Double oven and hob no RCD

Hi

We've recently purchased a new hotpoint double oven after our last one packed up.

The guy from currys refused to wire it into the cooker low socket saying it will overload the circuit and blow the fuse and he's not qualified to take it on.

So, gets 2 sparkies to come and quote the job. Both registered.

1st spark says needs a new consumer unit as rewireable fuses or something and no RCD and a 10mm cable wiring in to replace the 6mm.

He also mentioned the bonding is under sized and needs upgrading.

Our fuseboard has sat happily like so for 35 years so I'm a bit taken a back that an oven swap requires all that work. He told me it would cost £500!!

The 2nd spark said the consumer unit can stay as is but as he's taking on the responsibility of the cooker it needs an RCD due to having a socket outlet on the main switch.

Something about a separate RCD unit in it's own enclosure and re-use the 6mm cable with a dual accessory plate for oven and hob.

I queried the other sparks intention to rewire the cooker circuit from scratch and he said he's talking out his ****!

He did a calculation for me and said theres no way the oven and hob will trip a 32A breaker (the new unit) so I can leave the cable in.

I bloody hope so because the board is in a box outside and the original cooker feed is run in the cavity (ex council job) and is a long run. It'd be a right job to rewire that!

I had a little more confidence in the 2nd chap until he asked about the gas and water connections like the 1st spark.

Same answer, needs upgrading or he won't do the job. Told me it'd cost around £275.

Question is, who is right and is it reasonable to pay £500 considering the other quote just to have a new oven connected?

I'm not electrically savvy so won't even dare attempt to connect this myself and rightly so.

Any cooking appliance you can buy for domestic premises will be fine on 6mm² cable and 30A fuse.

Geoff-88 said:

The guy from currys refused to wire it into the cooker low socket saying it will overload the circuit and blow the fuse and he's not qualified to take it on.

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From experience they will do anything to avoid doing the job for which you have already paid.

Get your money back.

2nd one is correct that sockets require RCDs, however the oven does not.
Just installing a new oven does not involve the socket outlet. Even if that is considered to be a problem, the other solution is to replace it with one that doesn't have a socket outlet.

Main bonding does need to be correct for any electrical work to be done - but 'undersized' is meaningless on it's own as the size required depends on various other things.

Pictures of your fusebox, meter and surrounding area, and the existing bonding connections to gas/water would be useful.

Geoff-88 said:

1st spark says needs a new consumer unit as rewireable fuses or something and no RCD and a 10mm cable wiring in to replace the 6mm.

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Rubbish.

He also mentioned the bonding is under sized and needs upgrading.

Click to expand...

It might be, but nothing to do with the cooker.

The 2nd spark said the consumer unit can stay as is but as he's taking on the responsibility of the cooker it needs an RCD due to having a socket outlet on the main switch.

Click to expand...

That is taking it too far. It is nothing to do with connecting a cooker.

Something about a separate RCD unit in it's own enclosure and re-use the 6mm cable with a dual accessory plate for oven and hob.
I had a little more confidence in the 2nd chap until he asked about the gas and water connections like the 1st spark.
Same answer, needs upgrading or he won't do the job. Told me it'd cost around £275.

Click to expand...

Might be true with some work - not connecting a cooker.

Question is, who is right

Click to expand...

I am.

and is it reasonable to pay £500 considering the other quote just to have a new oven connected?

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No.

The cooker circuit should be tested to ensure it is safe for continued use. That is the cable and fuse.
Nothing else need be done to bring the installation up to current regulations.

Would they have said the same for a new washing mashine which just plugs in?

EFLImpudence said:

The cooker circuit should be tested to ensure it is safe for continued use. That is the cable and fuse.
Nothing else need be done to bring the installation up to current regulations.

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To the op, that's all you need to know.

Yep, an electrician could always change the cooker connection unit to a non socket version or at least offer that if they were concerned about a socket having no RCD protection.

Can post a pic of the outlet and switch and we can advise a safe a cheap way to proceed