Hob / Oven cable question

[ericmark]

If eye level I can understand using a built in oven, if under the hob, then why not use a stand alone cooker with all the added benefits it brings? OK I can see how a domino hob only uses 300 mm width rather than 500 mm for a stand alone. I think there are one or two at 450 mm, but most are 600 mm but still a really good range of 500 mm wide.

My stand alone cooker is slightly lower than the work top, if a pan boils over, then the liquid is retained on the hob where it can be cleaned up without getting any items on the work top wet, mothers is about 10 mm proud of the work top, spills soak anything on the work top and if the pan is moved it can end up rocking on the lip, actually today even worse the hob is about 3 inches above work top level as the stupid domino halogen hob is so slow it's next to useless and I have a single induction hob sitting on top of the old halogen hob which is now isolated so can't in error be switched on and damage the induction hob. The extra 3" also means the pan is at a better height as the whole work top was set low for wheel chair use.

So yes another good reason for separate hob and oven so hob can be set low for wheel chair user. It states on hot plate instructions:- "If there is oven under the hob, it is not
necessary to place partition." so clearly designed so an oven can be under it. "Gorenje" make. The one it replaced had stricter instructions 55 mm minimum clearance to anything underneath it,

It continues with detailed instructions of where it needs venting with a hole 180 cm² (Thought we were suppose to work in mm? cm is not an ISO unit) this one made by Beko. I am sure other manufacturers will have other instructions, this one does give good diagrams as to what is required.

Sorry for size of picture, the cut and paste it auto did it at this size. The hob was ripped out because of two problems, one was mother had an old pace maker and it seems it was not to ISO standard so could be affected by the hob, and two in a wheel chair you can't see the touch controls so she simply could not control it, the replacement had knobs, far better.

 

[JohnW2]

If eye level I can understand using a built in oven, if under the hob, then why not use a stand alone cooker with all the added benefits it brings?

I suspect the main reason is aesthetic. People seem to want a continuous work surface with a hob set into it, not a gap in the worktop with a cooker sitting in the gap - I thing that reminds them of the pre-'fitted-kitchen' era.

What are "all the added benefits" of a standalone cooker?

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Also, (and this is only a feeling) the market for standalone cookers has polarised into a choice between cheap and nasty and really expensive. The middle ground has been totally taken away by built in separate hobs and ovens.

 

[ericmark]

OK will admit my stand alone is reasonable up market Belling FSE60i with induction hob, no longer made but would think around the £650 mark when new. The advantage over built in cooker other than easy pulled out for maintenance which since it has never gone wrong is hardly a feature are.
1) The hob area is slightly below counter top so spills do not wet items on the counter.
2) The control knobs are angled for easy used at front including oven.
3) The oven has multi-elements giving heat from bottom, top and back with a fan at back which can run together giving 12 options on how the oven is heated, mothers built in oven also has some of the features, but uses time sharing rather than on together as limited to 13A with stand alone can use over 16A with some options.
4) The double oven/grill of the stand alone tend to be larger than the built in main oven usable Capacity (litres) 59 Actual Capacity (litres) 69.
5) All runs of single 32A outlet even if it is rated at 10466 - 12455 W.
There are some built in ovens with more options like steam, but one huge disadvantage it hobs tend to be proud of work top so spills will wet the work top and anything on the work top. I know the kitchen fitter could let them in giving a slightly lower area on the hob, but they don't all I have seen are above work top height except for gas where they do seem to have a moulded liquid catching area. There is a problem again with some stand alone fitting where kitchen fitters allow a gap which fills with rubbish, but not required and mine is a tight fit. May be different with gas?

Back in 1980 when first Belling cooker was fitted my wife was given a free hand and I said she could have any cooker she wanted, I was working in Algeria and could afford it. She looked at a Cannon gas cooker with a microwave built into the oven so you could combine oven and microwave functions, this was at the time £1000, however the hob had fingers to hold the pan and if the pan was knocked it could easy fall, and with two young children at the time, she did not think the gas was safe, I breathed again when she bought the much cheaper electric cooker. It was replaced some 3 years ago nothing really wrong with old one, and since both new and old were Belling and both had ceramic top one could hardly notice there had been a change. Technically new had new features, like induction hob, but Belling spoilt it for hap-worth of tar by missing out some of the original features, no cover over knobs, no splash back, and worst of all the oven shelves could fall out. Mothers much cheaper built in Zanussi had oven shelves which were on filing Cabernet type runners so could not fall out. However at eye level it's a long way to drop things so much more important. Had all those years ago we been able to buy a built in gas oven with microwave integral with it, and a ceramic electric hob I think we may have done it.

But since 1980 electric cooking has moved on, and we are more aware about the dangers of cooking with gas, after the tower block failure due to a gas explosion gas was banned in many tower blocks, and with energy conservation stopping drafts around the house having extractors for gas cookers has become essential, for central heating gas is good, but can't see gas lasting much longer for cooking, and the advantage with built in was being able to mix gas and electric.

 

[JohnW2]

Also, (and this is only a feeling) the market for standalone cookers has polarised into a choice between cheap and nasty and really expensive. The middle ground has been totally taken away by built in separate hobs and ovens.

Agreed - but I strongly suspect that change in the market is a reflection of the change in 'market demand' that I mentioned - i.e. I don't think that many people would, these days, want to buy middle-ground standalone cookers even if a lot of them were available.

It's interesting that the desire for an unbroken worktop (with inset hob) seems to go out of the window for those who want a large up-market 'range cooker' or suchlike.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Not for everyone..