Hi,

I've just moved house into a property that currently has a Halogen hob drawing 6.6kW. This is connected to a 6mm2 cable to a 32-amp MCB on the consumer unit, and the isolation switch for the hob in the kitchen also has a standard 13-amp socket on it.

Having just bought an oven, I'd like to get it installed. It draws a maximum of 2.35kW. I've had a number of electricians around, and I've been told they'd do one of two things:

1) Connect the oven to the existing switch and run the hob and oven off the same 32-amp MCB,
2) Give the oven its own MCB and route it straight to the consumer unit, as it's likely to trip all the time, and/or overheat.

I can't see where the existing 6mm2 cable is chased, though I'd imagine it's probably going either under the floorboards or above the ceiling. It's an older property (built in 1903), so there's solid brickwork throughout.

I'm not an electrician, so the thing I'm most wary of is how much load the existing 6mm2 cable can take given the way it's been chased. From having read about this online, it seems that at best it can take 45A, but at worst, about 35A. Surely that's a significant difference, because the hob's drawing over 28A on its own. Stick the oven into the equation, and that jumps up to 38-39A.

What also worries me is that most of the electricians failed to mention the existence of the 13-amp socket. Even without the oven, if I were to plug in a 13-amp device and use it at the same time as the hob, it'd already be drawing over 40A. That's 50A if the oven's on as well, which is definitely going to cause the circuit to trip.

My own prefered solution is to change the existing isolation switch such that it no longer has a 13-amp socket on it. It means I'll lose a socket in the kitchen, but it also means the maximum load on the cable will never exceed 39A.

What do people think about this? Would it be safe and reliable to stick the oven on the existing circuit, or should I route it straight to the consumer unit on its own cable?

(When I say "I", I mean which electrician should I go with?)

Thanks!

Did the oven come with a plug on it?

Go with Number 1

It might trip on Christmas day and thats about it

(Ding, Im not even going to ask how long the run is )

unless your oven came with a 4mm cable you will have to fuse it down to 13A anyway either by a a switched fused spur or 13A socket outlet (warranty will be viod if plug removed) and upping braker to 45A will be cheapest way bare in mind local isolation (switch) needs to be present.