Using old cooker radial circuit for new sockets

[mgeorge]

Hi,

Doing up the kitchen and I can see that there is an old cooker radial circuit (32Amp MCB) that is currently linked into a 13amp fused outlet that is being used to power a fridge/freezer. Is this okay, and can I continue the radial to add addional sockets ?

 

[mgeorge]

should mention that the cooker radial is no longer being used for a cooker (gas)

 

[plugwash]

Is this okay

yes

and can I continue the radial to add addional sockets ?

yes but make sure you use at least 4mm and preferablly 6mm for the entire circuit (i'll be very supprised if the existing cooker circuit is less than 6mm), theese sizes may be somewhat tricky to terminate so make sure you buy a good quality brand of accsories with large terminals (e.g. MK) and use deep backboxes

oh and its in a kitchen so your supposed to notify building control.

 

[Adam_151]

Continue the radial in 6mm² cable (presuming thats what it is), you'll probably have to use deep back boxes and MK accessories to be able to terminate it in

Edit: beaten

Oh, and this might be a good time to add a quick mention of part p...

 

[mgeorge]

Thanks folks - that makes my life so much easier than trying to extend the mains ring circuit

 

[SparkyMarky]

You shouldn't need to carry on the circuit in 6mm² cable - 4mm² is fine for a 32A radial circuit, and will be less hassle to terminate. If you want to you could even change the MCB to a 20 Amp and continue the radial in 2.5mm². It really depends on what you're likely to use the sockets for, and where they're positioned (ie what they could be used for in the future). A 20 amp radial would be fine for a few sockets above the worktop for small appliances, as long as the power hungry appliances were fed off the kitchen ring instead of the radial and they weren't likely to be repositioned in future...