Connecting the oven and hob to the mains: using a power outlet

The hob and oven are powerful consumers of electricity, for the operation of which dedicated lines with separate sockets of a special design must be used. Let's find out how to connect the socket for the hob and oven yourself.

Types of hobs

There are two types of plates:

1. Dependent (connected) surface. Its operation can be controlled using the handles placed on the electric oven.
2. Unrelated. It receives power from a dedicated line and is managed by its own means.

Important! A separate hob and oven must not be connected to the same socket. To power each of these devices, its own line is laid. In a combined product with an electric oven and an induction hob, the latter is connected to the oven terminals.

induction cookers

Such equipment can be distinguished into a separate group not so much due to the peculiarities of its connection, but because of the unusual principle of operation, which is based on the heating of metal utensils under the influence of a powerful electromagnetic field created on the surface of the device. Such a field causes the flow of eddy currents in the metal from which the dishes are made, which produces thermal energy.

Advantages of induction models:

1. High efficiency of functioning and speed of heating of ware.
2. When the stove is switched on, it affects only metal containers, without any effect on the kitchen utensils located near it.
3. Glossy work surface keeps a low temperature during cooking.

Currently, induction devices are not very common, as they have some disadvantages:

1. Inability to work with ceramic, glass or aluminum utensils (the electromagnetic field only affects ferromagnets).
2. Quite a high price of such equipment.
3. The presence of a characteristic sound during magnetization reversal of the material of the dishes installed on the stove.

Selecting devices to connect the panel

The power of most models of modern ovens is 3–3.5 kW. The hob consumes up to 7 kW. To connect the oven, you must use a power outlet and electrical cables with a rated current of at least 16 A. Power supply for more powerful models of this kitchen equipment is carried out through power sockets with a rated current of 32 A, and each of these consumers must have its own outlet.

As for the cable through which the hob or oven is connected to the switchboard, then at a rated current of 16 A, a copper wire with a cross section of 2.5 mm2 should be selected, and at 32 A - 6 mm2. Additional conditions - incombustibility, double insulation, moisture resistance.

The following table can be used to facilitate the selection of the required wire core diameter:

Most modern hobs are supplied with a cord without an electrical plug, it must be selected in accordance with the installed plug, as well as the device connection scheme used and the mains voltage.

Connection methods

To power the stove, you can use one of the following schemes:

1. Single-phase. It is carried out when installing equipment in apartments where there is only a single-phase network with a voltage of 220 V.
2. A two-phase or three-phase connection used to increase the power and at the same time increase the efficiency of this equipment.

It is not possible to determine in advance one of the schemes according to which the connection will be made. Therefore, manufacturers do not equip the hob with a standard electrical plug.

As for less powerful consumers, which are ovens, they are designed to operate from a 220 V household power supply. Therefore, such equipment is equipped with a standard Euro plug, which provides for grounding contacts in its design. This configuration is possible for ovens whose rated current does not exceed 16 A.

Single-phase connection of consumers is carried out using a three-core cable, which includes phase (L), neutral (N) and ground (PE) conductors. If the installation of the hob is carried out in an old house, where the wiring is laid with an aluminum cable, then the line supplying these consumers must be replaced in order to ensure the required level of reliability and electrical safety.

The cross-section and materials of wiring in new buildings are already designed for the operation of devices with high energy consumption.

To install the stove with your own hands, as well as connect especially powerful models of ovens, use a power outlet with a rated current of 32 A, which is necessarily equipped with a grounding contact. In appearance, such a device resembles a three-phase electrical installation product.

Connecting the line to the electrical panel

When connecting burners or an oven to an electrical panel, each of these devices must use one line, protected by its own automatic fuse. At the same time, for devices with a rated current of 16 A, a 25 A automatic machine is used, and for consumers whose current strength is 32 A, - by 40 A.

It is mandatory to connect a protective earth. In appliances such as a hob or oven, the power cable has one ground wire, which is connected to the body of the appliance and brought out for connection to the corresponding contact on the electrical plug. The grounding conductor has a yellow-green insulation color.

Important! It is impossible to confuse the ground and neutral conductors when they are connected. One such mistake can lead to serious consequences.

It often happens that the wires brought out to connect the plate have the same insulation color or their marking does not correspond to the generally accepted one. When connecting such a consumer with your own hands, be sure to make sure that all the leads are connected correctly.

If the phase conductor is easy enough to identify with an ordinary indicator screwdriver, then it is often much more difficult to distinguish the neutral wire from the ground wire. For these purposes, a tester is used.

The definition of phase, neutral and ground wires can be performed according to the following algorithm:

1. At the installation site of the electrical outlet, which is designed to power the burners of the stove or oven, the phase is determined using an indicator screwdriver. It must be signed or marked with a piece of electrical tape.
2. On the electrical panel to which the socket is connected, the purpose of each cable that goes to the consumer is determined. It is quite easy to identify the phase and neutral wires using an indicator screwdriver. As for the ground cable, it is connected to the metal case of the electrical panel or to a special terminal block.
3. The neutral and phase wires are disconnected from the introductory machine and connected to each other.
4. On the consumer side, using a tester, the resistance between the phase and the remaining two wires is measured. The level corresponding to the minimum value will indicate the neutral cable.
5. After all ends of the wires are identified and signed, the socket is installed and the cable is connected to the automatic fuse.

Direct connection

One of the options for installing the stove is to directly connect the power supply wire to the terminal block of this equipment. In this case, the socket is not used at all. Such a connection is considered the most reliable, but it can cause a number of inconveniences when operating the hob. To disconnect it from the mains, you will have to use only regular control. If the keypad on the device fails, it will be quite difficult to de-energize it.

Execution of work

The procedure for powering the hob or oven with your own hands can be as follows:

• The section of the electrical cable is selected with which this equipment will be connected, as well as the rated current of the fuse-machine and socket. If the power line has already been laid, then it is necessary to evaluate its capabilities depending on the power of the connected equipment. If these parameters do not match, another line will have to be laid using a more powerful cable.
• Based on the instructions for use of the hob and taking into account the characteristics of the domestic electrical network, one-, two- or three-phase connection must be selected. To find out how the hob is connected to the network, as well as its nominal parameters, you should use the instruction manual. In addition, in most models of such equipment there is a simple electrical circuit, which is applied to the device case directly near the terminal block.

• The cable is laid to the switchboard. The hob or oven must be connected using a residual current device. The presence of an RCD will help to identify possible insulation damage in time and prevent the consequences of a phase-to-ground fault.
• The electrical plug is being installed in accordance with the marking of the wires. The ground contact is always different from the phase and zero. It may have a different shape, size, or location.
• A power outlet is installed. In most cases, hidden type wiring is used, which provides for preliminary chasing of the walls, as well as the manufacture of a niche intended for installing a junction box.

Note! The socket is installed at a height of at least 30 cm from the floor surface.

• The cable is connected to the electrical panel using a circuit breaker and an RCD (as an alternative to these two devices, a differential machine can be used).

Do-it-yourself powering powerful household consumers is, although not a difficult, but very responsible task. For its implementation, you must carefully adhere to the recommendations of equipment manufacturers, as well as observe safety regulations when working with elements of the electrical network. The video below demonstrates the entire process.