Cooker extension

[detogni]

I have a problem with my cooker cable and I don't want to pull it all out as it currently runs under a concreted floor. On one side of my kitchen I have the cooker and the here the cable looks ok. On the other side of the kitchen I have the cooker socket and the cable is chased into the wall which is part tiled (splashback). I think the problem is the wiring to the socket.

The kitchen has just been decorated so before ripping my tiles off the wall, what I wanted to do was cut the cooker cable about 2 foot up with wall, wire the cable to a heavy duty junction box and extend this with new cable and attach it to the socket to see if this is the side of the kitchen cable that has a problem, if this works I was then going to take the tiles off and use this new cable.

Does anyone see a problem with this or have any advice?

 

[Taylortwocities]

So I can understand this properly.

1. on one side of the kitchen you have the Cooker Control Unit (this is the isolation switch for the cooker and may, or may not have a socket associated with it) is this correct?

2. from this Cooker Control Unit a new piece of cable runs to where the cooker is (on the other side of the kitchen. is this correct?

3. you say you have a problem, what is the problem - does the cooker work, does the fuse blow, what??

More info = quicker and better responses!!

 

[detogni]

Sorry didn't make myself clear. The answer to Q's 1 and 2 are yes.

The cooker cabled runs from the consumer unit to the cooker control unit and from there runs under a concrete floor to the cooker itself. Recently the breaker in the consumer unit kept tripping. I had an electrician in who told me it is the wire running from the control unit to the cooker which has a problem. The wire from the consumer unit ito the control unit is apparently fine.

I don't want to pull up my concrete floor and the cable on the cooker side appears to be ok. I think it may be a problem near the control unit and want to know for sure.

Thanks

 

[davy_owen_88]

You've been told by an electrician that the cable under the floor is faulty yet you don't want to pull up the floor... Simple solution: run a new cable.

Are you sure the cable in the floor isn't in some form of duct/conduit?

 

[detogni]

No I can't pull the cable through and feed new cable. If I want to run a new cable I have to pull up floor tiles, underfloor heating then concrete and I don't want to run cable around the room if I have an alternative. If the cable at the end of the socket is faulty all I would need to do is replace that piece which is a less destructive option . So my question is can you extend the cable using a heavy duty junction box. Not sure how safe this is on a powerful cable like cooker cable?

 

[Taylortwocities]

If you are using a junction box, it MUST be accessible, you cannot bury it and tile over. If you can locate it somewhere handy use one of these http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/AAJB60.html
You wont get 6mm cable in the regular 30A ones.

If you need to join the cable and bury it you can use insulated throuigh crimps and cover over the joint with heatshrink sleeving.

But first, you've got to locate the fault - good luck - let us know how u get on.

 

[detogni]

Thanks a lot, thats what I needed to know. All the best.

 

[securespark]

Is the switch more than 2m from the oven/cooker/hob?

 

[detogni]

No it isn't, not sure how far apart exactly but our kitchen is quite narrow really.

 

[DJM]

Is the switch more than 2m from the oven/cooker/hob?

Dont want to hijack the thread, but that's the second time I've seen that question recently. Is the 2m limit defined "as the crow (or frightened kitchen user) flies" or is it the "length of cable from switch to cooker"?

And how crucial is that length - could it be 2.5m for example?

 

[securespark]

It is as the crow flies.

How crucial is it?

It is regulation, so that's what we stick to. Unless you have a VERY good reason not to, regs are to be adhered to, and if they are not, an explanation must be made as to why.

 

[DJM]

OK, thanks.

Reason I asked is that our kitchen has 2 windows separated by one 75cm wall section which is where teh cooker is. Cant fit the switches either side as teh windows are too close to work surface, so has to go on wall to left or right. Wall to right ahs sink, so no best placed for electrical switches, and wall to left is 2.8m away. Would that be a problem?