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Gebbly

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Hi All,
I would be extremely grateful for advice/comments on the following :
My old built-under hard-wired oven died and due to space constraints I have only found 1 option to replace it :
https://www.myappliances.co.uk/Innocenti-ART28772-Omega-Lux-60cm-73-Litre-Fan-Electric-Oven
[According to the website the fuse is 13A and the max power rating is 2900watts]

This new oven comes with a 13A plug fitted rather than being hard wired to a spur.

My current wiring has a separate RCBO (B32, 30mA) for the cooker in the consumer unit. This runs to a joint cooker switch and socket faceplate in the kitchen. The cooker switch then runs to a spur behind the kitchen units which the old oven was wired directly into. (For the time being I have switched off the RCBO until a new oven is fully installed, I have also disconnected and removed the old oven from the spur.)

I have tried attaching a crude diagram to help explain. (The red items are the potential new change)
Changing from wired oven to plug oven ovenCircuit - EletriciansForums.net

I am not happy plugging the new oven into a plug socket on the downstairs ring, I would much prefer to have a dedicated socket attached to the current cooker wiring leading back to the cooker RCBO.

My current thinking is to sink a new plug socket into the wall and attach this socket to the cooker spur and then plug the cooker into this socket. Would that be a sensible way to go?
Would it be overkill to use :
https://www.screwflix..com/p/schnei...-2p-e-switched-passive-rcd-socket-white/926jt
as the new sockets faceplate?
According to numbers I could use 2.5mm twin and earth to wire from spur to socket but would I be better off using 4mm or even trying 6mm?
Would the RCBO in the consumer unit need changing for a lower rating?

[I will probably do the new socket work myself and then get an electrician in to check it over and if the RCBO needs changing I will get an electrician to do that.]

Alternatively should I be considering replacing the cookers cable and 13A plug with heavier cable and wiring directly into the cooker spur?
 
TL;DR
I think I need to add a plug socket to the cooker circuit and would appreciate any thoughts.
Just change the existing spur for a socket.
 
Just change the existing spur for a socket.
I did think of changing the spur to a socket briefly but I think I prefer having both a spur and a socket to keep options open in the future. Also (annoyingly) one of the supporting struts of the cupboard runs right across where the spur box is so getting a plug into the socket would be too tight a fit :( With a new socket I could place it in a spot that isnt obscured by the cupboard strut.
If I replaced the spur with a socket would I still need to swap out the RCBO for a lower rated one?
 
If it's easier then running a new single socket from the cooker 'spur' (likely a Cooker Connection Unit) is also fine.

A short 2.5mm cable to the socket is fine, as the fuse in the plug will protect the oven and prevent it overloading the feed cable. There is also no need to change the RCBO for a smaller one - and if you ever want to fit a new oven you can switch back to using the spur.

If you already have an RCBO, then there is no need to use an RCD socket as you linked - you would never know which one would trip first and it would not add any protection - a standard single socket will be fine (A good quality one is a good idea)

It's always a good idea to have the socket checked by someone with the right tester - or at the very least use a socket tester to ensure you have correctly continued the earth connection to the new socket - it will work without one but not be safe were there ever a fault.

Take your time and ensure good connections at both ends and everything should be fine.

If you're sinking the new socket into the wall, then make sure the cable to the spur is either surface (visible), or run in the safe zone horizontally or vertically from either of the old and new points. And obviously watch out for other cables that may be where you plan to sink the new box.
 
Thanks for the very useful advice.

Sorry yes the 'spur' I refer to is indeed a proper "Cooker Connection Unit". I was planning on installing the new socket just a few cm directly above the cooker connection unit (so vertical connection).

I will ignore the RCD socket and instead use a standard one as suggested.

I would like to use a socket that had a neon so I could always see if it had power but I can only find sockets that have both a neon and a switch
( such as https://www.wickes.co.uk/Schneider-...te&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=confirmation)
or neither neon or switch. Am I right to think that the socket should be fine if I always leave it on and control power to the cooker from the large cooker switch and socket?
 
Thanks for the very useful advice.

Sorry yes the 'spur' I refer to is indeed a proper "Cooker Connection Unit". I was planning on installing the new socket just a few cm directly above the cooker connection unit (so vertical connection).

I will ignore the RCD socket and instead use a standard one as suggested.

I would like to use a socket that had a neon so I could always see if it had power but I can only find sockets that have both a neon and a switch
( such as https://www.wickes.co.uk/Schneider-...te&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=confirmation)
or neither neon or switch. Am I right to think that the socket should be fine if I always leave it on and control power to the cooker from the large cooker switch and socket?
Yes, it's fine to use a switched socket that is always on. The usual reason for not using one when it's underneath the worktop is that it can be accidentally pushed off, but you won't find one with a neon that doesn't have a switch.

The existing cable may come vertically down to the cooker connection unit, so just be cautious if putting anything directly above it to ensure you don't damage any existing cable and you'll be fine.
 
Thanks Dartlec. When disconnecting the old cooker from the cooker connection unit I could see the direction the incoming supply cable was coming from. Who ever installed the cabling has got the cable leaving the backbox at about a 30degree angle off to one side before joining a vertical conduit going up to the cooker switch/socket. I have verified by scraping back some rough polyfilla to reveal the conduit pathway (which I shall repair).
 
Thanks Dartlec. When disconnecting the old cooker from the cooker connection unit I could see the direction the incoming supply cable was coming from. Who ever installed the cabling has got the cable leaving the backbox at about a 30degree angle off to one side before joining a vertical conduit going up to the cooker switch/socket. I have verified by scraping back some rough polyfilla to reveal the conduit pathway (which I shall repair).
Sounds like you're taking more care than the person who installed it then! (Though if the footprint of the cooker switch and cooker connection unit overlap then it might still be within zones I guess).

Good luck!
 

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