Electric Cooker: with 6mm and 10mm wiring

[JohnB]

When checking our wiring before buying a new cooker I noticed that our cooker switch has a 10mm cable for the feed and 6mm cable on the load going to the cooker connection box (currently unused as we have a gas cooker). The fuse in the main fusebox is 30amp for this standalone circuit.

Is this normal?

I ask as we're about to replace our single oven gas cooker with a double oven dual fuel one (about a 12KW appliance I think) and thus will need to utilise this connection point. Everything I read says 6mm is fine but it just seems a strange thing to do.

Any thoughts?

 

[breezer]

at least it is better than the other way round. Perhaps who ever put it in ran out of 10mm

 

[JohnB]

Hmmmm. Thanks for that

 

[MANDATE]

My interpretation is that 6mm is ok up to 8.5 k/w, above that you should be using 10mm so if the figure quoted is correct you'll have to change the outgoing cable and the fuse.
Does dual fuel in your case mean 'gas' hob but 'electric' ovens, if so 12k/w seems rather high (drawing 50 amps).
I suppose you could find out the manufacturers recommendations.

 

[JohnB]

Thanks for that Mandate.

The manufacturers say a 30amp fuse is okay, so it's all rather contradictory?!!?

Ho hum.

 

[breezer]

Oerhaps the manufacturer is applying a lot of diversity (not everything being on at the same time.) but if the thats what they say, but keep an eye (or hand) on te cable, if it gets warm it is too small

 

[JohnB]

It's weird as most say that the grill areas (top ovens) are about 2kw and the bottom oven under 3kw, and lists the burners seperately as figures reaching 7kw.

As my burners will be gas, it's confusing when they quote a dual fuel cooker as being 12kw all in! I suppose they mean 12kw spread over two fuel types? (they just don't say it)

I think I'll assume that the 2 ovens are okay for 6mm so as long as it's a dual fuel cooker. But we certainly couldn't run a fully electric cooker on the current system.

Ta for the help all.

PS - if anyone disagrees with the above please SHOUT