Connecting an electric stove is a very responsible job, which, however, is within the power of any person. One of the most important elements of such work is the installation of an electrical outlet. If it is installed incorrectly, there may be a risk of electric shock to people, failure of electrical wiring elements, or even fire. That is why the issue of choosing and properly installing a device such as a stove socket is extremely important.
Today, there are many different types of types of electrical outlets, designed to connect powerful electrical appliances such as hobs, boilers and, of course, electric stoves.
What to look for when choosing an outlet?
The main difference between electrical sockets used to connect electric stoves and their ordinary household counterparts is the increased rated current and the presence of a grounding contact. Here it is necessary to make a reservation, some schemes for connecting old electric stoves used sockets without grounding. But, following modern electrical safety rules, this option is unacceptable.
The power of the stove can be from 6 to 9 kW, depending on the model. This is the most powerful of all household consumers of electricity. If the stove to be installed has a power of no more than 7 kW, then a socket with a rated current of 32 A is suitable for it. Otherwise, it is necessary to purchase a device rated for a current of 40 or 63 A.
The procedure for installing a socket for an electric stove
Most modern electric stoves are designed to be connected to a 220 or 380 V network. This versatility is due to the high power of these consumers. However, since in most cases the user does not have the ability to connect electrical installations for a voltage of 380 V, the manufacturer immediately assembles a connection diagram designed for a single-phase network.
On the back wall of the stove there is a special panel for connecting it to the network. There are 6 terminals on this panel, which are marked with the letters L, N or PE. Everything is simple here:
L - phase wire.
N - zero working wire.
PE - protective (grounding) wire.
In all sockets designed to connect electric stoves to a single-phase network, the neutral and phase contacts have the same appearance. The ground contact differs from them in location or diameter.
If, when connecting such electrical equipment, the phase and neutral wires are interchanged, this will not affect its operation in any way (except that when the machine is turned off, there will be voltage relative to the ground on the current-carrying parts of the plate). However, in no case should the erroneous connection of the phase wire to the ground contact be allowed.
The connection diagram of the electric stove is shown in the figure. It is completely simple, if you make a little effort, then with its help anyone can connect the stove. As can be seen from the diagram, in this case, the connection of the consumer to a single-phase network is considered. Since there is only one phase here, all phase wires at the terminals are connected by a jumper, the same thing happens with two neutral conductors. The remaining PE wire is connected to the ground loop. When connecting the wires to the plug and the socket, special attention should be paid to the coincidence of their color marking. The phase (red) wire in the socket must match the color of the wire connected to it in the electrical plug. The neutral wire, respectively, must match the zero.
The color marking of the wires going from the stove to the electrical panel is generally accepted:
Phase wire (L) - brown, red or white.
Zero working wire (N) - blue.
Ground wire (PE) - yellow with green stripe.
To connect the electric stove to a 380 V network, a five-core copper cable is used, the core diameter of which is 4 mm2.
To connect an electric stove socket to a 380 V network, you must remove the jumper from the phase wires and connect each of them to its own terminal (L1, L2, L3). The neutral and ground wires are connected to the same terminals as with the single-phase connection option.
Such a powerful consumer as an electric stove must be connected to the network through a separate circuit breaker, the rated current of which is usually chosen 32 A. It is recommended to install an RCD together with such a switch to increase electrical safety.
The sequence of work on installing the outlet, which will include the electric stove, as a whole does not differ from the installation algorithm, for example, a similar device for the hob. To get a reliable and safe electrical connection, just follow these steps:
- Turn off the power at the electrical panel located at the entrance to the apartment.
- Make sure that there is no voltage on the current-carrying parts with which work will be performed.
- If wires have already been connected to the installation site (for example, when replacing an old stove), then you need to make sure that these wires are copper, their insulation is not broken and the cross section of each of them is at least 4 mm2. Otherwise, you will have to independently lead the wires to the shield, and then connect them through a separate circuit breaker or difavtomat.
- Guided by the connection diagram, you need to connect the plug to the terminals on the back of the stove.
- Observing the color coding of the wires, and also taking into account which contacts are closed to each other when the plug is connected, a socket is mounted. At the same time, it must be remembered that, unlike a conventional plug connector, you can insert a plug into an electric stove socket in only one way.
Types of sockets for electric stove
Although the sockets of different manufacturers differ in appearance, they can be used for their intended purpose with equal success. The fundamental differences that you should pay attention to when choosing such a device include:
- Installation method. Distinguish overhead or built-in sockets. As a rule, built-in models are used in residential premises.
- Number of phases. There are single-phase and three-phase models. According to this criterion, the choice is absolutely simple.
- Rated current. For electric stoves, sockets are selected for which this parameter lies in the range of 32 - 63 A.
- Degree of protection against ingress of moisture, dust or small particles. For this, an IP code is used, consisting of two digits, the first of which indicates the degree of dust protection (maximum - 6), and the second - the degree of protection against moisture (maximum - 8).
- Sockets with additional accessories. These include protective shutters, timers, circuit breakers, built-in RCDs, etc.
