In most old houses, the kitchen was equipped with a gas stove. This handy device is perfect for cooking. But what if you want to replace it with an electrical counterpart? Is this possible at all in apartment buildings and how is a gas stove replaced with an electric one?
Why change?
The change is due to several reasons. Let's consider the main ones.
- Redevelopment of the apartment, requiring an increase in free space. Electric stoves and induction hobs are often more compact than their gas counterparts. Plus, pipes supplying gas are removed from the walls. They are difficult to fit into the interior of the kitchen, like massive gas meters. We have to make boxes and other decorative elements so that such details do not spoil the overall picture.
- Many housewives explain the need for such castling by the convenience of using an electric stove: modern models have many automatic cooking programs. It is clear that the chores in the kitchen in this case are significantly reduced.
- The oven causes a lot of complaints in the gas stove: it is difficult to adjust it to the required temperature. However, more and more combined models are now appearing, when gas burners are combined with an electric oven.
- Taking care of the safety of the apartment: there is no open fire in electric stoves and hobs, you can not be afraid of leakage and subsequent gas explosion. In addition, such devices do not burn out oxygen during operation, which is important in conditions of difficult ventilation.
On a note. An induction cooker also runs on electricity, but differs from a conventional electric household appliance in the principle of operation. Induction currents do not heat the surface of the burner, but the dishes standing on it. Such equipment is expensive, but it is economical, heats up quickly, you can’t get burned on it.
It is worth noting the disadvantages of electric stoves:
- Higher price compared to gas counterparts.
- The working surface of electric stoves made of glass-ceramic requires careful handling. To extend the life of its operation, use dishes with a flat bottom.
- Gas in houses is rarely turned off, but a power outage is a fairly common occurrence, especially if the apartment is located outside the city limits. In this case, it will be impossible to cook something or at least boil water.
Some tend to exaggerate the impact of electromagnetic induction on the human body. In fact, all household appliances, including those in the kitchen, are completely safe for others.
Coordination and collection of necessary documents
The procedure for replacing a gas stove with an electric one is not complicated by the technical part, but by obtaining all the necessary permits and approvals. Without them, it is pointless to start work: then they simply cannot be legalized. The presence of a gas stove is indicated in the technical passport of the apartment, so redevelopment without the involvement of specialists from various authorities will not work.
If, nevertheless, a decision is made to make a reorganization, the procedure will be as follows:
- An application is written to the management company or housing office. Further, this service is in contact with all the others, but it is quite possible that you will have to run through them yourself. It is better to prepare the reconstruction project in advance.
- You will have to pay a visit to the fire department: the Ministry of Emergency Situations issues a permit for the dismantling of gas equipment in the room and the operation of an electric stove.
- With a gas stove, electricity with a capacity of 5 kW is allocated to the apartment. When installing an electric stove, it must be increased to 10 kW.Accordingly, this is agreed with both the management company and Energosbyt.
- As a rule, owners of electric stoves pay for electricity at a lower tariff. But there are nuances here: when re-registering, you need to get the support of 2/3 of the residents of the house, and this is often the most difficult thing. People do not always have a positive attitude towards this kind of redevelopment, and the collection of the necessary signatures is delayed for weeks. You will also need a new meter, the installation of which is again agreed with the electricity supplier.
And only after going through a long and thorny path of obtaining a package of necessary documents, they begin to replace the plate.
Dismantling the gas and installing the electric stove
For work it is recommended to attract specialists. It is simpler, more reliable, and in the end there will be less approvals.
- The apartment is disconnected from the gas supply. The pipes and the old stove are being dismantled. Naturally, it is better to entrust this to the employees of the gas service.
- A qualified electrician pulls a 220 or 380 volt cable to the installation site of the stove, equipped with special socket. Be sure to have grounding, RCDs and circuit breakers on this new wiring. The subtleties of installation are disassembled in the presented video.
- If necessary, install another electric meter.
- The stove or hob is installed on site.
- All changes are registered in the BTI and entered into the passport of the apartment after approval in each of the instances.
And this video shows in detail and clearly how to connect an electric hob according to all the rules.
The process of replacing a gas stove with an electric model is very long and costly. Both financially and in terms of time, effort and nerves. But it is not worth making an illegal replacement: it threatens with large fines. In addition, significant difficulties will arise when changing the owner of an apartment with a similar redevelopment.
Dear readers! We will be grateful if you share your experience with us after replacing a gas appliance with an electric one. Which model did you choose, conventional or induction? How long did the approval process take? How did you install it, did you do it yourself or did you call the wizard? Write about it in the comments below.
