Cooker wiring

[OUCHthatHURT]

I have a NEFF oven with the original 3 pin plug which is currently connected to one of the sockets on the wall. My house is the original one that "Jack built" so renovating as quickly as money allows. About to buy the wiring and sockets for the kitchen .....

Confused now, the new neon cooker switch is rated at 45amp but this leads to a 13amp socket. Is this correct?

 

[JohnD]

Probably. It does no harm to have a higher-amperage switch on a lower-power outlet. Like towing your car with a 50-ton chain instead of a 5-ton rope.

Depending on how the circuit was installed (by an amateur or a pro?) it might be that the circuit is a high-power one capable of feeding a big electric cooker, but has had a socket fitted for the convenience of your low-power oven; or it might be a low-power circuit that has had a big switch fitted because the installer had one in his van.

You will get some more clues if you look at the consumer unit and see what the rating is of the MCB that supplies this outlet; and what else stops working when you turn it off. You will get another clue if you isolate the circuit and have a look behind the switch at the size and number of cables connected to it (only do this if you feel competent to do it safely).

If the electrical installation is generally confusing; or old; or seems poor quality, you may do best to find a well-recommended local electrician and have a Periodic Inspection Report done.

If you can post a photo of your consumer unit and the area round the meter and incoming service, we may get an impression of what the installation is like.

BTW installing Kitchen Circuits is notifiable work; so you either have to have it inspected by your local Building Control (for a fee) or have it installed by an electrician who is a member of a self-certification scheme.

 

[plugwash]

Confused now, the new neon cooker switch is rated at 45amp but this leads to a 13amp socket. Is this correct?

most likely its a cooker cuircuit where someone changed the outlet plate to a socket to plug in the low power single oven but you need to check the cable and breaker sizes and that it is indeed a dedicated cooker cuircuit before changing this.

 

[OUCHthatHURT]

What a wonderful site, thanks for the advice. The cooker came with a 13amp plug already fitted and when I moved into this house I plugged it into the old fashioned cooker socket.

I've already had the consumer unit upgraded and the last room to be rewired is the kitchen - I want all white goods sockets under the worksurface out of the way.

As with the rest of the house, once wiring is complete I will have it tested before going "live"