We currently have an old gas oven that is on the blink. Her indoors wants an electric one to replace it.
My question is can I just plug an electric oven into a normal electric socket or would I need an electrician fit it?
No it has to be wired direct to a 6mm TW&E outlet.
Don't you have an electric cooker point?
No not that I know of. The oven is in a kitchen extension and I assume since they were going to install a gas oven they didn't bother putting one in.
The current gas oven is plugged into a normal double socket.
Of course it doesn't, you are thinking of a full cooker. Ovens can be very low rating and many come with a 13amp plug on.
This will be a double oven or oven and grill.
Look on the plate on it for the loading of it. A 13amp plug is good for just over 3KW, but I wouldn't plug that much into a ring main if it will be used a lot, it would be better to use the proper cooker point.
If you can advise the full loading of the oven then someone can give you chapter and verse on the proper procedure.
As said, it will depend on how much current it draws. If its an oven with electric rings then it'll almost certainly need a dedicated 6mm cable. If its an oven/grill with a gas hob, it'll come with a plug on it, which can be plugged into any socket. We had a full electric cooker, but we changed to electric oven/gas hob. We already had the 6mm T&E there from the previous cooker. I removed the 6mm cooker outlet, stuck a socket on it, and plugged the oven into it. The 6mm wasnt required, but it was already there and now the oven got its own MCB in the Consumer Unit. I'd be suprised if you dont have a 6mm cable for a cooker in your kitchen, even if its been buired under the floor-boards somewhere, most houses do have 'em.
Andy
Most double ovens will need a seperate 30amp supply but you need to check the kw of the oven
It would be funny if you did ! You need it on it's own circuit in the same way you couldn't plug an electric shower or immersion heater into a socket.
Most ovens nowdays come with a 13A plug on them and are intended to be plugged in to a 13A outlet. However, a double oven is likely to exceed this and may need wiring in. You will need to check this with each model you consider.
I would also suggest you think carefully about a double oven. The compromise with them is that even the larger oven tends to be quite small (unless the whole thing is enormous), and in many cases afterwards, people wished they bought a single oven unit with a larger oven instead of the second oven which is almost never needed. For the very occasional second oven use, you might consider also having a microwave with convensional oven heating, which is what I have done. I think this is much more flexible than a cramped double oven.
Oh dear...........
To think we used to be so good at this.
If you buy a single oven which comes with a fitted plug, or is rated below 3Kw, then you could plug it into a 13A socket.
However, it would be preferable to wire it into a Fused Connection unit preferably on it's own dedicated circuit.
If that's not possible or easy, then one of these fitted as a spur off the ring is still preferable to plugging it into an existing socket IMHO.
If it doesn't come with a plug, and or is rated above 3kw and or it's instructions give specific directions as to how it should be wired then you will need to get a cooker circuit put in, or whatever it says in the instructions.
HTH
It will very likely need its own circuit back to the consumer unit. In the unlikely event that it is only 13A and fitted with plug, then it would probably still not be acceptable to put it on a general purpose ring main unless your calculations show the kitchen ring to have a low loading on it (i.e. no washing machines, tumble dryers etc).
Christian.
Mine didn't. Double oven/grill + gas hob. Instructions said connect with
4mm2. Old fully electric cooker seemed to have 2.5mm2!
Thanks for you replies everybody. Perhaps I will persuade her to stay gas. :)
I'd be inclined to switch (!) to an electric oven. Keep the gas hob. If it's a free-standing gas cooker, yes, replace it with another gas one!
That makes sense,you cant stick your head in an electricity one with the same results as gas. ;-)
But I gathered I would need a big wiring job to have an electric one. If it needs to be on its own circuit is it worth it?
Why not ask the supplier of a prospective oven what supply is suitable, or whether the thing comes with a plug??
What a load of confusing advice. The only deciding factor is the wattage. Without knowing that it is just guessing. Another useful advice is to look at the consumer unit to see if there is a cooker circuit. Some people have a cooker outlet replaced with a twin 13amp outlet if they have a gas cooker.
Yup, especially if its a fan-assisted oven. can;t beat 'em IMHO.
Andy
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