Cooker isolator switch distance

Hi all,

We've recently had a 32a cooker circuit installed in anticipation of moving from a gas oven (left in the house we kust bought) to dual fuel. When the electrician came to have a look he and my partner agreed the isolator would go inside a bottom cupboard less than a metre away laterally from the cooker. When they came back to actually install the circuit, despite cutting a hole in the cupboard for the switch they ended up putting it in the cupboard under the stairs, about 2.6 metres away. The reasoning wasn't explained. I assumed the switch would meet regulations there but I'm a complete novice.
We're now finding retailers of the cooker we've chosen won't install it because the isolator is more than 1.5m from the cooker. We're not sure how to proceed or what our options are. Can we ask the electrician to move the switch to the originally agreed point? Is that the optimal solution?
Any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance.

There are no regulations requiring an isolator for a cooker therefore it does not matter where you put it.

Do you have a cooker connector on the wall near or behind the cooker position?



Appliance delivery companies look for any possible excuse not to fit the appliances.

Clearly an appliance delivery company does not want to run cable around the house, but I think the distance from isolator to cooker was dropped around 14th edition we are now on 18th edition of wiring regulations, so as long as the cooker connection unit is within reasonable distance and 1.5 meters seems reasonable, it really does not matter where the isolator is, if in fact you have one.

It is however normally expected to find a cooker isolator in the same position from cooker as a motor isolator from a motor, but there is no rule to say it must be, idea normally is should the cooker go on fire, the isolator is handy, but not where a fire would prevent its use. For a motor it states "shall be provided with an efficient means of switching off, readily accessible. easily operated and so placed as to prevent danger." and that is normally considered true for cooker, but there is not rule.

BS7671 started with 16th edition, before that the wiring regulations included many recommendations which are today found in the guide to BS7671 not in the regulations its self, like distance from socket to sink, which was in early pre BS7671 given in wiring regulations and designed so a kettle would need unplugging to be put under the tap, however things have moved on, we have cordless kettles so auto unplugged, and we have waste disposal units which are supplied from a point very close to the sink, so many old regulations have been dropped, but people notice what has been added but not what has been dropped.

However things like the cooker isolator need to have some common sense, with an eye level grill, not seen one in years, with the controls built into the grill, any fire would stop you reaching the controls, so there was a need for an isolator to one side, but with an induction hob, it will not cause ignition as not hot enough, and if the heat exceeds a set level it turns down power and if it still goes up it auto turns off, at least mine does, so there is really no need for an isolator, and when they are fitted often to keep buried cables in the safe zones they end up behind the cooker so pointless anyway as could not reach them in the case of a fire.

I have a cooker isolator, without it to turn off I would need to go outside, down a set of steps and into granny flat under main house to switch it off, but mothers old house the consumer unit was in the kitchen and you walked past it to leave house, so there was no real need for an isolator.

So look at some common sense, if you think the isolator is in a daft place, then get electrician back and use the suppliers refusal as an excuse, if it is in a sensible place, then complain to supplier. That is assuming there is a cooker connection unit within 1.5 meters, although no rule saying must have a cooker connection unit, I would say the installer can reasonable expect to be able to connect with 2 meters of cable, and for the cooker to be able to be withdrawn for cleaning.

Have they actually run a cable leaving the isolator under the stairs to the cooker position?

If there's no cable or outlet actually at the cooker position, the delivery company most certainly won't want to know.

As said above somewhere, these delivery companies will find every excuse under the sun to avoid connecting up cookers. They haven't got time for things like that.

If these delivery companies actually do connect something up, it can often be a rough job.

Loose terminals, insulation trapped under the terminals, that sort of thing.

Often the appliance shop will offer you 'expert installation'.
That's a joke. Someone installed a washing machine for me once. They made a puddle of water on the lino, didn't clear it up, moved the washing machine onto it, and left a transit bolt in.

Expert installation.

I actually worked for a company fitting cookers for two weeks, I couldn't get another job fast enough, no test equipment and at that time I did not have my own, we worked as a pair, gas man and electrician I was to labour for him with gas, he laboured for me with electric.

If the gas regulations said needs a gap of 100 mm and it was 95 mm he just took the cooker back, and I was expected to do the same, I realised sooner or later I would come to a house where there was a fault, and without test gear I would not know, so I could end up in court because I installed where there was a fault, it seems the way not to get court was to find a reason to refuse any job which did not look A1.

That was around 1994 I would hope it has improved now? I had a water leak and insurance repaired and that electrician did the loop impedance on the light fitting, so it seems people do today have the test gear, however cookers often come with flex fitted, I would expect it to be 1500 mm long so the cooker connection unit needs to be behind where the cooker is to go.

Put the isolator where you want, but does need cooker connection unit to be within 1500 mm of where the cooker will be to connect up.

Thank for taking the time, everyone.
Yes, the isolator switch has been wired to a connection point right behind the cooker , so I don't think that'll be an issue.

From my POV the isolator switch seems in a reasonably accessible place; open the cupboard door and it's right in front of you. It's a bit further, but not as cluttered as the cupboard would be. Six of one and half a dozen of the other!

I've heard horror stories about installation from the like of Currys, and even AO...

Not sure how we'll proceed from here. We could either
A) follow ericmark's suggestion and ask the cooker vendor to make an exception, or
B) Have the cooker delivered and get the electrician to fit it, although I assume they wouldn't be qualified to connect the gas?