Connecting New Cooker Hood

[cwcw]

I am replacing an old cooker extractor hood that was previously installed by a kitchen fitter. It packed up so I've got a new one.

The extractor is on the lighting circuit. After removing the old one, I found it was wired to an FCU (no switch) within the chimney cover of the hood.

The new extractor has a plug (I suspect from its flex that the old one did too and it got chopped off to wire to the FCU).

I see 2 options but not sure which is best:
1) Chop the plug off the new hood and connect to the FCU as the last one was.
2) Replace the FCU with a single socket behind the hood cover.

The first option involves chopping a molded socket off and the second option involves putting a socket on to a lighting circuit, albeit inaccessible.

Ideally it would be wired up to the kitchen socket circuit and have its own accessible switched FCU too but I'd rather avoid ripping up the whole kitchen for a cheap hood provided it is safe and not breaking regs (albeit not ideal).

Thanks in advance.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

Either option is perfectly fine and meets the regulations. Ignore anyone who pops up here and says you can't use a socket. He is wrong.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I agree.

 

[winston1]

Why not use a socket that is correct for the lighting circuit? A 5a or 2a round pin one.

 

[AndyPRK]

Cus the hood comes with a 13a

And round pin are expensive

 

[winston1]

Cus the hood comes with a 13a

But he suggested cutting it off anyway for the fcu so that is irreverent.

And round pin are expensive

They may cost slightly more, but safety etc is more important than cost.

 

[EFLImpudence]

It is, but suggesting unnecessary spending when it is not unsafe is well - unnecessary.

 

[cwcw]

Cheers guys. While I do like the idea of the round pin socket, it is maybe overkill for what would be an inaccessible socket.

I'm leaning towards chopping the plug off and wiring to the FCU as per the previous one. Does it matter that the FCU is not switched?

 

[danechip]

Cut it off and hard wire it. Saves money and time. It does not matter if it not switched, you can turn it off in the CU (fusebox)

 

[danechip]

As long as you have that big rocker switch in that box (that is easily accessible), nothing needs a switch.

 

[bernardgreen]

you can turn it off in the CU

which will also remove power from the lighting circuit, inconvenient when the sun goes down.