New electric oven question

[CJC]

Hi all,

I currently have an inbuilt oven in which I want to replace. My current oven is plugged straight into a power plug socket. I am looking at two new ovens:

Beko ones says need to be hard wired in and the hotpoint says it can be plugged into a normal socket.

Problem is I do prefer the Beko one and if I can just plug it into my current electric socket like my current oven then I would definitely get it.

If someone could explain this it would be very useful.

Many thanks,

[Owain]

According to

Beko is 2.1 kW and so could be plugged into a 13A socket. You would need to provide the cable and plug.

You do need to provide an *accessible* means of disconnecting it, though, so plugging it in somewhere behind a unit would not be acceptable.

Owain

[Toby]

Well, according to the manual for the Beko one (page 6 here

the total power requirement is only 2.3Kw, which will be fine on a normal 13A socket as this is only going to draw 10A - it even says the minimum fusing is 13A, which is what a normal socket it rated to.

If it were me, I would cut the cable off the old one and use this cable to connect the new one (Providing it is in good condition, of course)

However, as I understand it, you should have a means to turn the oven off completely, local to the oven, without having to remove it from the cabinet, so if the socket is behind the oven, then this is not to current standards - I am not sure if having the socket in an adjacent cupboard is OK or not - maybe someone qualified can comment?

Toby.. (Not an electrician)

[John Whitworth]

Our oven is wired in like this - the 13A socket (unswitched I think) is behind the oven, and thus inaccessible - but it is controlled via a standard cooker switch above the units.

JW

[Toby]

Than that is fine, as there is a means of accessible isolation.

Toby...

[stuart noble]

We recently had a multi fuel free standing cooker installed professionally, and the switch was put in the adjoining cabinet. AIUI double ovens and twin cavity cookers require hard wiring with 6mm cable. Most single ovens are ok on a 13amp plug.

[cynic]

Kitchen fitters do strange things! Just because one has provided a switch inside an adjoining cabinet is not a reliable indicator.

[stuart noble]

This was a retrofit, so he didn't have much option. Pukka contractor with all the gas/partP paperwork, so I assume it's all up to standard. Also got me a new gas meter installed within the hour because something had corroded and he couldn't test the pressure.

[CJC]

Oh wow, thanks all for your feedback on this.

Based on what you say it seems fine to just put a normal cable into it and use the existing socket (which is in an adjacent cupboard) we have. Initially when I looked into it on the net they were talking about fires starting due to the oven pulling more power than ones that say ok for 13 amp.

Thanks again for your help. I think I will go for the Beko one.

[John Whitworth]

You'll be fine. Generally speaking, a single oven unit will be capable of being supplied from a 13A socket, whereas a double electric oven will most likely need properly wiring into a specific circuit.

[CJC]

Thanks again for all the answers. I have a further question based on this though.

I have just checked my consumer unit and my oven is on the same ring as downstairs electric (32 amp). Is this normal? I do have a 32amp fuse separate to the downstairs ring but after testing this only powers the electric hob. Which means the hob is separate to downstairs electric but not the oven?

Many thanks,

[Toby]

Ideally, anything that is going to present a significant load would be on a separate circuit.

If you haven't had a problem with it tripping out before, then the new one one unlikely to make it any worse.

Do you have an induction hob by any chance?

Toby...

[CJC]

No it's just a standard hob, thats what made it unusual to me.

I've never had tripping issues before therefore I'm just going to bite the bullet and buy it today.

Thanks all for your help.

[ARWadsworth]

That is quite normal. An electric hob can pull a lot of current and will need its own supply.

Adam

[Colin Harper]

On Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:21:27 +0100, ARWadsworth wrote (in article ):

Those curly-wurly element rings I remember were about 1KW each weren't they? So 4KW for that kind of hob then, if they're all on and blazing. If I think back to my parents old upright white standalone cooker, that had 2 ovens, four of those rings and a grill.

I _think_ that had a separate circuit, but as I was only 12 when I last saw it, I can't rightly remember!