Hi


Kitchen wiring :

I need to install some feeds for 2 x 16A ovens , a dishwasher , and various other appliances ther is no room to fit individual switches above work surfaces and the kitchen company have requested isolation points , if I had a mulitgang gridswitch with feeds coming from different MCBs but from same consumer unit what are your views on this?


Regards

I can't see any problem with it, no different than a hall light switch with supplies from up and down lighting circuits. I would maybe put a label/info at the consumer unit and if possible, inside the grid switch.

Why not make it a ring across all the grid switch? I would suggest 4mm but no way would you get 2x 4mm into grid switches terminals

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Dougie
Power Plus Electrical.co.uk

My mission is to live as long as possible......so far so good!

They do that a lot round here.
The problem has been discussed before, but just remember trying to fit a lot of 2.5 6242Y can be a challenge for everyone.
The problems I find is that as the grid switch is twisted during installation, the connections loosen. This means (I find) that after a year or two, the connections burn off and have to be repaired and new switches/fuseholders installed.
Now, if you use larger rated switches, deeper boxes the problem will be minimised. Better still, the old idea of having the isolation acceptable and obvious does have electrical and practical merit.
I am still trying to visualise a kitchen worktop without space above to work - OK, I give up!

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Norman

I feel that 2 different issues are becoming confused here.

It is sometimes proposed that a single 32 amp circuit be run to a grid switch panel, with indivividual kitchen appliances fed via 13 amp fuses and switches.
This in practice can work well but can be problematic due to the fact that the switches and fuse holders often only have 20 amp terminals and it could be argued that they should be 32 amp.

What the O/P proposes is however to run a circuit for each appliance, not a shared 32 amp circuit.
It should be fine, subject to a deep enough box being used.

If your fitting a grid assembly, my advice would to fit a 47mm box. Even 35mm boxes do not leave sufficient space.

''the kitchen company have requested isolation points''
That will be the MCBs then

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Regards

Dave(not Cockburn)

In a domestic scenario, it will be the installation's main switch as it breaks all live conductors (most MCBs miss the neutral)!

Regards,

Alan.

Hi Alan, unless I'm mistaken, isn't it only the main switch that needs to be double poled in a domestic or similar?

Sounds ok to me, you could stick a label inside saying there are more than one point of isolation, but by the time anyone has opened the enclosure to read it they are already 'working live' .... unless they have switched off the main switch!

Was wondering who was gonna be 1st to bring up this old debate

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Dougie
Power Plus Electrical.co.uk

My mission is to live as long as possible......so far so good!

This is a technique most often found in newish properties of a recent age and my days of house bashing were before this advent, but the manufacturers instructions almost invariably state ' if in doubt consult a qualified electrician' and as one of those on paper anyway, I would say it's OK, after all the regs only require that the conductors for an RFC must be rated at 20A, so having terminals rated the same is not generally a problem.

And this will be the cause of the fridge and freezer being turned of by mistake unless you keep them separate.

Andy

If the switches are suitably identified there's no accounting for the owners mistakes!

They might be disappointed then...

Most grid switches comply with BS EN 60669-1 - so according to table 53.4 are OK for functional switching and emergency switching, but not isolation
- Andy.

Depends how much money they have, surly.

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Norman