Are there REGULATIONS on oven installation ?????

[rwkshaw]

When installing an oven, using a seperate switch mounted above the worktop and the oven wires connected to a box that is controlled by the seperate switch above, are there any rules for placing the box that the oven is wired in to ????

The reason I ask is that I have had a cooker rewired by my Landlord due to kitchen modernisation and he has put the box that the cooker wires in to 18 inches from the floor smack bang in the centre of the oven part of my cooker... Would this plastic box not become very hot when the oven is in use ???

Thank You..

Rich.

 

[alexnic]

The cooker switch should be accessable ie. above worktop height and obviously situated near enough the cooker to operate it without harm.

The only outlet you should have below worktop level is the cooker outlet box where the cable from the cooker and the cable from the isolationg switch (load side) are terminated.

 

[alexnic]

forgot to add in reply above ....

I normally try to put the cooker outlet box to the side of the cooker if possible but what your Landlord has done is OK

 

[rwkshaw]

I was just a bit worried about the heat.....

 

[loftus75]

The 16th Edition IEE Wiring Regs do cover your particular question, Ch42, Protection against thermal effects and other areas of the Regs, re: access. Without quoting the various sub-sections, generally fittings/materials must be suitable when used in heated areas, there are several subsections that make reference to the precise materials. Based on your discription the materials used and the access to the switch the installation would not meet current Regs. However. The Regs are not a statutory requirement, and while the installation may not meet requirements, your landlord cannot necessarily be forced to comply with these. Equally if a problem did occur, it's is highly likely the Regs would be used in any litigation and he could be held financially liable as a result of this.

 

[amtodd]

Have rarely seen a cooker connection box anywhere oher than directly behind the cooker. Obvious place for accessing the connections when replacing the oven.

In general ovens are hot on the inside, but not too bad on the outside - especially at the back where the installed insulation will be at it's thickest. It should not get as hot as a standard lightbulb does.

Placing electrical fittings above a hob is another game altogether, and extraction fans etc. should be at least 500mm above an electric and 750mm above a gas hob. (Many Corgi fitters will refuse to fit a hob where the clearance is not sufficient). Do not have any sockets / switches etc installed between a hob and extractor, nor within 150mm to the side of a hob. Where a hob is repositioned, either have metal blanking plates fitted over old items or better still, have them tiled over - obviously making sure the wiring is made safe.