Bliming CURRYS whats a SPUR POINT?

KareenaMukherjee

So bought a whole heap of furniture cos i was just too tired and emotionally drained to shop around from Currys, fridges, washing machines, cookers, etc

We decided to opt for an electric cooker for a second small kitchen. I asked if they can install it. OH YES NO PROBLEM they assured me, for an extra £30 we'd install it all !!! I asked are you sure, they can full install it?! NO PROBLEM MAAAM they replied.

Yay i thought, till they bought it around, and told me i needed a bloody 'spur point', and wouldn't install it. I asked what they meant by installing it, they said rather sheepishly just putting the wire into the spur point. I bloody told him i could do that! I didn't pay £30 for him to just put a wire into a point!

Anyways, now back to this issue of SPUR POINT ... what is it, as u can tell i can't really do it, i'm useless. We have a side room, there is electricity in that room with plugs. WILL IT BE EASY TO INSTALL ?!

nicka99

due to the high current an electric cooker can draw, it normally needs its own dedicated feed from the fuse box (aka 'consumer unit') and cant just be plugged into the normal ring main. whether that is easy to install or not depends on a number of factors such as proxmity of the kitchen to the consumer unit, whether there is spare capacity on the consumer unit for an additional connection, the ease with which a new cable can be run from consumer unit to the kitchen (lifting carpet, floors, chasing out walls...?). an electrican would need to advise on all of this.

if it turns out to cost a lot, if there is gas available in the room it may be cheaper to swap it for a gas one !

jc808

This annoys me - why do Currys blindly say 'yes we will install it, no problem' without asking questions or doing a site survey? Absolute idiots

System

jc808 wrote: »

This annoys me - why do Currys blindly say 'yes we will install it, no problem' without asking questions or doing a site survey? Absolute idiots

Because the guy in the shop is a salesman and not a qualified electrician. The salesman probably thinks EVERYTHING connects via a 3 pin plug.

spadoosh

you probably can just chuck a 3 pin on it, is it a single oven?!


+ does it have a electric hob, if so it will need to go into a fused socket

nicka99

you probably can just chuck a 3 pin on it, is it a single oven?!

dubious advice - just dont use the kettle and toaster and microwave at the same time or you'll cook your wiring as well as your breakfast

jc808

!!!!!! wrote: »

Because the guy in the shop is a salesman and not a qualified electrician. The salesman probably thinks EVERYTHING connects via a 3 pin plug.

Then this is clearly a training/ compliance issue. Any half decent company would have a system in place that, when selling a high-draw appliance (Cooker, shower, whatever) a blurb is read out that advises a site survey may be needed and drawing the customers attention to the fact this may need a CU alteration/ new cable.

Not 'no problem, we will install it' (I sincerely hope they have a small print as if the sale and installation fee alone is the basis of the contract, Currys have just become liable for the whole cost of a CU upgrade/ new cable/ whatever...) idiocy.

jc808

nicka99 wrote: »

dubious advice - just dont use the kettle and toaster and microwave at the same time or you'll cook your wiring as well as your breakfast

Certain ovens (Single, fan assisted ones) have a normal plug with 13A fuse, so suitable for a normal socket. Be careful of overloading the circuit tho (Depends on the state of your wiring)

spadoosh

nicka99 wrote: »

dubious advice - just dont use the kettle and toaster and microwave at the same time or you'll cook your wiring as well as your breakfast

Not true, nearly all single ovens in the uk will run straight from a 3 pin no problems. A problem might arrise when the cooker is an extremely high wattage (rare in most single ovens) anything lower than 3kw will be fine on a 13a plug.

nicka99

apologies spadoosh if thats the case. we had new kitchen fitted last year and both hob and oven needed their own fused spur.
just follow the manufacturers installation instructions - if its says its ok to plug into the ring main then great but if it states it needs a separate spur then doing anything different to save a few quid would invalidate any insurance pay out in case of a fire/damage or worse still put lives at risk.

System

if the cooker was replacing an old electric cooker it would be normal for the wiring to be correct, which is probably why they would say they can install (usually there are t&c's which the customer is responsible for reading)
it's the same for washing machines and dishwashers et all - they can only install them if the wiring and plumbing is correct, they always have clauses to this effect in the paperwork