Dull but important question for people who know about electrics...... ***Is it LAW that a built in cooker/hob must be wired into an isolator type switch (ie not just a normal plug & socket scenario) ?****

[NomDePlume]

The cooker at our (possibly) new house (not exchanged yet, supposed to complete Fri) is not working. I've located the switch, but it looks like a normal double socket (like the ones you plug the kettle/toaster/tv into). I can see the wire from the cooker that needs to be connected but it appears to be a normal 3-wire one, like plugs wire at home.

I thought built in appliances ran off a different voltage and so they couldn't just be plugged in by anyone, the had to be wired in by an electrician and given a certificate ?

Supposed to exchange TODAY, in order to complete on Friday. If we don't exchange today, then we can't complete Fri and if we don't complete on fri then we can't complete for at least 5 weeks because of DH's schedule, we will lose our buyer and it will all collapse & deeply frustrated

The socket is just a normal wall socket, not the panel with the light and switch, I was expecting.

Also have to add the cooker has it's own little circuit to the fuse box, so if the fuse goes off, only the cooker is affected.....

An electric oven should have a 45amp fuse and be on a separate circuit to the other sockets (the ring main) The cable will be thicker than a normal plug-type cable, and should be wired into a separate box - NOT a socket.
Ditto electric showers - these need to be on a separate circuit too (not sure of amp required here though)

NDP, ask to see the Electrical Certificate - this proves that the installation has been done correctly and approved.

(DH is an electrician)

Then your socket, fuzzy is correct, and the wiring is correct (well, at least it's on its own fuse; the wiring is under the floor or whatever).

ndp says however the socket is a NORMAL double socket, like in the rest of the house etc. THAT IS WRONG.

UNLESS that double socket HAPPENS TO BE WIRED DIRECT TO ITS OWN LITTLE FUSE.... and additionally, were you to remove the face of the socket you would find an exceedingly thick wire supplying it from the electricity box IYSWIM.

ndp - you may want to check there is a cooker connection point (or else a lovely hard thick wire) behind one of the units / draws somewhere....

(and as gb's dh points out, it shouldn't be terminated in a double socket as the oven should be hardwired to an oven connection point... but some oven connection points, are the same sort of shape as a double socket IYSWIM).

I'm an accountant, dunno nothing about wiring, was trying to ask dp whilst he zips around the house trying to get quotes for home improvement venture (which may lead to divorce if it causes the anticipated mess).
Ginger seems to have a much beter grasp of her husbands occupation.

NDP, is it a new house or an old one? (Are you buying from a developer?)
If it is not safe, the survey should have picked it up too?? (Do surveyors look at electrical stuff? I dunno?)

I would deffo call the solicitor.

Any clearer ndp ?

It's a new house, built in 2004, no-one has lived in it as yet. Virgin territory. We are buying it from a small local developer (not Bryant types).

I don't think the normal survey looks at electrical stuff behind the units.

So there should deffo be an Electrical Certificate ?

Is the Electrical Certificate a legal requirement ?

That's what mine is like, hub (its own double socket box and own fuse).

Do I get a gold star?

NDP - I don't know about the electrical cert. I imagine new builds would need one. That forum I linked to - diynot - is full of geezers who would be able to answer you.

The build has been signed off by the building inspector from the City Council's Planning Dept, though.

Would the buildings inspector need to see the electrical cert in order to sign it off ? Would the cert include the cooker then as it wasn't installed at the the time of sign off.

Jan you only get a silver star because you asked for it which is naughty.

NDP - Running a dedicated circuit for the oven is an extremely 'know', common thing. I would be VERY surprised if they haven't done this. I presume you haven't specced the kitchen / changed the layout ? I would guess it is in there somehwere.

If it's not, it could be a fair amount of work to do it properly (with a hidden cable) IYSWIM depending on where everything is... units out, floorboards up...

Kitchen was in long before we offered. We haven't bought off plan or anything...

building inpector may have only given things a cursory glance, the cooker was perhaps not attached, possibly he is there to certify the structural building work and not the detailed electrics ?

Not sure tbh.

I suspect that's right, hub. It looks installed but when you open the adjacent cupboard the wiring is just hanging there, performing no useful function.

You can always exchange and get your solicitor to add a phrase to the contract IYSWIM. Something vague and inoffensive, which the other party would think is not worth arguing about should be sufficient:

"oven to be connected to electricity supply to current regs. prior to completion"

Deffo get the developer's sparky to sort it. If they've failed to run the correct wire, it could be major aggro.

Apparently sparky is going in this afternoon to attend to it properly. God knows what we'll find when we go back in to look at it.

Hmm.

Well, NDP, our oven is not hard wired into a 30 amp socket, it is on an ordinary plug but it does plug into a socket next to the 30amp connection for the hob. It is also on a separate cooker circuit.

When we had new hob fitted I asked the electrician whetehr it ought to be wired into a 30amp connection and he said
that it was OK as the oven we have does not require it.

He said it depends on teh oven.

So, was wondering, can you ge hold of the manuals etc for the oven and see what it says?

Would also agree you really do need an electrician to confirm it for you.

I've no idea. It's Neff oven, that's all I know