Kitchen & Appliance

[atlasfever]

Hi,

In my kitchen, I will have an integrated washing machine (without dryer function). It is to be situated next to the dishwasher. The electrician, when putting in the electric cables, did not put the washing machine on it's own dedicated line/fuse, but adjoined with the dishwasher. Is this correct? Does the washer need it's own fuse?

I'm having 'trouble' with the electrician, so I wanted independent advice.
Thanks.

 

[Nimster]

I'm afraid I don't know, but you may be better off posting it on a regular DIY forum like this http://www.diynot.com/forums/

 

[Flyfisher]

I'm pretty sure that integrated appliances should have their own isolation switches. Basically the appliance should have a means of being isolated from the power for maintenance purposes. However, if the appliance has a fitted plug then I think it's OK to plug it into a standard socket. Thus, for our new kitchen, the dishwasher is plugged into a double socket located in the cupboard under the sink but the hob and oven and extractor fan have have separate switches for isolation. The point is to have a quick and easy way to isolate each appliance.

We don't have a washing machine in the kitchen but if we did and it was fitted with a plug then I think it would be ok to plug it into the double socket under the sink. Both appliances would be separately fused via their own fitted plugs.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by your washing machine being 'adjoined' with your dishwaster. If you mean they are both plugged into a double-socket then I think it would be ok. If not, then it depends on exactly what has been done.

But I'm not a qualified electrician. Fortunately, we are blessed with someone who is and I'm sure they'll be along before too long.

 

[Owain]

Both can happily share the same 32A ring or 20A or 32A radial circuit.

The washing machine will only draw max load while heating the water, which is for a short period of the total wash (and not even that if you have a hot and cold fill machine).

 

[Flyfisher]

I'd want to be reassured about the diversity rules in the latest regulations before sharing two appliances on the same ring as the kitchen sockets. A kettle, dishwasher and washing machine used together would very likely trip a 32A circuit (3 x 3kW heaters = 9kW = 39A) and two such appliances used together would trip a 20A circuit. Not dangerous as such (that's what MCBs are for), but not very convenient.

 

[Zebra]

I would agree with the above comments: the two appliances are fine to be on the same circuit from the consumer unit (fuseboard), and fine to be both plugged into the same double socket. Integrated appliances should have a fused spur (switch thing with a fuse in it) to isolate them, but if both appliances are sharing the same fused spur then they'd overload it.

 

[Flyfisher]

Zebra - Would there be any actual rules about plugging both appliances into the same ring main as the other kitchen sockets?

Just thinking of the kettle + dishwasher + washing machine all being switched on at once and tripping the circuit.

 

[Zebra]

No specific rules about it. The Wiring Regs wouldn't be that specific anyway, and would only state something like: the designer of a circuit needs to consider its intended use and likely loading, or words to that effect. It is considered best practice nowadays to have a kitchen on its own circuit, most likely a ring rated at 32A, but in a particularly large or busy kitchen you might want to consider more. In practice, perhaps surprisingly, it's pretty uncommon for kitchen circuits to trip because of overload.