Cooker Circuit

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I've just been looking over the wiring in my kitchen ready for my new kitchen to go in. The one thing I new needed to be done was that the cooker cable needs extending 2-3 meters to put the oven in it's new position.

After reading on here it seemed that the advice was to leave the original cooker switch in place, then run the 2-3 meter run from that switch and put another switch just before the oven.

Well now I've looked it's worse than I expected, currently it is wired up as follows. The cooker cable comes to a double regular socket above the worktop, from this there is a spur which runs to a 13A Fused Switch which has the under cupboard lights wired to it, then from this there is a spur to another double socket under the worktop which has the oven and gas hob plugged in to it. The oven/hob only works if you switch the cupboard lights on. :eek:

Is there any other way I can extend the cooker cable? My prefered way would be to use a junction box under the floor above the kitchen and then run it to where it needs to go from there and drop it down the wall. Would this be acceptable, the cable is 6mm
 
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Can you change the double socket for a cooker switch (with a single socket on it) and then run the cable from there? If it's 6mm to that socket and your fuse is the right size then that's ok. Your spur for the lights is a small problem. You need to run the cooker cable without going through the spur. And the spur needs to fuse down to 3A for the lights.
 
are you thinking of an all-electric cooker? Or a gas hob? Or an electric hob? And an electric oven?

Your existing circuit is obviously a bodge, have you considered running a new cooker circuit?

A junction box under the floor is a bad idea and is not permitted.

Kitchen wiring is notifiable work.
 
The under cupboard lights are going in the bin, the first double socket that the 6mm wire comes to is a regular double socket above the worktop - I don't really want a cooker switch there if it can be helped.

The oven will be a built in single oven and the hob is a separate gas hob.

JohnD - you say that a junction box under the floor board is not permitted, how sure are you on this? From what I have read you can make a join but it must be accessible. I took this to mean it couldn't be plastered in but I would have thought that lifting a floorboard in the room above the kitchen is still accessible?? I would have thought this way would be the simplest and safest way and even if one regulation is slightly questionable it's still a lot safer than the current setup
 
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I know what you'll do.

you'll nail the floorboard down, then you'll lay vinyl on it, then you'll put down laminated flooring with the kitchen units on top.

No one will ever see your JB again.
 
I would have thought this way would be the simplest and safest way and even if one regulation is slightly questionable it's still a lot safer than the current setup

Junction boxes have screws clamping two or more bits of copper wire together. Over time these screws may become loose as the copper slowly changes shape under pressure. Then the joint becomes resistive and heat occurs at the joint and the situation esculates until the joint gets very hot, arcing may ocur and fire may follow.

Doesn't happen in all junction boxes. But it does when there is no way to check the screws are still tight when the appliance starts "mis-having" as the supply becomes less than perfect.

And sometimes a junction box is forgotten about.

one regulation is slightly questionable

but the safety is highly questionable
 
I know what you'll do.

you'll nail the floorboard down, then you'll lay vinyl on it, then you'll put down laminated flooring with the kitchen units on top.

No one will ever see your JB again.

The kitchen floor is concrete, this is the bedroom floor above, the point where it would be joined is under an inspection panel on the landing, the carpet is pulled back, undo two screws and a panel hinges up, there is a couple of radiator joins on the one side and lots of wires on the right, of which one is the 6mm cooker circuit.

I could replace all the bodged electrics with one chrome cooker switch above the worktop then run the output cable down a channel, then round the room a couple of meters (behind the cupboards) to the oven - would that be acceptable?

I don't mean to argue - just want an easy life! I'll do it in the most compliant way possible - that's why I'm here getting advice.

Thanks for the replies - and John I didn't mean to question your expertise just double checking
 

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