Redundant 30 Amp cooker switch - options?

[dm999]

We're going from an electric hob to a gas one and so we will have a redundant 30A cooker switch.

What options do we have - can it be stepped down to a lower rating and used for some under unit lights or will it need to be removed?

Clearly I won't be doing this myself but am interested to know what options there are.

Cheers, DM.

 

[chivers67]

There's no reason why you can't utilise the circuit by "stepping down" as long as it's marked in the Consumer Unit

 

[ban-all-sheds]

We're going from an electric hob to a gas one and so we will have a redundant 30A cooker switch..

What about the oven?

 

[dm999]

We're going from an electric hob to a gas one and so we will have a redundant 30A cooker switch..

What about the oven?

Good point, we're keeping the electric oven and it has a separate switch from the hob Looking at the consumer unit they're on separate trip switches too.

Cheers.

 

[dm999]

There's no reason why you can't utilise the circuit by "stepping down" as long as it's marked in the Consumer Unit

Will that necessitate changing the cable from the consumer unit to the switch or can the switch in the consumer unit be stepped down to suit (under unit lighting for instance)?

Cheers.

 

[OwainDIYer]

the gas hob will probably require a 13A socket for ignition.

if there's a cooker cable outlet behind the hob then that can be changed to a single 13A socket or fused connection unit and used for the hob ignition. Label it 32A hob circuit.

You or a future owner might want an electric hob again so I wouldn't reuse the circuit for lights.

 

[rk696]

There's no reason why you can't utilise the circuit by "stepping down" as long as it's marked in the Consumer Unit

Will that necessitate changing the cable from the consumer unit to the switch or can the switch in the consumer unit be stepped down to suit (under unit lighting for instance)?

Cheers.

Nope, you can keep the cable as is, but if you run a different size cable from it (1.5 for lights etc), you will need to de-rate the MCB in the consumer unit accordingly.

As long as the MCB is correctly rated for the smallest cable in the circuit, you are good to go! What you don't want is a 40A braker protecting a circuit with 1.5mm cable in it for exmaple, as it can start a fire.

 

[dm999]

Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions, much appreciated.

DM.