Electric Cooker Installation

[derek.d]

I have been asked to install a cooking range for my daughter and a little clarification of the wiring standards would be of help. There is a old style Wylex wired fuse consumer unit with a fuse rated at 30amp currently supplying a disused cooker point wired with 6mm cable. The consumer unit is located in a cupboard approximately 4 metres from the cooker. The range manufacturer says a maximum load of 15.6kw (all on) and the electrical connection can either be 10mm cable with a 40amp fuse or 6mm cable and a 30amp fuse.
1/ The range will be postioned next to the sink so I wiil earth the sink/taps to the cooker. ???
2/ Is it acceptable to put a main switch for the cooker in the cupboard with the consumer unit or must it be say above the cooker ???
3/ What kind of switch/mcb/rcd would be best to use either in the original consumer unit or as a additional unit ???

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I have been asked to install a cooking range for my daughter and a little clarification of the wiring standards would be of help. There is a old style Wylex wired fuse consumer unit with a fuse rated at 30amp currently supplying a disused cooker point wired with 6mm cable. The consumer unit is located in a cupboard approximately 4 metres from the cooker. The range manufacturer says a maximum load of 15.6kw (all on) and the electrical connection can either be 10mm cable with a 40amp fuse or 6mm cable and a 30amp fuse.

The accepted assumed demand calculation for that cooker produces a result of 27.3A, or 32.3A if the CCU (Cooker Control Unit) has a socket outlet, so the instructions are correct. Obviously you are more likely to have enough on in practice to overload the 6mm²/30A circuit than the 10mm²/40A. In fact, unless the cable were heavily insulated, and if you had a CU capable of it, you could use 10mm² with a 50A breaker.

1/ The range will be postioned next to the sink so I wiil earth the sink/taps to the cooker. ???

No requirement to do so, but if the sink is fed by metal pipes it won't do any harm.

2/ Is it acceptable to put a main switch for the cooker in the cupboard with the consumer unit or must it be say above the cooker ???

It shouldn't be tucked away in a cupboard 4m from the appliance. They aren't that unattractive, and people are used to seeing them in kitchens, so they are acceptable. You can get all sorts of white/brass/chrome/etc styles to match your decor.

3/ What kind of switch/mcb/rcd would be best to use either in the original consumer unit or as a additional unit ???

You should use a CCU like this

 

[securespark]

The CCU or DP iso switch must be no more than 2m from the cooker.