Cooker circuit

Horizon81

I've just viewed a house and noticed they had their cooker plugged into an ordinary socket on the wall. I believe that this is ok for some smaller cookers if the guidance says so, however this cooker looked a decent size, plus if I was to buy the house I'd want a proper cooker circuit and spur installing.

What would this job involve and how much £££ ? Would a thicker cable need to be run from the consumer unit to the control point on the kitchen wall?

bungle4by4

job will depend on the current consumer unit, run of cable, work to be done to chase the cable in etc.... impossible to price could be 100 to 1000 pounds...

NewStart09

Well My mate just had her cooker plumbed in it was £16 for the cable from the cooker to the waller, and £20 for the Electrician to connect it.

Now be careful who you use, as she rang around prior and quotes ranged from her £36 to £75. They claimed travel expenses as she lived rurally and the guy who got the job only lived in the next village.

Hope that helps

(She lived in the Southwest) Dorset area.

NewStart09

Horizon81

NewStart09 wrote: »

Well My mate just had her cooker plumbed in it was £16 for the cable from the cooker to the waller, and £20 for the Electrician to connect it.

Now be careful who you use, as she rang around prior and quotes ranged from her £36 to £75. They claimed travel expenses as she lived rurally and the guy who got the job only lived in the next village.

Hope that helps

(She lived in the Southwest) Dorset area.

NewStart09

In your friend's case the cooker circuit was already in place. I'm talking about a house where there doesn't appear to be such a circuit in place. However the house was built in the 80's so I'm sure there must be one somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if a previous owner had removed the spur and tiled over it. Any way of finding this out?????

bungle4by4

if there is a 40A mcb in the board your luck might be in. if not your going to need one.

davehills

Yes, check the fusebox. If you are lucky you might even find a breaker/fuse marked "Cooker".

It's possible there's no cooker circuit if the house originally had a gas cooker, however, in my experience it'd be unusual for a 1980s house not to have the cabling in place.

Possibly there's a junction box below the level of the work surface?

Horizon81

bungle4by4 wrote: »

if there is a 40A mcb in the board your luck might be in. if not your going to need one.

Thanks - I'll take a closer look. There's also an electric shower upstairs, so in the fusebox should there be 2 x 40A mcbs - one for each radial circuit?

davehills

Horizon81 wrote: »

In your friend's case the cooker circuit was already in place. I'm talking about a house where there doesn't appear to be such a circuit in place. However the house was built in the 80's so I'm sure there must be one somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if a previous owner had removed the spur and tiled over it. Any way of finding this out?????

You could try a cable detector?

john_howard_fisher

we paid £150. it was approx 3 mitre run. electrician said needed special parts because we had electric shower and now wanted electric cooker. now sure how true it is but be warned could be costly.

muckybutt

Horizon81 wrote: »

I've just viewed a house and noticed they had their cooker plugged into an ordinary socket on the wall. I believe that this is ok for some smaller cookers if the guidance says so, however this cooker looked a decent size, plus if I was to buy the house I'd want a proper cooker circuit and spur installing.

What would this job involve and how much £££ ? Would a thicker cable need to be run from the consumer unit to the control point on the kitchen wall?

The majority of ovens now a days are in fact run via a plug top as the total loading doesnt go above 13A, if the hob was gas then theres not a problem, if however the hob was electric as well then that would push it well over 13A.

Most houses even new ones will have a 6mm radial circuit usually rated at 32A not 40A for use on cooker circuits, if the cooker circuit isnt used many householders will swap the front for a socket. ^mm cable isnt cheap so to run a new supply in would cost a bob or two anything from £200 upward depending upon the length of run - chopping out the wall and making good and if theres room in the consumer unit.

Horizon81

Just coming back to this thread I'm looking at a different house now. There appears to be a cooker circuit in place but I've had a look in the fusebox and there are only a couple of 30A fuses so it must be on one of those. Fusebox was very old. Is it ok for cooker circuits to only be 30A? My current house has a pretty old fusebox and even that has 45A circuit for the electric cooker.

Also - does anyone else think it's strange to have the fusebox in a cupboard in the living room?!