Urgent help required with CU or im not getting any dinner

[smokey]

My deal beloved had a bit of an accident last night with the oven

The grill that we cook the sausages on was covered in fat sat in the oven and she turned the oven on to preheat in preparation for dinner.
20minutes later she shouts that the oven is on fire

Anyway, we managed to put it out by shutting the door to starve it of its oxygen.

trouble is now the oven is not working and neither is the piezo ignition for the hob

The fire had tripped out the switch on the CU so i flicked it back to the 'On' position.

The oven and hob go into a socket situated behind the oven (see pic below) but the 2 orange lights do not come on any longer

We have a smeg gas hob and a smeg electric fan assisted oven.

Hob has a 13Amp plug on it and the oven is hard wired.

Here is our CU

Here is a close up of the trip switch fuse things.

I have noticed that the 'shower' one is the same rating as the oven and it is not used.
Can I swap the oven and the shower one over? If so...how should I go about doing it?

Any other help much appreciated.

Smokey

P.s Sorry for all the pictures, I am quite dyslexic and struggle to get the words from my head onto the screen so find it easier to post lots of pics rather then try to describe what it is I am after

 

[Dellsmp]

You need a new oven
there is probably nothing wrong with the 'trip', sorry its chips tonight

 

[sime27]

Anyone noticed how many live cables are coming out of the ring final MCB?
Plus how the mcb's r in order

 

[Adam_151]

Are the two orange lights you speak of, the ones as shown on the cooker control panel in pic 2 (as opposed to on the devices?)

Does the breaker actually reset as opposed to springing back down?

if so, swapping the breakers over would be a worthwhile troubleshooting step MAKE SURE YOU TURN THE MAIN SWITCH OFF AND KEEP YOUR FINGERS AWAY FROM WHERE THE TAILS ENTER THE TOP OF IT ensure all connections are properly tightened after work

On a side note... who installed this kitchen? the cooker control unit shouldn't be hidden down the back like that, and the hob should not be connected by flexable pipe (don't know why, I only know how electricity works, ask in the plumbing forum )

EDIT: Can the OP confirm how many cables are in the sockets breaker, as someone else said, it looks like quite a few, but I'm not sure if some of them are just passing behind and just appear to go into the breaker

 

[Steve]

looks like the cooker install is quite new - that CCU is a modern MK one - perhaps they put both ring mains onto one MCB to make room for the cooker? Even though with this cooker setup, a seperate circuit probably wasn't needed, and if it was, 20A would have been sufficient. And whoever did fit the circuit wants stringing up for fitting that shiny nice MK CCU down the back of the oven

Also looks like 2 lighting circuits were put on one MCB, but it could just be the way it was wired.

Oh, by the way, yeah you need a new oven!

 

[jondiy]

From what I can see on that pic it looks like theres 4 wires in the ring MCB, so I guess there are 2 rings running around the house, but have been joined here due to lack of MCB's in this consumer. You also have 2 lighting cables running (suggesting an upstairs and a downstairs circuit previously seperated in a different consumer then joined to economise on mcb's , as per the ring main circuit . Whoever installed this lot must be a seriousl cowboy , The mcb's should go in order on the consumer with the lowest rated one being furthest away down the live rail.

Also, when you took your pic of the consumer with lid off, you've left your main switch, rcd and most mcb's all on , which is not the sort of thing you want to be doing! Get them switched off asap before removing any lids. There could have been lives hanging loose in there that could have shorted to your lid screws whilst you were undoing them! Be careful.

I assume thats a gas hob, and therefore the plug is obviously used to power the igniting circuit for the gas. Pretty sure you can plug this into a normal socket as it should draw less than 13 amps if its a normal household plug. Run an extension over to it and plug it in and try to fire up the gas hob. This should test your hob is still working ok, then all you have to do is sort your oven power. If theres a dead short in the oven, the breaker will not reset. Is it easy for you to disconnect the oven (with power to it OFF!!) , and also unplug the hob , then see if you can get the light back on, and let us know how you get on - I'd do this before messing about swapping your mcb's over , as it is less risky for your own sake.

Why is your shower mcb off? Did you get rid of it or something? Because theres still a a cable going out of the consumer for it!

 

[Steve]

1. Also, when you took your pic of the consumer with lid off, you've left your main switch, rcd and most mcb's all on , which is not the sort of thing you want to be doing! Get them switched off asap before removing any lids. There could have been lives hanging loose in there that could have shorted to your lid screws whilst you were undoing them! Be careful.

2. Why is your shower mcb off? Did you get rid of it or something? Because theres still a a cable going out of the consumer for it!

1. the lid and screws are plastic in my hager CU's. dont know if this older one is the same?
2. yes, the cable should be terminated into something at the other end. I see the MCB has been taped up before the cover was removed.

 

[jondiy]

whoever did fit the circuit wants stringing up for fitting that shiny nice MK CCU down the back of the oven

Shiny and Nice?? Nah - Looks like an ugly old plastic jobby - No wonder they stuck it down the back out the way!! - Although not practiceable - especially in these circumstances, smokey should have been able to turn it off at the wall once the fire broke out! He's lucky thte breaker went!

Smokey, what power rating is your oven ???

 

[smokey]

Right.....I will try to answer all your questions the best I can

Are the two orange lights you speak of, the ones as shown on the cooker control panel in pic 2 (as opposed to on the devices?)

Yes the orange lights on the control panel and not on the devices themselves

Does the breaker actually reset as opposed to springing back down?

It resets and the cooker switch stays on and does not trip

if so, swapping the breakers over would be a worthwhile troubleshooting step MAKE SURE YOU TURN THE MAIN SWITCH OFF AND KEEP YOUR FINGERS AWAY FROM WHERE THE TAILS ENTER THE TOP OF IT ensure all connections are properly tightened after work

On a side note... who installed this kitchen? the cooker control unit shouldn't be hidden down the back like that, and the hob should not be connected by flexable pipe (don't know why, I only know how electricity works, ask in the plumbing forum )

I installed the kitchen myself but there was already a switch down there that had seen better days, so I just replaced the facia plate with a screwfix jobbie. Where else can I put it as I dont want it on show, is a cupboard sufficient?

EDIT: Can the OP confirm how many cables are in the sockets breaker, as someone else said, it looks like quite a few, but I'm not sure if some of them are just passing behind and just appear to go into the breaker

There are 4 cables in the socket MCB

From what I can see on that pic it looks like theres 4 wires in the ring MCB, so I guess there are 2 rings running around the house, but have been joined here due to lack of MCB's in this consumer. You also have 2 lighting cables running (suggesting an upstairs and a downstairs circuit previously seperated in a different consumer then joined to economise on mcb's , as per the ring main circuit . Whoever installed this lot must be a seriousl cowboy , The mcb's should go in order on the consumer with the lowest rated one being furthest away down the live rail.

This is mine and the other halfs 1st house and everything you see is as it was before we moved in, we bought the house off of an old lady who was going into care.
I am here to rectify it....hopefully

Also, when you took your pic of the consumer with lid off, you've left your main switch, rcd and most mcb's all on , which is not the sort of thing you want to be doing! Get them switched off asap before removing any lids. There could have been lives hanging loose in there that could have shorted to your lid screws whilst you were undoing them! Be careful.

The screws are plastic.....thanks for the heads up thou

I assume thats a gas hob, and therefore the plug is obviously used to power the igniting circuit for the gas. Pretty sure you can plug this into a normal socket as it should draw less than 13 amps if its a normal household plug. Run an extension over to it and plug it in and try to fire up the gas hob. This should test your hob is still working ok, then all you have to do is sort your oven power. If theres a dead short in the oven, the breaker will not reset. Is it easy for you to disconnect the oven (with power to it OFF!!) , and also unplug the hob , then see if you can get the light back on, and let us know how you get on - I'd do this before messing about swapping your mcb's over , as it is less risky for your own sake.

The hob ignitor works if plugged into an extension lead

Why is your shower mcb off? Did you get rid of it or something? Because theres still a a cable going out of the consumer for it!

The previous owner had an extension on the front of the house for a cloak room and porch, The shower cable is terminated under the floor to the office which is above the cloakroom. I have left it in place incase we want to make it into a wetroom/cloakroom in the future which i think we will do eventually.

Shiny and Nice?? Nah - Looks like an ugly old plastic jobby - No wonder they stuck it down the back out the way!! - Although not practiceable - especially in these circumstances, smokey should have been able to turn it off at the wall once the fire broke out! He's lucky thte breaker went!

Smokey, what power rating is your oven ???

This is all I can find about the rating

Full fan
Fan with grill
End of cooker timer

Nominal Power: 2.70kW - 13 Amp power supply required
Energy efficiency class B

hope this helps

Thanks for the speedy replies

Smokey

P.S You should see the state of the exterior electrics lol

 

[securespark]

sime - there are three phase conductors leaving that mcb - what's wrong with that?

crafty - methinks it may be a GET CCU - they have a design now ripping off the Logic Plus range.....

 

[smokey]

I also hate the fact that the lights and sockets (upstairs & downstairs) are on the same ring.
A new CU is on the cards then by the sounds of it.

Is that a job i can undertake or do I need to get a pro in to comply with regs and H&S?

 

[Dellsmp]

Get a registered spark round to do a periodic inspection report, this will list the areas that require attention, their urgency and record all test readings.
Its going to cost upwards of £150-£200 but its worth it for piece of mind and safety.

 

[jondiy]

Can you get access to a multimeter or some kind of voltage tester? Meters can be picked up for as little as £5 in a Argos etc.

That way you can find out if the mains is getting there. It all seems as if it could be both a blown oven , and a blown MCB , due to the vast overcurrent, but you never know.

The oven would consume about 12 amps, so its possible to plug itin to a normal socket , but you would need some flex and a mains plug put onto the end of it! And it may blow your other MCB for your ring!

Is there any possibility that hte consumer unit was labelled wrong?? And maybe the shower is the cooker , and the cooker the shower? I know it sounds silly, but seen as the mcb is off , you never know.

 

[Adam_151]

Looks like the Shower MCB had a piece of tape over it, and it dropped down when he removed the cover

 

[baldelectrician]

takes ages to get workmanship and quality like that outdoor wiring