Summary: Learn how to wire and install a free-standing electric cooker, connect to the control unit, connect to the connection unit, connect to a free-standing cooker, connect to the consumer unit and fit a separate hob and oven.
* Notifiable project requiring Building Control approval. Installation must conform to Electrical Regulations.
An electric cooker must be connected to a separate circuit run from the consumer unit to avoid overloading the main circuit. The supply cable is connected to a double-pole isolating switch which is the cooker control unit situated on a kitchen wall. It must be above work top height and positioned to the side of the cooker, never above it. The cooker control unit may have a small neon light, which is illuminated when the control unit is switched on.
A cable then runs from the control unit to a cooker connection unit fitted 600mm (2ft) above floor level on the wall behind the cooker. The cooker is connected to the connection unit by a 2m (6ft 6in) length of cable. This allows the cooker to be pulled away from the wall when required.
If you have a separate oven and hob, these can be connected to a single control unit providing that they are less than 2m (6ft 6in) from the control unit. The Installation process may vary for different models of cooker, so it is essential to read the manufacturer's instructions carefully.
Plan the cable route from the cooker control unit to the consumer unit. The size of the two-core-and-earth cable you will need will depend on two factors: the length of cable required and the wattage of the cooker you are installing.
The 2m (6ft 6in) length of cable running from the connection unit to the appliance will be the same size as the cable used for the rest of the circuit. The cable can run under floorboards and in chases in the plaster. If you decide to use this method remember the cable must be covered by PVC conduit to offer some protection against nails and screws that may be driven into the wall at a later date. Alternatively, the cable can be surface-mounted in plastic trunking and run at floor or worktop level.
The supply cable is now connected at the cooker, the connection unit and the control unit. All that remains is to connect the supply cable to the consumer unit. To do this you will need a spare fuseway or MCB. If there is none spare, you will need to consult a professional electrician.
A separate oven and hob can be fed from a single control unit, but neither the oven nor the hob should be more than 2m (6ft 6in) from the control unit.
You can either run a single cable from the control unit to first the oven then on to the hob (or the other way round). Alternatively, run two cables from the control unit: one to the oven, the other to the hob. You do not have to fit connection units to the wall behind the oven or the hob.
If you have run a single cable from the control unit to the first component (oven or hob), two cables need to be connected to the appropriate terminals - the cable from the control unit and the cable from the first component (oven or hob) to the second.
Match the cores from the cable running from the control unit with the cores that run from the first component to the second.
Connect both Brown/Live cores to the single terminal L.
Connect both Blue/Neutral cores to the single terminal N.
Connect both Green-and-Yellow/Earth cores to the single terminal E.
The cable running from the first component (oven or hob) is then connected to the second component.
Alternatively, if you have connected two cables at the control unit, connect the other end of one cable to the hob and connect the other cable to the oven, following the method for connecting up a free-standing cooker (above).
Author: C J Mills Google+
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