MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Hi,
The electric cooker in our recently moved into house is just plugged into a socket in the wall via a normal 13amp plug with the cable just running behind the cooker. Even I know that this cannot be right!! Unscrewing the socket I notice that it only has the main feed cable going into it. How the hell do I re-wire it without having to channel behind the tiled wall? Is there a raised switch of some kind?
Thanks,
Richard
What is the current rating of the cooker?
Actually it might be right - a lot of hobs now draw less than 13A...
Not sure - I'll check when I get home
It is a range cooker with two ovens/grills and gas hobs
rij
OK, is it a hob, oven or both? An oven can quite often only require a 13a plug. As footlaps says, it will depend on the current rating. An oven of 3kw or less will run happily on a 13a plug (3kw = 13a approx.).
An electric hob with or without and oven will carry much more current and require a bigger cable - usually a 6mm one - and will have a big outlet behind it.
If it's an electric oven only, then it will probably either be on the ring (2 cables in the socket) or a spur (1 cable in the socket). It may or may not have a fused spur located for isolation purposes - probably not though.
Any problems, drop me a photo (email in profile) and I'll try and remotely resolve it for you.
Rich.
Perfectly normally for some cookers - as above, all depends on the draw. Are the ovens and grills gas or electric or a combination?
What size is the power cable coming out of the cooker itself? Is it a typical power cord or is it a big fat one?
Posted after you did! Sounds like it's a bigger draw than 13A if the ovens and grill are electric. Need a picture!.
Thanks all,
big fat power cord.
Gas hobs, electric ovens.
The only reason I am concerned is that when I took the plug out there were scorch marks around the right had side pin.
It would appear to only have one cable in it so it seems it is a spur - there is another socket on the other side of the cooker which is also connected to the oven socket.
Make and model and you can look up specs online, otherwise there should be a plate on the back.
Edit: cross posting. If it's toasted the plug, socket and wire, you'll need to renew that chunk of wiring at least now anyway.
Rich/rwamartin - I'll sort some pics out when I get home - thanks alot.
I'll be out late tonight but will take a look when I'm back. Any info like make and model would help.
Rich.
If it draws a lot more than 13A and has been used, then you'd expect the plug to look a bit cooked. A fuse can sustain 2-3x it's rated load for quite some time before blowing, but the plug will get warm enough to normally show signs of overheating.
So then, how close was your house to getting a lot warmer????
Got a sparky round - oven out of commision. He is going to run a new cooker circuit as it looks like it has never been wired properly (as evidenced by melting plug socket) thanks to all those that helped, particularly rwamartin who took time out to send a detailed email
Rich