Wiring for 2x 3.6kw ovens, & “Currys Team (don’t) Know How”

[beedj]

Two new Neff 3.6kw ovens delivered to replace two old (3kw) ovens - both worked okay for 10+ years but doors failing and looking dated. Old ovens were hard wired to 2x 45A DP switches (in an adjacent cupboard), daisy chained, fed by one 6mm dedicated circuit from 32A MCB. Never had a problem electrics-wise

We decided to go for Currys 'Team know how' installation- I’m mega busy at work and c.£90 didn’t seem bad including disposing old ovens & rubbish etc

Anyway, Laurel & Hardy turned up with the ovens and immediately said they couldn’t fit them as there’s weren't any 3-pin sockets - despite the ovens specifying they must be hard-wired (instructions and Currys website) and not having plugs fitted. They also said they weren’t qualified to change the 45A switches to 3-pin sockets as they aren’t electricians (you don’t say). Unfortunately I wasn’t home but my wife just accepted what they said and off they went leaving the ovens still packaged.

Setting aside the (dangerous) incompetence which I’m picking up with Currys, can I just straight swap these ovens for the old ones? Each oven's instructions say 'install on a dedicated circuit protected by a 16a fuse' but I can’t run another circuit from the DB. Can I just hard wire into the two existing DP switches or, only alternative I can think of (in the absence of 2x 16A fused spurs which don’t seem to exist), is a garage board in adjacent cupboard with 2x16A MCBs, in place of the two 45A DP switches.

Thoughts? - am I over complicating this?!

Edited by beedj on Sunday 20th October 10:16

Edited by beedj on Sunday 20th October 10:16

[beedj]

BaldOldMan said:

Why is it dangerous incompetence ?

They recognised the limits of their competence & refused to go beyond that.

.

...because if I’d had two spare regular 13a sockets they would have fitted plugs to the cables and plugged the ovens in, despite the instructions saying they must be hard wired. Debatable whether dangerous, but certainly incompetent?

[beedj]

BaldOldMan said:

Why ?

Plugging them into 13A sockets is safe & would be permissible for them to do. It's not a bad compromise & would likely work most of the time and would at least mean you had a working oven until you could get the whole thing upgraded to 16A

So ignore the installation instructions stressing hard wired, and almost certainly invalidate warranty?

[beedj]

BaldOldMan said:

It would appear to me that Curry's did what they say they'll do - however, OP falls down on step 3 -

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/cooker-install-426-c...

I wouldn't be holding my breath for them to do much..... it's not their fault the original ovens electrics are wrong.

Agreed, except they shouldn’t have sold me an installation service for a hard-wired oven when the service appears to be limited to plugging in to a socket (which is what the guys said)

[beedj]

ps. For avoidance of doubt I'm not doing this myself (admittedly not clear in initial post), I’m getting an electrician in to do the work. Reason for raising here is
1. Warning re scope of Currys service
2. Get an advance p-o-v on what my electrician is likely to suggest, extent of work etc

[beedj]

BaldOldMan said:

They might have said something along the lines of they can't even swap to sockets - are you sure that is what they were actually proposing from the outset ?

The instructions say hard wire because you may need 16A one day and that's the only way to get it,. There's nothing dangerous about having a plug rated for 13A with a 13A fuse in it.

Anyway - it's up to whatever your electrician advises now.

They definitely said 3-pin sockets/plugs - my wife even queried it with them and they referred to the regular kitchen sockets and said 'like these'

[beedj]

Aluminati said:

It was always my understanding that a single oven will come supplied with a 3 pin plug.

Doubles which usually have a grill as well require hard wiring in cable suitable for the task.

I would not expect Currys to have a sparks delivering ovens, and i would want anyone hard wiring my oven (s) to be suitably qualified to do so.

Basically, Currys mugged you for £90 oven disposal ?

No plug fitted - came with bare wires ready to be hard wired - as per instructions. The Currys guys wanted to fit a plug

I didn’t even get disposal of the old ovens hor the packaging for the new) - I forgot to say they wouldn’t remove the old ones either, as they were hard wired . I’ll be getting my £90 back

[beedj]

BaldOldMan said:

I'd suggest that OP starts by inquiring as to the reason that they didn't complete the install rather than continuing with the assumption that the installers were dangerously incompetent - and take it from there.

Yes I'll be doing this tomorrow, but (categorically) they told my wife we needed two 13A plug sockets in order to proceed - despite the appliance lead not having a plug fitted. They wouldn't have known this as they didn't remove the oven from packaging - but it's clearly stated on the oven spec on Currys website

I will report back on progress with Currys and with my electrician :-)

Edited by beedj on Sunday 20th October 19:35

[beedj]

Update #1 : Spoke to Currys, full refund issued for installation - no quibble whatsoever ("Judging by the notes we've clearly sent somebody not qualified to do the job")

[beedj]

Agree with you both MJNewton and BaldOldMan :-)

[beedj]

Smiler. said:

This just in from the OP: