OMO - electrical advice

[garynortheast]

The bungalow into which I'm about to move (when I finally get a date.....) has a space for my cooker with both mains gas and electric options. I don't want to use gas, and I have a free standing electric cooker with oven, grill, and ceramic hob which I'm intending to use. Just next to where the cooker will go is the usual two switch wall socket type affair; one switch to turn the power to the cooker on/off, and next to it a three pin socket with a switch.

I was expecting to see a cable protruding from the wall in the cooker bay, which I would then wire directly to the cooker. Instead there is a standard looking three pin socket and switch which would be behind the cooker, and the cooker switch on the wall to the left turns the power on and off to it. I'm not sure about these things but that doesn't seem right to me, bearing in mind the high current that will be going to the cooker will have to pass through a normal three pin plug, which I assume would have a maximum fuse rating of 13 amps.

Any electricians out there care to make a qualified comment?

Thanks.

[DarrenSV650S]

If it's set up for a gas oven the socket will likely just be for the ignitors.

You might need a new circuit for it. Best way to confirm would be to look at what circuits there are in the fuse box.

It will be at least a 32A breaker for an electric cooker. Check the specs on the back of yours

[garynortheast]

Thanks Darren. A 30a cable is what I was expecting to see, not a standard 13a socket.

[redtrummy]

I seem to recall an electric oven will run on a 13 amp mains if a gas hob had been fitted. Don't forget to fuse/pcb the cooker correctly

[johnnyrod]

Pic would help, the switch/switched socket sounds like a combo e.g.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/british-general-900-series-45a-2-gang-dp-cooker-switch-13a-dp-switched-socket-white/56392
As said you need to check the consumer unit as there needs to be an oven circuit. If it's there then I would presume this leads to the switch - take the plate off the wall and see what's wired into the back of it. The fat cable to the oven sometimes is hanging out of the wall, sometimes it's just wired up to the switch or a connection plate and you add a section of cable from there yourself.

[johnnyrod]

Pic would help, the switch/switched socket sounds like a combo e.g.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/british-general-900-series-45a-2-gang-dp-cooker-switch-13a-dp-switched-socket-white/56392
As said you need to check the consumer unit as there needs to be an oven circuit. If it's there then I would presume this leads to the switch - take the plate off the wall and see what's wired into the back of it. The fat cable to the oven sometimes is hanging out of the wall, sometimes it's just wired up to the switch or a connection plate and you add a section of cable from there yourself.

[garynortheast]

Pic would help, the switch/switched socket sounds like a combo e.g.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/british-general-900-series-45a-2-gang-dp-cooker-switch-13a-dp-switched-socket-white/56392
As said you need to check the consumer unit as there needs to be an oven circuit. If it's there then I would presume this leads to the switch - take the plate off the wall and see what's wired into the back of it. The fat cable to the oven sometimes is hanging out of the wall, sometimes it's just wired up to the switch or a connection plate and you add a section of cable from there yourself.

The switch on the Screwfix site is exactly the one on the wall. Unfortunately, because it's a council bungalow I'm (officially!) not allowed to touch it. The housing officer did say she'd get the electrician in to check it. I suspect it will be the 30amp cable in there, but just connected to the back of the 13amp switched outlet in the wall behind where the cooker will stand.

Can't get any pictures now as I don't have access to the property until I am given the date from which I can begin the tenancy. Hopefully that won't be too long.

[R1ffR4ff]

Best to let a qualified electrician to check and sort it to avoid the possibility of electrical fires.

Some vids to check out for now,

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=uk+electric+cooker+installati on+regulations

[Ruffy]

...
I suspect it will be the 30amp cable in there, but just connected to the back of the 13amp switched outlet in the wall behind where the cooker will stand.
...
From what you've described, this would be my expectation too. Not the best practice in the world, but not necessarily dangerous. As you say, a full electric cooker will be too much for a 13A plug connection - it's likely a historic change for someone who used a gas cooker but needed electric for lights and spark ignitors for gas rings.

It's preferred to have a connection outlet socket plate to which you wire in a cable from the cooker (so that you don't get left with disconnected tails that can be live and exposed when the appliance is removed.) Something like this:
https://www.screwfix.com/p/british-general-900-series-45a-unswitched-cooker-outlet-plate-white/45080

With a 3-pin socket you can plug an ordinary lamp into it to test the basic functionality of the 'cooker' isolation switch (and the main circuit breaker - as others have said, probably at least 32A, maybe 40A or 45A) but there's no easy practical way to check the size of the wire without physically removing the socket plate top and looking at it.