Bad Kitchen Wiring

1) If you suspect that you have bad kitchen wiring in your Liverpool home, you may be right. Why do I say this?

Well, there are a few reasons why we suspect a kitchen when we come out to find a fault. I will explain below.

During the life of the property the most common home improvements tend to be kitchens and bathrooms. Whenever a new kitchen is installed it almost inevitably requires that the electrical installation is altered in some way to accommodate the new positions of appliances or sockets. Quite often original wiring for the property is added on to, extended or changed in some way. It is under these circumstances that we tend to find there are problems.

Original electrical installations are carried out and signed off by electricians involving a certificate, test equipment and paperwork. Alterations once a property is built should also be carried out by electricians, certified and tested but more often than not we find that homeowners are not given any electrical certification relating to the installation of their new kitchen. This can cause issues further down the line. If no paperwork was issued then we have to make the assumption that the electrical installation work was not carried out correctly and not tested.

The other reasons we often suspect kitchens when we attend to find a fault it the appliances in these rooms are often filled with water, difficult to disconnect and we discover that either an appliance has gone faulty and leaked or water has penetrated the electrical circuits in the kitchen due to moisture or leaking appliances.

We can sometimes find BAD KITCHEN WIRING has happened at the point of installation. Kitchens are difficult to wire because of the confined spaces in which electricians have to work. This can lead to quality control issues. Wires can become trapped; sockets can be fitted and wires caught behind because of a lack of space to work and so on.

The other factors we have to contend with in the kitchen are things like, grease, cooking moisture, high powered appliances being used simultaneously and burning out sockets and fused spurs. There are many issues that can occur with kitchen wiring and we have seen all of them many times.

Cooker circuits tend to have bigger cables than sockets or lighting because cookers can require more power to run. Where more power is required, it is even more important that connections are made in a suitable way to ensure they don’t become loose or damaged. We regularly see cooker connections that have become burnt out through loose wiring. Sometimes it is the switch unit itself that is to blame. Contacts in switches can become worn leading to high resistance connections and overheating which can then cause cables to melt and burn.

2) What should I do about the wiring if we are having a new kitchen?

Consult a qualified electrician if you can or if your kitchen fitter is providing an electrician make sure they are registered, qualified and insured. Make sure that you receive the relevant electrical certificates for the work you are having carried out and ensure that any work that needs to be notified to building control IS notified. All these things are for your benefit to ensure that the electrical installation you are having carried out complies with the minimum safety wiring regulations and building regulations.

3) This sounds complicated, is there an easier way?

Unfortunately, when you are having work carried out it pays to carry out some due diligence. There are plenty of trustworthy tradespersons that will do an excellent job for you and it is up to you to find them, check the reviews and references and make sure you know who you are paying to carry out installation work in your home. Never be tempted by a cheap price as this will inevitably lead to cut corners and poor work. Be tempted by the best references and prior work carried out and you are more likely to have a successful project.

4) Part of my kitchen wiring has stopped working, what is this?

There are a variety of causes for this and we would need to know what circuit has been affected. If you find that part of your wiring has stopped working then we would need to come and investigate to see what has happened. Some jobs are only suitable to be undertaken by a qualified and competent electrician.

5) There is a burning smell coming from my kitchen

Assuming you have not burnt the toast then the safest thing to do would be to turn off any electrical circuits that feed the kitchen wiring. Sometimes the switches at your consumer unit will be labelled and these may help you find the right ones to turn off the kitchen.

The important thing to do if you see smoke or fire is not to throw water on an electrical fire. If you have a problem like this then you may need the fire brigade and not an electrician.

If there is no smoke and no fire then call us to come and investigate. We are more than familiar with the smell of electrical burning and I am sure we can sniff it out in no time 😊

6) Fuses blow for my washing machine and tumble drier what is the problem?

It is not uncommon for kitchen fitters to install a switch that controls the power to the sockets for washing machines and tumble driers. There can sometimes be a problem where a single fused switch controls two appliances like this. These appliances typically draw around 10 amps each meaning that 20 amps is demanded from a 13-amp fuse.

7) What’s the problem?

Well, a 13-amp fuse will not blow when 13 amps is drawn through it. In fact, it will let 20 amps through it all day. That means that those appliances can draw lots of power through a small fuse. What will happen is that the fuse will get hot, VERY HOT. This can cause melting and burning to occur, eventually the fuse may blow but sometimes the Fused connection unit will actually melt before the fuse blows.

8) I am concerned about my kitchen wiring now!

Well, your kitchen wiring is no less safe than when you began reading this. Maybe we have just given you some more information. If you suspect you have BAD KITCHEN WIRING then don’t worry, get in touch. Happy to have a chat over the phone and give you advice if needed. Most importantly, if you are concerned then consider getting an electrical inspection carried out. We can pick up on all sorts of issues during an electrical inspection.

The best way to get in touch is via our contact form or by telephoning us. Sometimes we may be busy on site but we will always either answer the phone and arrange a time to chat or call you back within a few minutes if we miss your call. Rest assured, you are important to us and we want to help. Contact us today!