It’s not easy to make an important decision. If you take a chance to replace your old gas hob, you are jammy. A new, powerful induction device is quick and energy-efficient. Yet, it requires special wiring. Do you doubt how to determine a proper cable size for induction hob? It’s not a doddle to calculate it, as well as the amperage. Several simple tips help you to avoid the circuit overloading risk.
Can I Plug an Induction Hob into a Normal Socket?
Purchase of a new, feature-rich induction device is a spawny outcome. You might receive it as a valuable Easter gift from your family. Have you presented the hob to your mom on Mother’s Day? She would appreciate the gift, enjoying its easy control and stylish, fashionable look.
Yet, it’s time to install it already. What is its regular or maximum output? A powerful induction hob might draw 6.4-7.4 kW of power. Unfortunately, it’s not plug-and-play. A qualified engineer or electrician must install it.
What Power Supply Do I Need for an Induction Hob?
Of course, you can get a simple, portable device. If you are planning to travel in summer, it would be necessary. A compact, single-zone induction hob is easy to use in a camper van or a summerhouse. Having a brilliant 3-pin plug, it suits a standard, 13-amp socket.
A space-saving unit fits a tiny studio flat or small kitchen. Yet, it doesn’t have enough space to prepare your scrummy food every day at home. A large, 4-zone hob is much more convenient. Its total load is up to 7.4kW, or 8.9kW on a boost function. A special 40A or 50A breaker would be necessary.
Does Your New Hob Need Specific Wiring?
You might adore the sleek, fashionable look of your brilliant hob. Enjoy its blinding performance and ease of use. Then as now, it demands an added fee. It would cost you a pretty penny to pay for the:
- exact measurements;
- ventilation system;
- professional installation and wiring;
- a set of magnetic-base cookware.
Of course, induction hobs are much safer than gas cookers. They don’t bring a danger of open flame and gas leaks. In addition, induction devices don’t pollute your indoor air, emitting harmful fumes. Yet, all units that don’t have a plug require professional installation. Only a qualified electrician can identify the exact circuit.
Can You just Plug in an Induction Hob?
It’s not too difficult to replace an old cooking appliance. It might become wonky after decades of use. Are you counting every penny at the moment? You may not like to use a simple electric hob, as it’s not energy-efficient. Its slow response could make you go spare.
What is the difference between ceramic and induction hobs? The modern appliance that uses electromagnetism is more complicated. Yet, the wiring requirements of both hobs are similar. Does your new unit come with a plug? If it does, you and jammy. Otherwise, professional hardwiring is necessary.
How Does a Safe Kitchen Look in the UK?
The prospect of furnishing your kitchen from scratch is brilliant. Yet, the duty is hard. Every household appliance that is a washer, cooker or fridge should be in its place. The sticking point is about the plug sockets. How many suitable openings do you have over there?
The BS 7671 UK wiring regulations are strict. According to the document, you should set every socket at a minimal distance of:
- 30 cm from the sink;
- 10 cm above the worktop;
- 40 cm above the floor;
- 10 cm (horizontally) from a freestanding hob or cooktop.
Yet, it depends on its type, heat transfer level and even the brand.
Are There any Special Electrical Requirements?
Induction hobs are special. They are notable for creating powerful electromagnetic energy. Therefore, their installation and initial launching can’t be cheap and cheerful. Let me say, can you use normal pans on an induction hob? Some of your available cookware items meet the goal, but not all of them.
Producing a lot of heat, your new, ace hob needs special wiring that costs a bomb. What about the sockets? Any of them, despite their use and place in your flat, should be safe. A life-saving Residual Current (or RCD) Device is necessary.
Do You Need a Separate Supply for Induction Hob?
You may live in a tiny studio flat or a brilliant detached house. Anyway, your cozy gaff should be safe and fit to use. Of course, its wiring should be in good working order. What kind of electric sockets are standard? Earth each of them to protect your close ones from fire and electrocution.
Built-in, 4-zone induction hobs make a difference. A powerful unit consumes a lot of energy. Therefore, a separate wire or connection is necessary. However, hardwiring the hob, how would you protect your kitchen and yourself? A fuse or circuit breaker saves the power system from short circuits or overloading.
What Power Supply is Needed for an Induction Hob?
