. The cable must be of an appropriate size (exact size depends on the installation method, i.e. what route the cable takes, if it passes under any insulation etc - your current cable will almost certainly not be large enough however), and the consumer unit (fuse board) must be able to take the right type of fuse. I'm 90% sure the unit you have is only rated to take a max 30A fuse.

I'm worried that you don't know which fuse it is - have you been turning all the power off while doing any of the wiring (or have you been working live!?!?) - in general, 15/16A circuits are normally things like immersion heaters etc, 5/6A circuits are normally lighting, and 30/32A are normally ring mains, and high usage things such as electric showers, and cookers.

There should be some sort of indication which is which on the board (perhaps a bit of paper on the wall next to it, or tucked under one edge of it, or on the back of the fuse cover).

The cooker has its own fuse because it draws a lot of power - as you've shown from your own calculation...

 

[swidders]

There is a slight problem with your consumer unit - the label below the main switch indicates details of the maximum number of amps it is designed to deal with - looks like 60 from what I can see!

 

[Steve]

Go here:

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/index.html

Order these by using the search box:

And once you have these items, return here for further instruction.

(Yes I know they add VAT ON, sorry, nothing I can do)

And you'll need some CA GS4/10, 1 metre.

 

[mogget]

Ok, I have one of the old type fuse boards below. The fuses are rated, from left to right, 15, 5, 5, 30, 30, 30

Untitled

• attractivebrunette
• 2 Mar 2009
• 1

There is no suitable fuse in your fuseboard, the largest being 30 amps.

You can't just put a larger fuse in and hope for the best. The fuses are matched to the cable that goes to the cooker. Where the cable runs, how long it is, and how it is fixed also affect this match.

This could get somewhat tricky, as it may be that your consumer unit will not take a higher fuse at all. I'll have to leave this question to others with more experience.

If the fuse is too big for the cable, and there is a fault, there is a risk of fire - not good in a block of flats.

 

[Steve]

She doesnt need a bigger fuse.

Diversity.

 

[swidders]

What were the quotes for replacing the consumer unit anyway?

 

[Alastairreid]

There is a slight problem with your consumer unit - the label below the main switch indicates details of the maximum number of amps it is designed to deal with - looks like 60 from what I can see!

Well spotted swidders.......................end of suicide mission...........

 

[Alastairreid]

She doesnt need a bigger fuse.

Diversity.

show back on road then

 

[attractivebrunette]

Thanks for all the help...by the way, I'm not going to switch anything on at all, unless I and everyone else is 100% sure there are no problems. If that means getting in an electrician, that's what I'll do.

The fuse closest to the main switch looks from the picture as though it has a single 6mm cable going into it. Can you confirm that this is the case since I can't see it clearly?

Yes, it is a single 6mm. All others appear smaller.

I agree with everyone else, it does seem odd that my consumer unit says total load not to exceed 60 AMPS yet it has fuses much higher in total than that.

Thanks for help where to buy the cooker cable plate outlet.

Maybe I need to get my consumer unit upgraded first then worry about wiring the kitchen?

 

[mogget]

She doesnt need a bigger fuse.

Diversity.

I don't know electrics in depth, but I suspect the chance of the oven and four hotplates being used all at the same time is quite high.

And it's a real downer when your electrics blow on christmas day.

 

[Steve]

She doesnt need a bigger fuse.

Diversity.

I don't know electrics in depth, but I suspect the chance of the oven and four hotplates being used all at the same time is quite high.

And it's a real downer when your electrics blow on christmas day.

What do ovens and hotplates have?

Thermostats.

They dont run all the time they are on.

And fuses wont blow as soon as they see 0.001 amp overloads.

 

[mogget]

What do ovens and hotplates have?

Thermostats.

They dont run all the time they are on.

And fuses wont blow as soon as they see 0.001 amp overloads.

Fair enough!

 

[swidders]

Thanks for all the help...by the way, I'm not going to switch anything on at all, unless I and everyone else is 100% sure there are no problems. If that means getting in an electrician, that's what I'll do.

The fuse closest to the main switch looks from the picture as though it has a single 6mm cable going into it. Can you confirm that this is the case since I can't see it clearly?

Yes, it is a single 6mm. All others appear smaller.

I agree with everyone else, it does seem odd that my consumer unit says total load not to exceed 60 AMPS yet it has fuses much higher in total than that.

Thanks for help where to buy the cooker cable plate outlet.

Maybe I need to get my consumer unit upgraded first then worry about wiring the kitchen?

I think it's a wise decision and will be money well spent. At least you have identified the cooker cable.

The electrician will perform diagnistic tests and check that all your cabling is up to scratch, which will be of some considerable value.

The reason that the current fuses add to more than 60A is because it is considered unlikely that you will be drawing full ampage from all circuits and calclations are based on "likely" percentages of use, unless I am mistaken, which I am sure the pro's will soon inform me that I am!!

 

[rebuke]

I agree with everyone else, it does seem odd that my consumer unit says total load not to exceed 60 AMPS yet it has fuses much higher in total than that.

Quite normal - you can apply diversity to an installation, as it's very unlikely that you're going to have all your lights on, max out all your socket ring mains, and have your cooker etc going full pelt at the same time.

What type of hob do you have, as there are some newer types that you can't apply diversity to the same extent as normal on (I believe they're described as having 'boost' functionality), at which point there might be a risk that your 30A fuse isn't big enough.