Replacing a 6kw solid hob with a 7.2kw induction hob

[BrennaBoy]

Hi,

I am a keen DIYer and eager to learn.

I have just moved into a house that has a solid ring 6 kw electric hob and built in single oven.

I want to replace both and I have bought a Beko Single Oven and a Induction hob.

Currently the old hob is connected to a 13A plug plugged into a socket in one of the cabinets and the hob looks directly wired into the mains (looks like Twin & Earth cable). They seem to be on a separate circuit as there is a switch on the CU that when flicked cuts out both the oven and the hob.

The new oven is also a single over that is 13A, so I see no reason why I can't just plug this into the socket the same as the other one.

As for the hob...well it seems that it can be wired in as single phase and double phase and it has 5 wires (L1, L2, 2 N sleeved together and Earth). The manual says it is 32A / 16A x 2 so I am assuming that the 32A refers to the single phase and the 16A x 2 refers to double phase.

Now my question is... the old hob is 6 kw and only has 3 wires (L, N & E) so it must be single phase, so presumably there is no reason why I can't swap out the old for the new 7.2 kw in a single phase configuration?

If so, can I just use a 16A junction box to connect the wire from the new hob (L1 & L2 together, the 2 N's together and the Earth) to the mains cable (L, N & E).

Another question is, on the surface of it, it seems like a simple job that I could do myself, or should I really get an electrician in?

Any help or guidance would be very much appreciated.

Many thanks,

Bren.

 

[Midwest]

It may or may not be the case that your existing install, was configured incorrectly, albeit it seems to have survived the passage of time.

You would need to provide details of your two existing final circuits, and the maximum kW loads of your new appliances, before any guidance can be given.

 

[BrennaBoy]

Thanks for the reply Midwest.

Yes, that is true. It might not have been done correctly in the first place perhaps and has just survived the passage of time as it were.

The max load of the induction hob is 7.2 kw and the oven is 2.4 kw.

I don't know how to supply the information regarding the existing circuits - maybe I should leave it to an electrician.

 

[shaun1]

Hi Bren,

With appliances such as ovens and electric showers that draw a large current, I would always recomend getting an electrician involved if at all unsure. Connections carrying a large current are more likely to overheat and potentially cause a fire if not made properly using suitable accessories. The 16A junction box you mention is not suitable for the hob, which could draw over 30A at full load.

It sounds like the cooker circuit you have will be suitable, but this can only be confirmed after inspection and testing for earth continuity and insulation resistance (among other things).

Better to have all of this done Properly for piece of mind.

 

[Jeremy Taffel]

Hi,

I just found this post while doing similar research; thinking of replacing my 6kW ceramic hob with a 7.2kW induction hob.

It seems that the 7.2 kW induction hobs badged as AEG and Indesit are designed to work on 2 phases of a 3 phase supply ( I think they expect the oven to use the 3rd phase), with each phase powering 2 of the 4 heating zones. They can be wired to a single phase, but then the total power is limited to 3.7 kW. (full power available from 2 heating zones - which then reduces if the 3rd and 4th are turned on).

If your Beko hob operates like this, then, it will draw less than your current hob, and you won't have to revise your wiring. The information is normally buried at the end of the section on the functions of the hob; not in the technical specifications which just give the higher figure.

I also found a manual for a Hotpoint hob which can operate at the higher power on a single phase, but on initial switch-on, a lower limit can be set which is then remembered. You could set it to 6kW and use with your existing wiring if the Beko hob works that way.

Currently I am trying to decide whether I will ever need more than 3.7kW as I'm not enthused by the controls on the Hotpoint.