Stefek Zaba wrote:
Martin Angove wrote:

5055W @240V

Utterly, totally, and wildly inappropriately. Or near offer ;-)


It's entirely INAPPROPRIATE to use that guideline to say 'how should I
size the cables and overcurrent protection for the cooker final
circuit'! Since the bleedin' thing's capable of drawing 5kW = 20A peak,
it should freakin' well be connected through an arrangement which can
safely provide 20 of the finest amperes in the land. A 13A plug-n-socket
setup *can't* do that.

sure it can. In most cases. For limited time.


No, the integral 13A fuse won't blow - it'll
allow a mere 50% overload of nominal to pass for 30 minutes or more, and
there's no way the hob will draw its 5kW for that long, as the
individual simmerstats cut in and out. But that doesn't mean you have
'good practice' here - each time the hob does draw its full load, the
flex and the pressure connections between plug and socket are
overloaded, where overloaded means 'heating up above sensible
temperature limits',

would they? It should all run no more than lukewarm at 13A, so in most
cases it would be fine at 20C, well within limits. Whats being eroded
is the safety margin more than the working ability.


the insulation's getting softer than it should and
potentially flowing/creeping away from the conductors,

I'm doubtful. I found it took 13A running thru thin 3A flex (IIRC) to
reach that point. 13A flex would normally handle 20A no problem.
Normally anyway...


and the effective
life of your installation is being shortened.

yes, and the effective life of the user too. But not by much, even this
bodge has only a very tiny chance of killing someone.

Why not just uprate the cable and fit a heatsink to the mains plug?
(joke)


NT