Switches near hobs

[DavidA1982]

A quick one, this. I've got a tall larder unit next to my hob. The hob unit is 800mm wide, the induction hob is 570mm wide. So, I make it that the distance from the edge of the hob to the tall larder unit is only 115mm. There will be a plinth heater under the larder unit.

My question is: can I put the switched FCU for the plinth heater on the side of the larder unit? I have seen that it is generally considered common sense (or a matter of law) to have nothing within 300mm of a gas hob (presumably because of naked flames), but is there a similar rule/best practice for distances from induction hobs? And if 300mm is best, does that mean 300mm horizontally; or would it be OK if I put the switch say 500mm above worktop height?

The same question goes for the FCU for the hob itself. I was currently planning on having it on a wall about 1.5m away which is far from ideal.

Thanks!

 

[JohnW2]

The same question goes for the FCU for the hob itself. I was currently planning on having it on a wall about 1.5m away which is far from ideal.

I wouldn't have thought that an FCU (13A max) would be appropriate for most induction hobs.

If you're talking about a isolation/emergency switch for the hob, I wonder in what sense you feel that 1.5m away (presumably from the hob?) would be "far from ideal"l? Whilst one obviously does not want an 'emergency switch' to be too far away from the associated appliance, nor does (IMO) one want it too close - if there are flames/smoke coming from the hob, or one is getting shocks from it, one doesn't want to have to lean over the hob to get to the 'emergency switch'!

Kind Regards, John

 

[Taylortwocities]

There will be a plinth heater under the larder unit.

My question is: can I put the switched FCU for the plinth heater on the side of the larder unit?

John, he is generally talking about an FCU for the plinth heater.

All accessories need to be suitable for the environment. I would suggest that an FCU next to a hob, with resulting splashing, steam etc is not suitable.

Will you need to access this FCU often? If it is only for switching off for maintenece, etc, it could go inside the cabinet.

If it is a FUNCTIONAL switch (ie to turn the heater on and off) then you need to find another location.

The induction hob isolation device can be 1.5metres away. But, as John says, this will not be an FCU as most induction hobs will pull a bit more than 13amp!

 

[DavidA1982]

Sorry, you are quite right - I mean the isolation switch.

It's not ideal because it's a switch on an otherwise-clean wall between the kitchen and the under-stairs cupboard. It's very thin, probably not deep enough to accommodate a box.

 

[DavidA1982]

There will be a plinth heater under the larder unit.

My question is: can I put the switched FCU for the plinth heater on the side of the larder unit?

John, he is generally talking about an FCU for the plinth heater.

All accessories need to be suitable for the environment. I would suggest that an FCU next to a hob, with resulting splashing, steam etc is not suitable.

Will you need to access this FCU often? If it is only for switching off for maintenece, etc, it could go inside the cabinet.

If it is a FUNCTIONAL switch (ie to turn the heater on and off) then you need to find another location.

The induction hob isolation device can be 1.5metres away. But, as John says, this will not be an FCU as most induction hobs will pull a bit more than 13amp!

Thanks. I've always used the switch to turn on and off the plinth heater. There is a switch on the heater itself, but it's far easier to leave that on and just use the switch on the wall. I'm just moving the existing switches around to accommodate the new kitchen.

Again, the only other place I could put it would be on the otherwise-empty wall about 1.5m away, which I'm hoping to avoid.

 

[JohnW2]

There will be a plinth heater under the larder unit. My question is: can I put the switched FCU for the plinth heater on the side of the larder unit?

John, he is generally talking about an FCU for the plinth heater.

The same question goes for the FCU for the hob itself.

... and that was the bit that I quoted and commented upon.

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Thanks. I've always used the switch to turn on and off the plinth heater. There is a switch on the heater itself, but it's far easier to leave that on and just use the switch on the wall. I'm just moving the existing switches around to accommodate the new kitchen. ... Again, the only other place I could put it would be on the otherwise-empty wall about 1.5m away, which I'm hoping to avoid.

If walls are a major problem for the plinth heater FCU/switch, I suppose you could consider a ceiling-mounted pull-switch (an {unswitched} FCU could then be in a cupboard or whatever) - although I wouldn't say that is a very nice idea! I agree with TTC that right next to a hob is not a very satisfactory place for an FCU - and 'putting it up higher' wouldn't really change that.

