kitchen installation

[pberry]

The hood should be wired to a fused spur unit that is located near by. The wiring can be done so that none of it is visible. That plug and socket set up is very crude and ugly.

Your oven and hob are supposed to be connected to a cooker control switch on a dedicated circuit via a hardwired connection. They should NEVER be connected via a plug and socket.

I have a basic gas stove which has the sparker (to light the gas) connected to a standard plug and socket behind it. The extractor hood (light and fan) also run off a plug. Though hidden behind the oven it's not very neat (and have inherited this state of affairs from previous owner) but your post implies this is possibly dangerous. How and why so?

I understand why an electric oven needs its own circuit, etc, but not sure what you're getting at here...

Edit: Sorry, just seen this a bit later on...

Agree about the hood - it needs to be on a fused spur or on the lighting circuit(?)

Re the cooker not necessarily true - it depends on the oven and hob - many supplied now (with 'eco-friendly' energy ratings) specify connection using a 13amp plug to a socket on the ring - you can still connect to a cooker feed if you wish but it is not necessary.

 

[80sman]

It all depends on what the installation instructions are, these are found in the applience hand book.

 

[primrosehill]

80's man, i am impressed that you are still sane! Best, cheapest redress is through claims court. You need only write one explanation of your disatisfaction to the company, then you have the right to start proceedings. Send KBBC a recorded delivery stating problem and the solution you find acceptable and identify any areas of compensation.

Wait ten days, send a photocopy to KBBC then fill in court forms, copying your letter and one or two photos, state there are more photos available for the court should they so wish. you will get it sorted in no time, KBBC are likely to lose, and probably won't even show up!

Remember to put in all your ongoing costs, including eating out, excess cleaning bills, etc as your compensation will be limited to the amount you ask the court for, but excess expenses can go sky high on these claims as the upper limit refers to compensation not cost of righting the work. Try to be as thoruogh as you can so that you do not have to add anything, as the court staff sometimes assume add ons are us being greedy!!! Good luck, keep us posted, how is your kitchen now?

 

[Jezclayton]

I am new to this site, but am both CORGI and Part 'P' registered, as well as having had my own kitchen installation company in the past.

I stumbled onto this thread (I am supposed to be doing my receipts) and whilst appalled at the works you have illustrated, I am equally appalled that you have been made to pay additional money to put the electrics right. As others have said, I very much doubt the gas work has been notified and it is evident from your own photos that the original electrical work was of such poor standard as to make notification suicidal for the perpetrator.

I can see you're busy, but with the additional works you list as needing attention, you must file a claim for compensation. In addition to this, take the advice of others and check that the relevant notifications have been submitted. If they have, ask for the work to be inspected, both by CORGI and the relevant electrical certification body (there are a number).

Jez

 

[pegtop]

Like 80sman we have just had a new kitchen installed by a well known store.

There have been a few minor upsets and now the kitchen is just about finished except for one thing (at least we hope that this is all that is wrong)

The installer has put the wall units 12cm higher than the ones that were there before which were a comfortable 18" above the worktop. I am 5'5" and now cannot reach the second shelf to use and have to go on tip-toe to reach the cooker hood controls.

The installer has said it is not his fault as he was going along with the accepted height agreed with the store (although I don't think there is anything in writing). Yet there is a very clear line where the previous units went and if he had shown an iota of commonsense he would have put the units back to this line or if unsure at least asked.

As it is the installer told me to get in touch with the store and let them sort it out. This I did and spoke to the manager.

Apparently the installer had said he would not lower the units unless he was paid extra. The manager said the installer was paid £180 per day and was I prepared to pay this to have the units lowered. I said no way and this is the situation until next week.

I feel very angry and wondered how others felt.

pegtop

 

[kevnurse]

The installer has said it is not his fault as he was going along with the accepted height agreed with the store

Its not the decision of the store. Its the manufacturer's design that has to be complied with. Check the brochure to establish the height of a typical full height cupboard (they are the ones that normally go at the end of a work surface and go from the floor to the top of the wall units. The top of a full height cupboard should align with the top of the wall cupboards. From there you should be able to work out how high the bottom of the wall cupboards should be above the work surface.

