Today, the modern kitchen boasts many copies of equipment that facilitates the work of the hostess and accelerates the cooking process. However, power consumption when using such a technique increases significantly. Therefore, the sockets for the hob must be selected correctly. Installation can be done independently, subject to the possession of certain skills of the electrician. Expert advice will help in this matter. To please the mistress of the house with a brand new device that facilitates her work, it is necessary to approach the process responsibly. Then the dinner that she will cook next time will be very tasty, healthy. And the mood of the hostess herself will be on top.
General concepts of connecting equipment
Household appliances for the kitchen, which is powered by the mains, for cooking a delicious dinner without any problems has a fairly large capacity. The smallest consumption is 2.5 kW. But sometimes it is necessary to connect a device of up to 10 kW to the network. Therefore, according to modern requirements of electrical safety, it is necessary to bring a separate power line from the panel to such consumers in the apartment.
An outlet for an electric hob requires an independent connection to the mains from the oven . An important role in the process of equipping kitchen equipment is played by the characteristics inherent in a particular technique. Cooktops can be single-phase, three-phase and have different power.
Usually a plug is not included in the scope of delivery. Even the wire may not be available when selling equipment. Therefore, it is possible to connect it directly to the shield or simply to the machine. However, some homeowners decide to do different things and work in a slightly more complicated way.
Type of connection
In order to understand which outlet is needed for the hob, it is necessary to determine what type of connection is provided in this model. A device with a power not exceeding 3.5 kW can be connected to a standard 220 V connection. This equals 16 A load. If the kit includes a wire and a plug, then they usually meet the requirements of the ordinary electricity network of the apartment.
If the power of the equipment exceeds 3.6 kW, then an enhanced installation of at least 32 A is required, which can be compared with a 220 V network.
If the apartment has a three-phase power supply system, the outlet is purchased at 20 A for devices up to 3.5 kW of power. If its characteristics indicate energy consumption of more than 3.6 kW per hour, enhanced equipment will be required. Three-phase plug and socket should be 32 A.
It must be borne in mind that grounding is required for the hob. Therefore, the outlet must have an outlet for the additional fingers of the plug. A single-phase outlet has 3, and a three-phase one has 5.
That is why conventional installations, suitable for lighting, for this kind of kitchen equipment are simply unacceptable.
Mounting options
Hob sockets can be installed above the appliance, but not behind it. Otherwise, there will be problems with the location of the equipment flush with the kitchen furniture.
Installation can be hidden or external. If the walls of the house are made of wood, all wires and elements of the system are carried out only externally. In ordinary houses, there are no special requirements for the choice of communications. It depends on the taste preferences of the owners.
Experts argue that the hidden installation of the outlet, although more time-consuming, but safe for users. If the repair was carried out for a long time and in the near future it is not planned to open the network channels, the external connection of the outlet is also suitable. To hide the wire, you must use special duct channels.
Wires
There are several options for connecting the hob to the network. If it is gas, then power is necessary only for automatic ignition of the burner. This will not require a lot of power. Therefore, a socket for a gas hob may well be the most common.
But for appliances that use only electricity in the cooking process, there are advanced requirements for arranging outlets. Wires for connecting equipment with power up to 3.5 kW should be copper and have a cross section of 2.5 mm square. For a 32 A socket, communications should be 4 mm square. in the context. Aluminum cable types are not used for connection.
The color of the wire matters to the connection. Blue is zero, brown or black is phase. A white wire may sometimes come out of the wall, indicating a wire under load. But that rarely happens. Grounding is always indicated by a yellow-green wire.
Some tips for connecting
The instructions from the manufacturer stipulate the mandatory grounding connection for the hob. In accordance with this, its appearance is somewhat different from ordinary varieties of installations. A photo of the outlet for the hob, which has grounding, is presented below.
In no case should you use this technique in the absence of grounding or its improper implementation. It is strictly forbidden to connect the conductor to pipes or risers. Grounding according to this scheme is life threatening.
If you purchased equipment with a wire for a three-phase product, but the apartment has a single-phase network, you can get out of this difficult situation. The black and brown wires that come with the hob connect through the terminal together. It will be a phase wire. Further, everything is connected as usual.
Wiring diagram
Installing an outlet for the hob is quite simple in the home. It is necessary to strictly follow the manufacturer's instructions and comply with safety regulations when working with the electrical network.
The wire that goes from the hob can be completed with a plug. For a 220 V network, grounding is connected to a place designated on the product. The remaining wires are connected, maintaining polarity.
When you need to install for a three-phase network, you need to use the manufacturer's scheme. The first 3 terminals with jumpers are phase sections. A brown wire is attached to them. The following two jumper terminals are for the blue conductor. Is it network zero or neutral? The sixth terminal is required for the ground loop. This includes a green-yellow conductor.
Podrozetnik
When deciding on which outlet to choose for the hob, you need to decide on the choice of its additional elements. This is a podrozetnik and RCD. The box for wall mounting can be laid on or built-in. In the first case, communications are connected externally, and in the second, they are hidden in the thickness of the wall.
The characteristics of the socket should match the type of installation itself. For internal installation, a box also needs a special one.
If the socket is designed for 20 A power, the socket should be with the same marking. Preference should be given to even more expensive, but high-quality products. After all, the health and life of home owners depends on this.
RCD and automatic
The operating rules of powerful kitchen appliances involve the use of such a device as a residual current device (RCD) and an automatic machine in the network. This will prevent accidents in case of a possible violation of the integrity of the conductors and protect against electric shock.
The machine is selected in accordance with the type of hob. If the equipment is characterized by average power, a single-phase automatic machine of 20 A is mounted in the network. If the equipment consumes from 4 kW per hour, then the voltage cut-out must be purchased by 32 A. At the same time, the RCD must be selected one point higher than the machine is designed. If the switch, for example, is characterized by 32 A, then the residual current device must be purchased with parameters 40A.
Select appliances and connecting elements for the presented kitchen equipment should be exclusively an electrician. It is life-threatening to deal with such issues independently, without even basic knowledge of such things.
Preparation for installation
An outlet for an induction hob needs to be correctly selected and positioned in the kitchen. To do this, you must first determine the location of the equipment itself. Usually it is installed in the countertop. So you can save a lot of kitchen space.
On the countertop, the place where the hob will be located is indicated. Then, a hole in the material is cut with a jigsaw.
Usually it is located above the countertop. For work, it is necessary to prepare nippers, pliers, electrical tape, a knife, as well as an indicator screwdriver. Of the tools you will need a drill with a nozzle for drilling large holes.
Mounting
Mounting the outlet for the hob is a very responsible matter. In addition to the correct connection of wires, which was described above, you must correctly install the installation. The most reliable way to connect the hob is to direct the wire from the shield. Optional devices in the circuit increase risks.
In the chosen place on the wall, a hole of the corresponding diameter is drilled with a crown. A mounting box is inserted into it. When all the wires are connected to the block, they are fixed in the socket and covered with a decorative panel.
All work is carried out with the power turned off and with the help of special electrician equipment. This is a fairly simple but responsible task. With the correct conduct of all operations, the result will exceed all expectations.
Having studied the principle of the device and installation of the outlet for the hob, you can correctly select and install it on your own. Following the manufacturer's instructions and guided by the safety rules for working with electricity, you can not doubt the safety of the operation of kitchen appliances. It will last for many years to its owners without problems and unpleasant incidents. And the dinner prepared by the hostess will undoubtedly delight the household.