Help- New cooker needed and comments welcome on best way to resolve wall switch behind it

fenwick458

putting them in a cupboard is allowed, all you would need to do is open the cupboard, and switch the isolator off

maisie_cat

fenwick458 said:

putting them in a cupboard is allowed, all you would need to do is open the cupboard, and switch the isolator off

Possibly if the cupboard is fixed to the fabric of the building and the switch is easy to get to in an emergency, so the front of the cupboard. Back of the cupboard behind pots and pans no.

fenwick458

the regulations aren't exactly black and white, they just say the switch must be easily accessible. to me, opening a cupboard door and maybe moving a few pans or a couple of boxes of cereal to operate a switch is fine.
this could be an unpopular opinion, but if you are the sort of person who likes to cram their cupboards full to the brim with stuff, then it wouldn't be the worst thing if the house burnt down
then in that case you should have a wall switch installed, and maybe a couple of warning notices either side reminding you not to store anything in front of them, such as a kitchen appliance, or a biscuit tin, in case the extra few seconds taken to move them out of the way before switching off the power would result in an accident

FreeBear

plumb1_2 said: Get a Electrican to check which way the cable runs, he might be able to put a new isolator in the cupboard and just fit a blanking plate over the old one, then no damage?

No, no, NO!

Isolating switches should never be in hidden in cupboards. All too easy to pile crap in front of them making it difficult to access. Anyone apart from the home owner may not know the location.. It needs to be on the wall, clearly visible and not more than 2000mm from the hob/oven.

The OP either moves the hob over by ~300mm (new worktop required), or moves the switch (new tiling needed). That is the price of poor design & execution.

NSG666

krissy08 said:

Thanks both,
Yes I believe the oven is electric and the hob is gas.
I am thinking, when they move the switch, I might change the back section (behind the cooker ) to a splash back- (no tiles) would that work?
then use the tiles elsewhere where the new socket goes. I am not a tile or electrics expert though.

Yes I completed the purchase last week so will just take it on the chin. Although my question was more around the faulty oven leaking gas- not the position of the switch which I agree they may not have known about. Much appreciated.

So have both the gas hob and (electric?) oven been condemned? If the oven is working surely you just need a hob?

I wonder what the hob is connected to if it has spark ignition?

Depending on the power rating for the oven (if electric) then it might be possible to plug it into the kitchen ring main that might be easier to modify with less damage than moving the cooker switch. The cooker switch could then be disconnected at the consumer unit (fuse box). An electrician will keep you straight on the regs although there's often a difference in interpretation even between certified electricians.

Ectophile

dil1976 said:

Ectophile said:

dil1976 said:

If there are no signs of thermal damage to the switch then its position is fine. Maybe worth getting a electrician out just to check the wiring behind it is not affected neither just to be sure.

It's a stupid place for a switch. It's the isolator to turn off power to the cooker if something goes wrong. But it's directly above the cooker you're trying to isolate.

Not a lot of use if something is on fire.

Please tell me how many fires you have seen being put out simply by turning off the electricity.

None. But if something has an electricity supply, and it's on fire, then turning off the power is a really good idea. 

If it's a gas cooker, then turning off the gas also helps.

dil1976

FreeBear said:

plumb1_2 said: Get a Electrican to check which way the cable runs, he might be able to put a new isolator in the cupboard and just fit a blanking plate over the old one, then no damage?

No, no, NO!

Isolating switches should never be in hidden in cupboards. All too easy to pile crap in front of them making it difficult to access. Anyone apart from the home owner may not know the location.. It needs to be on the wall, clearly visible and not more than 2000mm from the hob/oven.

The OP either moves the hob over by ~300mm (new worktop required), or moves the switch (new tiling needed). That is the price of poor design & execution.

Really? You got any regulation numbers to back up those distances?