Your new, blinding cooking surface is low profile. It’s compact and space-saving. Yet, its installation can force you to make changes in your kitchen design. If you had no exhaust system, add a fan or extractor. Have you had a gas hob before? Don’t hesitate to use the available cooking hood.
It has to be at a minimum distance of 65 cm from the top of your new induction hob. A gap of 75 cm necessary for gas hobs is suitable. What about the power supply? Commonly, it should have 3 phases, high voltage capacity and reliable earthing.
Do Induction Cooktops Need 3 Phase Power?
If you have a single-ended phase in your kitchen, it might be enough. Nearly all UK flats do. Besides, only large houses, workshops or commercial properties need 3-phases wye. A common, consumer, even the most powerful induction hob, runs on 1 phase.
Is your one outputting 3 phases? A brilliant, full-bridge inverter helps you to connect your hob. It syncs in parallel, controlling the output voltage and frequency. Above all, your powerful induction hob needs higher frequency power to feed the coils. An inverter adjusts it, empowering the magnetic field creation.
What Size Breaker Do I Need for Induction Hob?
Your ace cooking surface doesn’t need additional technological measures. A built-in cooling fan protects it from overheating. The hob switches off automatically in case of overloading. Your cosy home and the wiring need protection. A fuse or circuit breaker completes the task.
What about its size? Being a tech-savvy person, you can calculate it by yourself. It depends on the inverter hob’s output. If it makes 8.9kW, divide it to 230 or 240 volts and get 37 amps. A heavy-duty, 40-amp breaker is necessary.
Which Wire Is Used in Induction Cooker?
You might adore your new hob due to its brilliant performance. Electromagnetism inside it seems to make miracles. How does the induction work? Copper wire coils create it under the surface. The wiring is conductive, as well as aluminium. However, it’s stronger, and it has higher tensile strength than the lightweight metal.
Ideally, copper should support the electrical system in your home. Aluminium is a tad malleable and brittle. If it heats too much, it melts inside your walls, increasing the risk of fire. However, electrics in UK homes still contain aluminium conductors.
Should You Rewire Your Old, Reliable Gaff?
If you live in an old house, you are jammy. It might be homey and charming. What about its electricity wiring? I hope it’s not bad. Its current wiring may still consist of old, pre-IEC wire colours. Black, red and green/yellow wires are typical for houses built from the 1977th to the 2004th. Yet, are your old cables in good condition?
They might lack metallic sheltering and thermoplastic insulation. If you doubt, hire a qualified electrician to test it. What about your new hob? It should come with a blue, brown and yellow wire. Anyway, a large, reliable circuit cable with a proper breaker is necessary to connect it.
What Size Cable is Required for an Induction Hob?
You can easily connect new brown to an old red live wire. A new blue one goes well together with an old black neutral wiring. The PE (protective earth) yellow\green wire is still the same since the 1977th.
Does your old house still come with aluminium wires inside the walls? The system shouldn’t be a tad risky if you regularly maintain it. Check the connections, making sure they are tight enough. If they get loose, it may cause a house fire. Anyway, the cable should be not less than 6mm thick. It depends on the load and the cable’s amperage rating.
Are 2.5 mm or 4mm Cable OK for Induction Hob?
You may doubt if the aluminium wiring withstands the load when you install the new hob. It should, yet you are to use the special connectors to attach copper to aluminium. However, no rewiring is necessary if you’ve bought a small, portable induction hob.
It may provide a power output of about 2.8kW, suiting a 13 amp circuit and a standard socket. Yet, if you buy a powerful, 4-zone cooking device, the wire should withstand the load. The loop distance may also matter. However, if the hob consumes up to 8 kW, it requires a 40A breaker and a 6mm cable. An oven and cooker hob combined pack needs a 50A supply and a 10-mm-large cable.
Conclusion
Have you got a new, brilliant induction hob to refurnish your kitchen? It’s a spawny outcome. It helps you to prepare a lot of scrummy, healthy dishes. Yet, its installation may cost you a pretty penny. Only a qualified engineer can hardwire it.
What about the electrical system in your house? Unless it’s in bad condition, you shouldn’t rewire your household. If you do need to increase the voltage supply, don’t go spare. It’s important to assure its safety and reliability. As to your new, powerful induction hob, it pays you off. The energy-efficient device doesn’t waste heat. Instead, it saves electricity and your dosh.
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