Electricity box and induction hob

Joined
22 Jan 2014
Messages
119
Reaction score
1
Country
United Kingdom
Hi, we're looking to get an induction hob installed (currently have gas cooker), and while some can be run on a 13amp plug it doesn't sound ideal as with two or more rings working the available power can be limited.

This is our current meter/fusebox setup, which the builder seemed to think was a bit dated:

View media item 78079
View media item 78080
So...

1) does the fusebox need updating?

2) if we need to install a separate circuit for the induction hob, what would that involve (holes in walls?) and what would the likely cost be?

There is an existing trip switch for 'Cooker Unit' which is set to On, but I don't know what this is for - maybe the previous owners had an electric cooker before they switched to gas.
 
Sponsored Links
Most induction hobs need a circuit of their own.
\Lets go back to basics, what make and model of induction hob are you getting, and what is the power requirements for it.

Cannot give you any guidance without that information.

Re the existing "cooker" circuit. Sometimes that has been used for additional sockets. An easy thing to do is to turn that off and find out what stops working!
 
Not chosen a model yet, but in a 2-minute search for best reviews came up with this:

http://www.bosch-home.co.uk/our-products/cooking/hobs/hobs-range/PIA611B68B.html

In the specs it says 'GB plug', so is this a hob that can be run from a normal 13amp socket? Quite a few induction hobs seem to offer this, which would make things much easier for us. We never use four rings at the same time, rarely three and even then only one is likely to be a full power boil, so the lack of power may not be a problem.

But if we went for this one, which looks like it needs to be hardwired, how much might that cost us roughly?

http://ao.com/product/PIE611B17E-Bosch-Classixx-Induction-Hob-Black-27019.aspx
 
As to whether the board requires updating, it does indeed.

Thats a Dorman Smith original loadmaster board with type 4 breakers, nopt often seen in domestic but in some areas very widly found in schools,

Lack of RCD protection
Highly likely max zs not meet on the ring circuits (unless very small property) (max for the 30A is 0.63ohm)
And won't meet the adiabatic to protect the undersized earth from thermal stress if your installation is wired in twin and earth (and it'll be 2.5/1mm if it is, going on the edge of that board) - These are actually worse than re-wireable fuses in this regard!

In brief, These were the first generation of MCB from the early 70's, things have moved on since then and an upgrade should be seriously considered
 
Sponsored Links
As to whether the board requires updating, it does indeed.

Thats a Dorman Smith original loadmaster board with type 4 breakers, nopt often seen in domestic but in some areas very widly found in schools,

Lack of RCD protection
Highly likely max zs not meet on the ring circuits (unless very small property) (max for the 30A is 0.63ohm)
And won't meet the adiabatic to protect the undersized earth from thermal stress if your installation is wired in twin and earth (and it'll be 2.5/1mm if it is, going on the edge of that board) - These are actually worse than re-wireable fuses in this regard!

In brief, These were the first generation of MCB from the early 70's, things have moved on since then and an upgrade should be seriously considered

Okay, so in what situations would this actually be dangerous in comparison to a modern unit? i only understood half the words you wrote. :)

And is it likely that the wiring in the house is from the same vintage, or would it need an inspection to find out?
 
Okay, so in what situations would this actually be dangerous in comparison to a modern unit? i only understood half the words you wrote. :)

And is it likely that the wiring in the house is from the same vintage, or would it need an inspection to find out?

It is best advised that you have an electrical installation condition report done on your existing system, this should flag up most issues.

With regards to the selection of Hob, the first linked would be suitable on a standard 13A plug as the spec suggests and is likely to be factory fitted.
The second hob linked would require a 32A circuit on full load, diversity could be factored in, which will very likely bring the circuit down to a 20A one.
It is quite possible that your existing cooker isolator has now been attached to a socket outlet, possibly the one that is connected to the gas hob or gas oven, so ignition and any electronic controls can be powered.
 
RCD protection to sockets likely to be used for portable equipment outside has been required since the early 1990s, it is important that if you use any garden equipment that it is plugged in via either an RCD adapter (or it is slightly possible you might have a socket with a built in RCD near the back door)

The possibility of disconnection times not met could allow fault voltages to remain on metalwork for longer than the allowed 0.4 seconds deemed safe.

The let though energy being higher than the cables thermal withstand could result in damage to cabling following repeated faults, should they occur.

While none of its immediatly dangerous, it can be shown that a new board would clearly increase the safety of the installation.

The rest of the installation is likely the same edge (early 70's) so issues are likely to be undersized or absent main bonding and inadequate numbers of socket outlets as well as undersixed earth on the sockets (which is not really a problem on a new board). The good news is that by the 70s PVC had completely replaced vulcanised rubber as cable insulation so the cables themselves are likely to be in good condition
 
Thanks a lot for all of this, I kind of understand what's happening now. We might be okay with a 13amp hob, but wouldn't want to regret it if it turned out to be underpowered. Will keep checking the reviews.

With regard to outdoor garden devices, we coincidentally went for a push lawnmower and manual shears for trimming the hedge - and it doesn't seem to take us any longer than the neighbours with their noisier powered versions either. :)
 
Yes the box is some what dated you can get new MCB's but cost a lot.

As to induction hob there are pros and cons.
Since all of the power goes into the pan with very little going to warm the room it will cook with less power than a conventional hob. Many have a boost feature which in the case of my cooker means 3.7kW can be pushed into the pan but in real terms only good for boiling water at that power it will just burn stuff onto the pan so in the main the non boost option is all that is required. So our smallest heat area without boost of 1.4kW is good enough to do all that's required it is rare to use it flat out except for bring stuff to boil to start with.

The main thing about the induction is not just the way the hob works but the extra control which is also added. This with ours includes.
Child lock.
Auto boil then simmer.
Auto off after set time if you forget to turn it off.
Auto reduce power if pan too hot.
Auto power off if pan passes this limit (i.e. fire).
Auto off when you remove the pan.
It will allow slight tiling of pan i.e. with frying pan to keep egg in one side but not to the extent you could do with gas.
It is useless with a Wok to get one with ferrous base they are too heavy to use.

Many have touch controls also useless the whole idea is fast response with a knob you can switch off heat like one would do with gas rather than lift the pan but the touch control is designed to be easy clean but that's with old electric hob that got hot there is simply no need for them with induction as nothing gets baked on anyway. Used both and knobs are a far better human machine interface than touch controls.

There is a problem with old pacemakers new once follow the EMC rules and are no problem but old pacemakers did not comply with the rules so can be affected with an induction hob.

There are models with 13A plug both free standing and built in often the domino stile designed so you can have both gas and electric next to each other.

We did get caught out with out pressure cooker since it was stainless steel expected it to work but stainless is non magnetic so would not work. We now use a plastic pressure cooker in the microwave instead.
 

DIYnot Local

Staff member

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.


Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

 
Sponsored Links
Back
Top