If you were in the house at the time he fitted the first wall unit, you have accept some responsibility.

 

[pegtop]

Thank you kevnurse for your reply. I will certainly look up the height of the "pantry" cupboard but as we do not have a pantry cupboard installed you would think the installer would have the sense to put the units back at the same height as was there before.

We now have 2 more complaints for the manager.

1. We have just used the dishwasher for the first time and it twice tripped the switch.

2. Someone broke a double switched outlet and stuck it together with what appears to be superglue making only one outlet useable. (the other one is securely stuck).

 

[ColJack]

did you have a gos hob fitted?
is the extract a "built in" one or a chimney type?
there are strict limits how close a cabinet can be to a gas hob..
perhaps that's the reason he put them so high, for clearance reasons..

 

[pegtop]

Thank you ColJack. We do have a gas cooker and the distance from cooker to extractor is 93cm. More than enough I believe. Anyway i can hardly reach the controls and I am not that little

 

[pegtop]

Further to my earlier post I would greatly appreciate someone clarifying the following.

We are still having trouble with a newly installed dishwasher. It seems the problem is when the high heat is required for the drying process as it then trips the switch in the consumer unit.

When we agreed to have the kitchen installed there were several "extras" to be paid for directly to the installer. One of these was a new consumer unit for £440.

This is quite an old property and there is no ring main but just radial.

The dishwasher is connected to a double switched outlet in the cupboard under the sink. (this is also for the washing machine) This in turn is connected back to the consumer unit.

Although there are 6 spare fuseways in the consumer unit the machines were connected to a fuseway that also supplied several lights and outlets elsewhere. So when the switch tripped, several other things went off as well.

Incidentally the consumer unit is only about 2 meters away from the machines in a base unit nearby.

My question is this. Wouldn't it have been more professional to connect the machines to an "empty" fuseway? And if not why not. Wouln't this have stopped the constant "triping"?

 

[ColJack]

is it a built in extract? and is that 93cm to the bottom of the unit or the bottom of the door on the front?

 

[Mark Elvin]

Threads like this make me glad I'm installing my own kitchen, along with the £5000 cost saving.

 

[pegtop]

Mark Elvin

You are so right about installing your own kitchen. And i would emphasis to anyone having a kitchen installed by a sub-contractor to watch them like hawkes and make sure they do everything right.

 

[loosenup]

Hi pegtop
Distance between underside of units and worktops should now be minimum of 490mm . some manufacturers are slightly higher. this is controlled by regs from gas installations and building regs . Most manufacturers of hobs will state the minimum clearances of cooker hoods above hobs , usually 750mm from trivets(or burners specifically) yet the installation instructions for hoods must also be read .. some hood will state that they can go as low as 650mm above burners. 930 seems a tad excessive to me . Re the dishwasher. if this is run from a radial circuit then the max mcb allowed is 20 amp. If this circuit is running other rooms also then it is possible that when the dishwashers heating unit engages it maybe overloading the circuit if you have other items connected to it . In my opinion the kitchen should be on its own ring final circuit with 32amp breaker and rcd or rcbo installed , and all sockets should be double pole. The main equipotential bonding should be present also to gas and water.
I must admit , I would probably install units to the manufacturers reccomended heights.. ie 2125 to top of units 715 wall carcase + 720 base carcase.. giving between 910 and 920 to worktop , depending on floor level throughout room 1965 larder unit with 150 legs adjustable + or - 15. Manufacturers instruction supercede regs, usually.

 

[Mark Elvin]

Hi pegtop
Distance between underside of units and worktops should now be minimum of 490mm .

Is this a fact or just something that's preferred. If it's actually a reg then I'm going to have to get a bespoke splashback made up as the distance between the worktop & underside of the extractor will be 780mm.