Reinstalling oven... help!

[biddybird]

My oven has gone kaput and I've ordered a new one, but just noticed the small print says THIS ITEM MUST BE HARD WIRED TO THE MAINS BY A QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN. Is that really the case (?) as I was planning to get OH to install it. It's a built-under oven, the same as the current one, and so it just needs swapping over.

Well your current one should have been hard wired! You cannot just plug it in. You must have an isolating switch on the wall separate from the oven or a fuse switch in a cupboard. We have the latter. He might be able to wire it in if you have modern electrics which are safe. An oven is usually 32v so it must be earthed and have a switch to turn off the electric that’s accessible - so not on the wall behind the oven!

Is he competent?
I wire my own, it's a simple enough swap.

Obviously possible if the electrics are set up to take the new oven safely with the isolation switch etc . But if not, get an electrician.

Yes the current one is hard-wired. The switch is not accessible, though—it is indeed on the wall behind the cabinets somewhere. What should I do now?!

p.s. there is also a 'fuse box' in a separate cupboard with breaker switches for all of the electrics. Will that do instead of an accessible isolating switch? (I'm hoping so, but assuming not as presumably every house has the latter.)

when you take the old oven out, kook to see what it's cable goes into.

It is highly likely (and correct) that it is wired into a cooker outlet (that is controlled from your wall switch) something like this which is a connection block with a plastic cover. The terminals are particularly big to allow for the large size of cable.

Presumably yours is a double oven?

My husband and I are both very adept at wiring/electrical repairs, but if you and your partner are not you need an electrician.

@PigletJohn I have found this switch inside my cupboard, so apparently it's not behind the cupboard after all. It does indeed switch the electricity to the oven on and off.
The current oven is single but I am intending to get a double.

the switch is a switched FCU fused at a maximum of 13amps, which is sufficient for most UK single ovens, but not for a double.

The square white cover next to it, however, might (or might not) be a higher power cooker outlet. If it is, there will be large connections behind the cover suitable for the large cables. The adjacent switch will not turn it off, but there might be a large wall switch near the cooker position or hob.

If you look in your consumer unite ("fusebox") you may find one or more breakers labelled "cooker" and marked, probably, B32.

if there is no cooker circuit, you can't have a double oven.

Pay for an electrician its safer

@PigletJohn that switch definitely does cut the electricity to the oven—I tried switching it off, and then switching the oven on, and the oven did not go on.

The other option is to buy your new oven from a retailer who will deliver, install it and not leave until it is working. JL do this for a small charge.

[quote biddybird]@PigletJohn that switch definitely does cut the electricity to the oven—I tried switching it off, and then switching the oven on, and the oven did not go on.[/quote]
Yes, but it is fused at 13Amps which is not enough for a double oven.

@PIgletJohn Thanks for the clarification. I'm now thinking I might just go for a single oven to avoid any hassle!

@Beebumble2 Normally I would do that, but I'm trying to stay as isolated as possible at the moment due to Covid (I'm in the vulnerable group) so would like to avoid contractors in the house.

13amps is not necessarily safe for a single oven. Many new ones are 16 amps or even 32. You really do need this installed safely and it’s a bigger concern than having an electrician in your property - surely? I simply wouldn’t want a fire because of old wiring that wasn’t good enough.

if you get an electrician to open it up and follow the circuit, there might (or might not) be a circuit suitable for a double.

We haven't seen enough to know.

Thanks all for the input, I really appreciate it. So it looks like someone will be coming in, then.

Presumably the installation services offered by major retailers include a qualified electrician?

So it looks like someone will be coming in, then unless I buy an oven rated at 13 amps. Presumably then it can just be swapped for the old oven by OH. (?)

No.

I think if you read the Ts and Cs it will say something like "including connection to a suitable electrical outlet within 1.5 metres."

If you do not have a suitable electrical outlet then you need an electrician.

@PigletJohn The existing oven is hard-wired, as per the photo I posted earlier. Isn't this a suitable electrical outlet?
The square white cover is definitely the power to the oven.

You said the switch turns the oven in and off. The "switch" is a 13Amp fused connection unit so it limits the current to 13Amps.

It's quite possible that a higher current is available under the other cover but equally it might not be. We have not seen.

You need to be able to switch the oven off from its electrical supply remotely from the oven. You need to check your supply is compatible with the new oven. So 16amps might be necessary - not 13. Honestly just get an electrician in and open all your windows!

If you buy from a local independent retailer they will be able to install, we had this with a job and they charged about £70.
Don’t take chances with electrics.

Hob not job

Get an electrician before you buy an oven and book an installer. With your current set up an installer coming with your newly purchased oven is v likely to say that they can't safely fit it. You will then have an unfitted oven cluttering up your house.