13 amp Cooker / hob question

subjecttocontract

Ive never heard of any property other than a caravan that doesn't have a 30amp supply for a cooker. A 13amp 4 ring hob is going to seriously limit what can be cooked and I wish you luck but it wouldn't be for me. Are you 100% sure there isn't a 30 amp supply in the kitchen ?

jennifernil

You could buy a portable 2 ring hob, either induction or traditional, to sit on a worktop, and either a large air fryer or a mini oven. I would not get one that has the 2 hobs on top of the oven. That would be absolutely fine for one or two people.

johnnyren

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82054750#Comment_82054750

I’m not an electrician but there is a single fused spur box next to a double electric socket , But what that is for I’ve no idea , The old oven and hob had already been removed

There is a cooker hood still in place with has a large socket and a large sealed plug if that makes any sense . I don’t know if that’s what the spur dockets for

Maybe I’m better just getting an electrician out , We thought it might be simpler going down the 13 amp route , But I think I’ll sleep better getting it all done right , Now where’s my wallet lol

QrizB

When the future Mrs QrizB and I moved into our first shared home, we had a Baby Belling.

A bit like this but with coiled electric hotplates rather than solid ones, and it was white not black:

https://business.currys.co.uk/catalogue/domestic-appliances/cooking/free-standing-cookers/belling-baby-321r-electric-tabletop-cooker-black/B172644B

It was all we needed for our first years together.

Rodders53

Picture of the Falt's Consumer Unit (aka fusebox) with cover open. Clear in focus so the printing and any labelling can be read. Ditto for the Kitchen worktop / oven area plugs sockets and switches…

From that some slightly more accurate advice can be provided. (E.g. a 32A breaker labelled COOKER or OVEN may be present). ;)

My Bosch 4-burner induction hob can be electronically hobbled to a max 13A power draw. My youngest son has a plug-in 13A 4 burner induction hob he cooks for the family of 4 plus us (and even more people) with… No major issues (though as said it limits the power to any individual burner by pulsing/switching them on/off quite quickly). So they can work OK.

Marmaduke123

I have a Bosch induction hob with 4 "burners" two of which can be joined together to make a bigger cooking area if required.

It is built in to the worktop and plugs in to a standard 13 amp socket under the worktop which was previously used for the ignition system for the gas hob I used to have.

I was doubtful about a 13 amp induction hob but haven't encountered any problems with it and it's more than sufficient for my needs.

I also have a built in fan oven which plugs into a 13 amp socket. There are loads of these on the market.

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82054986#Comment_82054986

From that some slightly more accurate advice can be provided. (E.g. a 32A breaker labelled COOKER or OVEN may be present). ;)

Though the presence of a 32A MCB/RCBO with "Cooker" or "Oven" written under it doesn't necessarily mean there is a connection point in the kitchen which can safely supply 32A.

Rodders53

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82055176#Comment_82055176

Which is why I asked for pics in the Kitchen… Doh!!!

Section62

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82055678#Comment_82055678

Which won't help much because pictures won't show whether there is a cable between the consumer unit and whatever is in the kitchen, nor whether the cable (if there is one) has the capacity for 32A and/or is in a satisfactory condition.

One of the possible reasons the OP's daughter has been told the 13A max thing, and the somewhat unusual situation of apparently not having a proper cooker feed, might be that the cooker feed (if there ever was one) has been condemned due to the cable being underrated or damaged.

Even if there is a cooker point in the kitchen, the reason for the 13A max thing needs to be understood/clarified, which may mean getting an electrician in to do a check.

(No need for the "Doh!!!)

jimi_man

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82054750#Comment_82054750

It is actually relatively common depending on the type of home. New places or conversions might not have them, or sometimes older places that were designed with gas cooking in mind.

Usually they are induction hobs and they are designed for a 13 amp supply (with a moulded plug) and the hobs themselves contain circuitry that doesn't overload the system. So the hob won't let you run all four elements at once on full power and they are usually limited to around 3kw, so if all four are on then they are limited.

Obviously a dedicated CCU is best but you have to work with what you have and if just want to be able to cook a few things without the expense of installing a 30amp supply then they are a compromise.