If you ended up having to use the thin wall between kitchen and under-stairs cupboard, a bit of carpentry on the cupboard side would allow you to have boxes 'penetrating' that cupboard.

Kind Regards, John

 

[DavidA1982]

OK, thanks all. Looks like the best thing to do is to just accept that the best place for the switches is on that wall.

In any case, my original plan (just moving existing stuff around) is not going to work anyway. I've just had a look at what I've got. I had a rewire done a year ago. At that time, the electrician did not rewire the kitchen as it had been done recently. I did, however, ask him to give me a new cooker circuit with plenty of spare cable so we could easily move the position of the cooker if necessary; and to put in a new circuit for an induction hob when I needed one. As I didn't have an induction hob at the time, he just used that circuit to power a light in my larder. Anyway I've just had a look at what he actually did: He gave me all of 80cm of cable to play with on the cooker circuit which won't do; and the cable he's used for my new "induction hob circuit" is really small - looks like the stuff he used for the lighting circuit.

So I'll have to get an electrician in anyway, he can work out where to put these switches!

Thanks for your help though.

 

[JohnW2]

Anyway I've just had a look at what he actually did: He gave me all of 80cm of cable to play with on the cooker circuit which won't do; and the cable he's used for my new "induction hob circuit" is really small - looks like the stuff he used for the lighting circuit. ... So I'll have to get an electrician in anyway, he can work out where to put these switches!

I presume this will be a different electrician?

Kind Regards, John

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

What size (CSA) cable for the cooker do you have and what combined output do the two cooking appliances add up to? It is possible that the one cable can supply both appliances!
With regards to S/FCU for plinth heater within 300mm of hob, it is permissible to have a switch in this area, of course common-sense is always the best policy.
Could have this switch on the other side of the hob at a greater distance?

 

[DavidA1982]

Anyway I've just had a look at what he actually did: He gave me all of 80cm of cable to play with on the cooker circuit which won't do; and the cable he's used for my new "induction hob circuit" is really small - looks like the stuff he used for the lighting circuit. ... So I'll have to get an electrician in anyway, he can work out where to put these switches!

I presume this will be a different electrician?

Kind Regards, John

Absolutely!

I'm having the bathroom done at the same time - the builder must be using an electrician for that as I've had new lights in there as well as electrics for the mirror, so I'll just ask him if he can do it. I've actually installed the kitchen units now but taken the backs out, so hopefully it's easy enough to do (if he is happy to run the cable on the floor underneath the units)

 

[DavidA1982]

What size (CSA) cable for the cooker do you have and what combined output do the two cooking appliances add up to? It is possible that the one cable can supply both appliances!
With regards to S/FCU for plinth heater within 300mm of hob, it is permissible to have a switch in this area, of course common-sense is always the best policy.
Could have this switch on the other side of the hob at a greater distance?

Cable for the cooker circuit is 6mm. The new oven is a double oven. I actually installed the exact same oven in the last kitchen and the electrician put in 6mm cable then, so I'm not concerned about that bit.

I don't know what the combined output is. The hob is labelled 6.8kw (seems massive?!); the oven is a bosch double oven.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Is the builder issuing you with electrical certificates for the work being carried out? It is very possible that the bathroom electrics may require notification to building controls and any new circuits in the kitchen will. There will also be requirements for RCD protection to be complied with.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I don't know what the combined output is. The hob is labelled 6.8kw (seems massive?!); the oven is a bosch double oven.

If you can give the model of the bosch, we can work it out for you, rule of thumb would generally allow for 15kW output on 32A circuit and normally a 6.0mm cable would suffice.

 

[JohnW2]

If you can give the model of the bosch, we can work it out for you, rule of thumb would generally allow for 15kW output on 32A circuit and normally a 6.0mm cable would suffice.

Indeed - in fact, nearer to 19kW if there is no additional socket on the circuit. As you say, we need to know details of the oven, but I would be very surprised if a 6mm²/32A circuit were not adequate to run both of the OP's cooking appliances.

Kind Regards, John