What's the best kind of induction hob?

[Old Mod]

Any budding sparky'a out there, or kitchen designers maybe? [MENTION=10851]Colour Republic[/MENTION] :smilewinkgrin:
My dilema is that I need to purchase a new hob for our kitchen, and I'd like to get an induction hob.
My question is, which is better,
an induction hob that is hard wired and draws approx up to 7kw of power,
or an induction hob which you can just plug into a mains socket and draws less than 3kw.
on the face of it obviously the plug in would be better because it should be greener and cost less to run, but does it?
Are there any pro's and con's for either, over each other?
if anyone could point me in the right direction I'd truly be grateful.
Thanks peeps!

 

[Alan.P]

If you haven't had our got an existing electric point you'll need one running in to cope with the power if you go for the 7kw variety

 

[Old Mod]

If you haven't had our got an existing electric point you'll need one running in to cope with the power if you go for the 7kw variety

Thanks for that Alan, I have one there already for the oven, can I either wire a hob in parallel in the same point, or spur from it?
Or would it need it's own new dedicated switch spur?
cheers.
Marc.

 

[Alan.P]

As far as I know your going to have to have two points, one for each because of the load

 

[Alan.P]

And not a spur, both switches are going to have to be of the 45amp variety at least, your better off getting a pro to advise / install, don't go by my ramblings

 

[Old Mod]

And not a spur, both switches are going to have to be of the 45amp variety at least, your better off getting a pro to advise / install, don't go by my ramblings

Haha, ok I wont. No why I'm in a hurry to know is so I can actually buy one today. If I can order by 8pm I can have it tomorrow. If I have anymore takeout or microwave meals I think I might need a gastric band! :lol:
Cheers Alan.

 

[Ajax123]

Kitchens are classified as "special areas" under the building regulations. It would be illegal for you to run the cable and insall. The hob yourself unless you are qualified under part p of the regs. Get a pro spark in

16mm cable, 45amp dp switch, separate 32 amp rcd on the consumer unit.

 

[Old Mod]

Kitchens are classified as "special areas" under the building regulations. It would be illegal for you to run the cable and insall. The hob yourself unless you are qualified under part p of the regs. Get a pro spark in

16mm cable, 45amp dp switch, separate 32 amp rcd on the consumer unit.

Thanks Alan, appreciate that.
Oh don't worry NO intention of wiring it myself! But you know how it is, sometimes you may be given information by a trademan that is not exactly the whole truth. So I just thought I'd ask you guys on here in the hope that I'd get an impartial answer. Was just an idea. I can ask on site tomorrow probably, but was kinda hoping I could order one today so it'll come tomorrow. That's all.
The main question still is, is there any real difference between the hard wired type and the plug in type. What Would be the pro's or con's of choosing plug in, just for the simple ease of it?
Thanks again chaps and chapesses.

 

[John Benton]

When I had my new electric oven fitted I installed the cable under the floor from the consumer unit to the switch inside the kitchen unit. No reason why you can't lay the cable and have the spark terminate and test. Just need to make sure you have the correct cable for the load, saved myself about £40 by doing that

 

[Old Mod]

When I had my new electric oven fitted I installed the cable under the floor from the consumer unit to the switch inside the kitchen unit. No reason why you can't lay the cable and have the spark terminate and test. Just need to make sure you have the correct cable for the load, saved myself about £40 by doing that

thats a good idea John, thanks for that.
At over a grand for a reasonable oven and hob, saving a few pennies always helps

 

[John Benton]

You'll have to make sure you've enough room in consumer unit to fit cables in as well. I know one of my customers bought Siemens induction hob and double electric ovens and they are impressed by them and she is a proper baker/cook

 

[Old Mod]

Ok, so got my answer, with the plug in type obviously it can't draw as much power as the hard wired type. So as u turn on more and more induction plates the power management system limits the current that it draws. In essence, u can't have all 4 plates on max power because that would blow the fuse, so it shares the available power between them. So if u can cook with two plates you're kool, if u need more than two it might be a pain cos you're not going to have full power available to all plates.
So it's gonna have to be a hard wired type for me, which will be a pain, supply is opposite end of house. :incazzato:
Thank you gents for your input, all really appreciated! :8:

 

[John Benton]

What you don't want, and my sparky advised, is to have an oven on the same circuit as all your sockets otherwise chances are it will trip out, because it will be overloaded when all appliances are switched on, which would probably on Xmas day so no turkey for you!! Keep your oven and hob on its own dedicated circuit to avoid this and it should be fine. Speak to your sparky to see if you require just one cable or if you need a cable for the oven and hob individually, my sparky knowledge doesn't extend that far.

