Hard wire socket for cooker

[CatCaller]

While fixing some incorrectly labeled sockets today in my kitchen, i am also moving my cooker to it's correct cooker socket which has it's own breaker in the Consumer Unit. I remembered why we never connected it to that a few years ago because it seemed to be a blank plate and i had a 3 pin plug. I've taken this off today and it looks to be a hard wire socket.

Am i ok to chop the end off the cooker plug and connect it to this? I did the reverse for our dishwasher. Standard 13amp fuse in the plug.

 

[deadshort]

If you have a cooker connection plate you could replace it with a single 13a socket and just plug the oven into that.

Regards,

DS

 

[JohnD]

No. If your cooker was supplied with a 13A plug, it probably has a gas hob. The instructions are likely to say that the flex must be protected by a 13A fuse, either in the plug or in an FCU; or on a circuit protected by a 16A MCB.

Your cooker connection unit is probably designed for an electric cooker, and is probably on a 32A circuit. perhaps more if it was designed to accommodate an electric range.

It is possible to connect a 13A socket to your cooker outlet, or to swap it for an FCU cable outlet, however it will be less trouble, and more sensible, to leave the 13A plug on and plug it into a convenient socket. You may need to change your labelling.

 

[CatCaller]

It is gas, indeed. So better to connect to something like this: http://www.diy.com/departments/mk-13a-1-gang-white-unswitched-socket/262236_BQ.prd and then to just plug as normal?

 

[deadshort]

It is gas, indeed. So better to connect to something like this: http://www.diy.com/departments/mk-13a-1-gang-white-unswitched-socket/262236_BQ.prd and then to just plug as normal?

That's the job.

Regards,

DS

 

[JohnD]

If you want. The big cables inside the connection unit are quite stiff, you will need to put a surface mounting box on top of the recessed metal box in the wall, or beside it, as the back parts of the socket will probably not push into it. Photograph the old one while you take it apart, there are several screws of different sizes.

Identify where the old hidden cables are, you must not drill into them if you are making new screw-holes.

 

[sparkwright]

Why may he need a surface mounted box? The cables shouldn't be THAT stiff. Can't he just remove the cooker outlet, and replace with a single socket, fixed to the existing back box?

 

[CatCaller]

Thanks for all the replies guys. Glad i didn't just cut the plug and connect it!

 

[JohnD]

I was thinking it would be nice to keep the existing innards (clamp and connector block) in place as an electric cooker will doubtless be fitted sooner or later. In which case you can probably not squeeze the socket in.

 

[sparkwright]

I was thinking it would be nice to keep the existing innards (clamp and connector block) in place as an electric cooker will doubtless be fitted sooner or later. In which case you can probably not squeeze the socket in.

Ah, didn't realise that.