Electrician help with oven burning the plug socket

[At The Gates]

Hi

We got a Rangemaster about 8 months ago and it was all working fine. Recently however when we turn on the electric oven we've noticed a very strong fish smell but couldn't pinpoint anything.

So today we've turned the oven on and the smell is still there, only this time a few wisps of white smoke came out of the plug socket that has the oven isolator switch on. So we immediately turned the oven off, turned it off at the isolator and i have turned off the sockets at the fuse box. The source of the fish smell is definitely that socket.

Does anyone know what might be causing this all of a sudden? A short circuit in the plug socket, is the oven drawing too much power from the socket and it's about to burn it out?

The electrics were done by a qualified electrician and the oven was installed by Rangemaster themselves.

Thanks

 

[JohnnyG]

Probably a loose cable in the outlet, more than likely the neutral too.

 

[Nedved11]

As suggested loose connection or from my experience low quality plugs and socket. I try to use MK plugs and sockets, never have issues with them. Hard to source the plugs but tlc direct supply them.

 

[Danthus]

Is this a range or a built in oven?

 

[At The Gates]

Is this a range or a built in oven?

This is a freestanding range cooker. It's wired directly into the wall, the plug socket that smoked has one plug socket on (we never use it) and a red isolator switch which turns the electricity off for the rangecooker.

Thanks

 

[Traffic_Warden]

plug socket LOL well what is it ? one or the other.

 

[Slam62]

Get them back asap

 

[Danthus]

This is a freestanding range cooker. It's wired directly into the wall, the plug socket that smoked has one plug socket on (we never use it) and a red isolator switch which turns the electricity off for the rangecooker.

Thanks

Is it connected with 6mm Twin and Earth?

 

[SkodaMart]

As stated by others, loose wire is the most probable cause.
You may need a new:

"It's wired directly into the wall, the plug socket that smoked has one plug socket on (we never use it) and a red isolator switch which turns the electricity off for the rangecooker"

Cooker switch with socket outlet as yours may now be damaged.

 

[lewism]

Is it connected with 6mm Twin and Earth?

If its a gas range oven it is literally manufacturer dependent. You can get ovens that draw under 13 amp full load. What draws the most current on freestanding electrics are the hobs.

It sounds most likely that it is a loose connection in the plugtop itself. However, it's a cheap and easy fix if you call out your electrician or the installers.

 

[Haggisman]

I had similar with an electric shower switch. Turned out the neon indicator on the faceplate was shorting.

Replaced the faceplate with a new one and it's been fine since

 

[bradUK]

Probably a loose cable in the outlet, more than likely the neutral too.

I'd go for this, see it a the time when people struggle with +6mm cables. Best one is 10mm in shower isolators!

 

[Danthus]

I went to a job in a new build recently where the sparky had used 10mm cable for a gas hob.

 

[m4rmite]

Had the same with a shower, very strong fish smell.
It was the pull cord switch internals that had gone, so open the switch/socket and have a look

 

[At The Gates]

Hi, thanks for the replies. I had an electrician come round and he checked the socket with the isolator switch on, and said it was burning out the socket as the wire was only 2mm but the oven draws up to 8.6kw which needs a 6mm+ cable. So we'll have to get the oven rewired.

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

Somebody put a cooker on a 2mm cable?!
What size trip was on it?

 

[Danthus]

Somebody put a cooker on a 2mm cable?!
What size trip was on it?

Happens all the time.

 

[JohnnyG]

Hi, thanks for the replies. I had an electrician come round and he checked the socket with the isolator switch on, and said it was burning out the socket as the wire was only 2mm but the oven draws up to 8.6kw which needs a 6mm+ cable. So we'll have to get the oven rewired.

I'm a bit confused by this.
I assume you have one of these https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Images/Products/size_3/BG971.JPG and the cooker is directly wired in to that or via one of these https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Images/Products/size_3/BG979.JPG and there's nothing plugged in to the socket outlet but smoke was coming out of the cooker control unit (CCU)?
If that's the set-up you have where is the 2mm (2.5mm?) cable?
If it's the cable directly going in to the back of the oven then that's Rangemaster's responsibilty if they installed it and if it's the cable supplying the CCU then you should speak to the qualified electrican who installed that if the circuit is protected by anything above a 25amp fuse which it must be as an 8.7kw cooker would trip that all day long and that's not happening.

 

[At The Gates]

Hi,

So the cooker is wired directly into a blank plate on the wall (i.e we couldn't remove it without an electrician) so i cant see what it goes to, but the isolator switch for it is above the worktop in a CCU exactly like your first picture, so i would imagine just that? The electrician said the cables coming into the CCU were 2mm (he didn't check the cable from the cooker into the wall itself). The smoke was indeed coming from the unused plug socket next to the switch. I believe he said the socket that was smoking had a 45A fuse for the isolator switch and the plug socket was normal 13A.

What he's suggested is to rewire the cooker using a bigger cable and put it on its own switch and i think on its own MCB on the fuse box. It shouldn't be too bad as we have the original boards which lift up with easy access to the cellar where the fuse box is. I hope!

Thanks

 

[lewism]

Somebody put a cooker on a 2mm cable?!
What size trip was on it?

Sounds like whoever had the house before has just tapped off the kitchen ring for the igniter on a gas cooker. Goes in to a plug top/CCU all the same.