In article .com,
urchaidh wrote:
I'm looking at reinstating a 15A spur to a socket in our kitchen for an
oven. The previous owner had an all gas cooker which (I guess) whould
just have been plugged into the ring main for any leckie it needed.

There's an existing cable with plenty slack terminated under the kithen
floor connected though to a 15A fuseway in the fusebox. The cable looks
quite old, slightly heavier than 2.5mm2 (based on my vernier
measurement) and the earth is twisted steel (?) strand rather than
solid copper.

Probably 7/0.29 line and neutral and 3/0.29 earth. Tin plated copper.

If PVC insulated quite likely to still be in perfectly serviceable
condition. If rubber - not.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to rip it out and run a new cable just to be
sure, but before I go to all the trouble (and it will be a lot of
trouble) is there anyway to test the integrity of the existing cable?

Just about all cables deteriorate most where they are terminated. So if it
looks in good condition at the ends it should be fit for further service -
if PVC.

How do I tell if it's got the old friable insulator on it?

Rubber verses PVC?

However, you say you wish to run an oven off it. As a radial?
Many ovens may be just plugged into the ring main. Those that can't
usually require rather more than a 15 amp feed, for which this cable
wouldn't be suitable.

--
*Be nice to your kids. They'll choose your nursing home.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.