New electric oven & hobs

[Rotten78]

Hi,

I have just ripped out some old worktops and replaced with new and at the same time decided to replace the sink, oven & hobs. The hobs sat on top of the worktop and the oven was seated into the unit below. They were both hardwired into a point at the back of the oven on the wall. That circuit has a 32amp fuse and it never tripped even with the oven and hobs all on at the same time.
My new oven has come with a 13amp plug on the end of the lead to go into a standard socket but this would mean the cable would have to come through the new work surface and then plug into the nearest socket which happens to be part of the 'cooker' switch panel with red on/off switches about 8 inches above the worktop.
My question is ' can I remove the plug from the end of the cable and channel the cable in the wall to the back of the socket and hard wire it and would this be against the "code" ?'

Unfortunately the the combined totals of the hobs and the oven exceed 32amps. They actually come in at 36amps when all being used.

Any help will be most appreciated.

thanks

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I assume the old wiring is just for the cooker circuit, have you thought of installing a socket outlet on that circuit?
Beware there are regulations that need to be complied with as it is a kitchen and could well be beyond the scope of DIY.
If diversity is applied it's likely that the 32amp circuit would be suitable for both hob and oven.

 

[Rotten78]

This is the specs of the hobs and oven:

4 x Hobs: 1 x 1.2kW zone, 1 x 1.4kW zone, 1 x 1.8kW Zone, 1 x 1.0/2.2kW Dual Zone.

Oven : 2.4kW

As I do not really know much about 'Diversity' etc. Could you tell me from looking at those specs whether a 32amp circuit would cover it?
If it does, would the 13amp cable from the oven be ok to use or would I need a beefier cable?

Thanks

 

[ColJack]

32A will do it no problems..
even with all of the rings "on", they won't all be on.. they will be cycling on and off to maintain the temperature..
if they do happen to all be on at the same time then it will only be a small overload for a few seconds so it won't be a problem..

the diversity rule is..

10A + 30% of the remaining load + 5A if the cooker switch has a socket..

so for your 35A..

10A + (30% of 25A ) + 5A
10A + 7.5A + 5A -= 22.5A..

if your oven requires a 13A supply then you can fit a socket onto the end of the wire already in for the oven and then plug the new one into that..

 

[Steve]

This is the specs of the hobs and oven:

4 x Hobs: 1 x 1.2kW zone, 1 x 1.4kW zone, 1 x 1.8kW Zone, 1 x 1.0/2.2kW Dual Zone.

Oven : 2.4kW

As I do not really know much about 'Diversity' etc. Could you tell me from looking at those specs whether a 32amp circuit would cover it?

Yes, it would, easily.

If it does, would the 13amp cable from the oven be ok to use or would I need a beefier cable?

Why would the manufacturer supply an inadequate cable? The fact is, the oven uses less electricity than most kettles.

Here's what to do:

Wire the hob into the cooker point on the wall.

Also, purchase a single unswitched socket and backbox. Fix this alongside the cooker outlet and wire it into the cooker outlet with the hob.

Plug your oven into this socket.

 

[Rotten78]

Thanks for the great replies...really helpful.

The reason I mentioned the 'use a beefier cable' was because I was wondering if its ok to remove the plug off the cable and hardwire it directly into the cooker point? I can see there is quite a difference in cable size between the hob cable and the oven cable but it might save installing a new socket?

Thanks again for your replies, I appreciate it a lot.

 

[Steve]

The reason I mentioned the 'use a beefier cable' was because I was wondering if its ok to remove the plug off the cable and hardwire it directly into the cooker point? I can see there is quite a difference in cable size between the hob cable and the oven cable but it might save installing a new socket? .

No, you must not do this. For a start it will invalidate your warranty on the product. It must be protected by a 13 amp fuse.

 

[Rotten78]

Ok thanks very much Steve. I will do as you suggested & run a socket off the cooker point and plug the oven into that.

Thanks again!

 

[Adam_151]

I generaly use a 35mm 'bar box' plenty of room to loop 6mm cores to the socket outlet, for 10mm cooker circuits (rare-ish) I'd want to go to 47mm (which would also mean finding a wholesaler which stocks them!)

 

[Rotten78]

Ok im just installing a 13 amp socket running off the cooker point as Steve suggested. Can I run the 2 metre 6mm cable from the cooker point down under the shelf the oven sits in and bring it just to the front of the unit so I can get to the plug to change fuses easily etc ?
And is it ok to NOT channel the cable into the wall but have it clipped flat to the wall and then across to the new socket?

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

When socket outlets are installed for equipment such as ovens, it's not unusual to find the socket outlet in the kitchen cupboard next to the oven. (A hole will need to be cut so you can feed the plug end of the oven in to the unit though).
Then if the fuse does need replacing or the outlet is showing faults/needs to be repaired/inspected. It is easy to do so.

 

[Steve]

so I can get to the plug to change fuses

When was the last time you changed a plug fuse?

A few years since for me.

Anyway, go ahead and mount the socket in the back of the cupboard next to the oven.

 

[Rotten78]

Ok, its all up and running and no loud BANGS....yet!

Thanks again everyone, there is no way I could have done it without you.

Next is the tiling...



Cheers all...see you again sometime soon no doubt!

Andrew