 

[Old Mod]

What you don't want, and my sparky advised, is to have an oven on the same circuit as all your sockets otherwise chances are it will trip out, because it will be overloaded when all appliances are switched on, which would probably on Xmas day so no turkey for you!! Keep your oven and hob on its own dedicated circuit to avoid this and it should be fine. Speak to your sparky to see if you require just one cable or if you need a cable for the oven and hob individually, my sparky knowledge doesn't extend that far.

thanks John, much appreciated!
yeah I have one dedicated circuit already, which I'll use for the oven, so I'll have to get a second installed for the hob now.
Things u gotta do to get fed eh! :mad2:
Thanks again

 

[John Benton]

thanks John, much appreciated!
yeah I have one dedicated circuit already, which I'll use for the oven, so I'll have to get a second installed for the hob now.
Things u gotta do to get fed eh! :mad2:
Thanks again

Or just use your phone and get it delivered, cheaper than buying an new oven haha

 

[Ajax123]

Ok, so got my answer, with the plug in type obviously it can't draw as much power as the hard wired type. So as u turn on more and more induction plates the power management system limits the current that it draws. In essence, u can't have all 4 plates on max power because that would blow the fuse, so it shares the available power between them. So if u can cook with two plates you're kool, if u need more than two it might be a pain cos you're not going to have full power available to all plates.
So it's gonna have to be a hard wired type for me, which will be a pain, supply is opposite end of house. :incazzato:
Thank you gents for your input, all really appreciated! :8:

its about checking the cable size is right. The cooker itself cannot do this so the idea of it saying you can't have four rings on full is daft..no offence. What you are taking about is called diversity. It means that the cooker will not demand full power because each ring and oven will switch in and out based on demand. Normally cooker cables can be calculated based on 30 amps plus 30% of the remaining demand so if your cooker is rates 40amps yOu take 30 amps plus 30% of the remaining power draw so 3 amps (30% of the remaining 10amps) which means your cable needs to take at leads at 33 amps. I'm fairly sure 16mm cable has a 52amp rating but you would need to double check this...

 

[Old Mod]

its about checking the cable size is right. The cooker itself cannot do this so the idea of it saying you can't have four rings on full is daft..no offence. What you are taking about is called diversity. It means that the cooker will not demand full power because each ring and oven will switch in and out based on demand. Normally cooker cables can be calculated based on 30 amps plus 30% of the remaining demand so if your cooker is rates 40amps yOu take 30 amps plus 30% of the remaining power draw so 3 amps (30% of the remaining 10amps) which means your cable needs to take at leads at 33 amps. I'm fairly sure 16mm cable has a 52amp rating but you would need to double check this...

What I'm talking about is a PLUG IN INDUCTION HOB rated @13amps. They are out there.

 

[WetSaw]

Remember that if you don't have an induction hob already you may have to buy new saucepans as not all work with induction....

 

[Old Mod]

Yeah don't I know it! £160 later!
Thanks for that [emoji106]

 

[WetSaw]

At least you didn't have to think too hard about her birthday present!!

 

[Old Mod]

At least you didn't have to think too hard about her birthday present!!

Yeah the first part of the present was the cooking pans. The second half was this

It's brilliant it's a portable induction cooker.
It's great it will boil water quicker than a kettle and is light and coming to site with me when the new cooker is installed. A little over £40 in Curry's. [emoji106][emoji12]

 

[lizzardtong]

Other thing with induction hob you will need pans that can be used on induction they can be pricey.

 

[Old Mod]

Other thing with induction hob you will need pans that can be used on induction they can be pricey.

Haha thanks
look three posts up ⬆️

 

[lizzardtong]

Haha thanks
look three posts up ⬆️

Im not so quick when im doing miltitasking.

 

[Old Mod]

Haha no worries mate.

 

[Old Mod]

Thanks to all those who helped with this post a few weeks ago, it's appreciated.
Solved the problem in the end without having to install another cooker point! :hurray:
Turns out a lot of Smeg ovens are 13amp rated, so with the money I saved (and the mess, redecorating and hassle!) from not having to install a new point I spent the extra money on the slightly more expensive Smeg brand. So new induction was wired direct to old point and new oven was plugged in the wall! Result!!

Thanks again all. [emoji106]

 

[Sean SML Tiling]

Did you do the tiling too Marc? [emoji12]

 

[Old Mod]

Did you do the tiling too Marc? [emoji12]

Haha u wish Sean! [emoji23]
But that's the good bit! When I had to put in a new piece of worktop to house the Hob I did my best to remove the old one without damaging the tiles, such as they are, because we're not due to replace the kitchen till the end of this year. We've only been here two yrs and the kitchen and bathroom will be last on list cos of the expense. So when cooker gave up I was forced to put in a new piece of hideous worktop too! Grrrrrr!
Leave tiling intact? Haha some chance!!!!

Primer........ I see no primer! ........only dusty plaster!
And those behind the cooker........ I pulled them off with my finger nails! Haha still that's hidden for now behind the new oven housing! [emoji322]

 

[Sean SML Tiling]

Well at least he/she wasn't a pro as that's saved you some money on rip out lol

 

[Old Mod]

Well at least he/she wasn't a pro as that's saved you some money on rip out lol

Haha there's always a silver lining eh! Haha

 

[Colour Republic]

Sorry missed this thread first time round

But oh NO SMEG!!:yikes: and that's coming from an Italian!!

TBF the spec verses price with Smeg is very good, an equivalent spec appliance in say Siemens would be double the price. The build quality can be very hit and miss, some are very well made, other models can be a bit rough around the edges.

Can I ask where you bought them? online or in-store? Smeg are known for having poor after sale care in the UK, so if something does go wrong they can drag their feet.

Sorry all sounds like doom and gloom, it's not as i'm sure there are 10's thousands of their appliances in the UK working very well without issue, it's just if they do go wrong you'll want to kill someone.

As I say for the price Smeg are very well spec'd. The other brand which is cheaper than it should be is Samsung, especially as they are just trying to enter the UK and gain market share (I'm talking about their ovens and hobs ect, not the fridges which already sell very well)

Look good though