The key to a visually beautiful and comfortable kitchen is built-in appliances. It seems that this is something very tricky, but there is nothing difficult in installing embedded equipment if you know the nuances. We figure out how to properly connect the hob.
For many people, the phrase “built-in home appliances” is confusing in the head and is associated with something expensive and difficult to install. According to the classics, there has always been a floor electric / gas stove, which was installed exactly in the place where there was a special socket for the stove or a gas riser. It was the stove that was the center of the entire interior and determined the location of the kitchen set. She set the rules and decided whether you would have a flat solid tabletop with a single contour or a gap in the middle that would accumulate dirt and move thin objects into nirvana.
An important point: the hob is independent of the oven. Recently, it has become fashionable to place the oven at waist level and take it out into a separate pencil case. In this case, the hob can be determined in the opposite corner of the kitchen set. You are limited only by the presence of electric / gas outlets.
There are 3 installation steps:
From scratch. The designer draws a project for the finished kitchen, the civil engineer and the furniture assembler implement it.
Installing the countertop at the finished project. Minimal changes, all communications are removed. This also includes replacing a worn countertop with a new one.
Redesigning an old solution. The location of large household appliances may remain the same. As a rule, at this stage, the combined stove is changed to built-in appliances. In this case, we again return to the first stage.
The “from scratch” stage smoothly flows into the installation of the countertop. All three stages form a loop or wheel that you should run through.
Installation from scratch
Electrical/gas sockets must be prepared at the stage of fine finishing.
The transfer of the gas riser to a considerable distance from its original position is a redevelopment.
The transfer of any outlets must comply with building codes.
Network types
Gas
220 V
380 V
Everything is clear with gas. If you have gas, then there are no questions in determining the type of network.
220 V and 380 V
It is a mistake to focus on the opinion that a 380 V network has more than three wires.
To determine the type of electrical network, you will need a tool. Either an indicator screwdriver or a multimeter .
The tool before shooting has its working appearance.
The indicator screwdriver will react to several wires of the 380 V network. On the 220 V network, there is only one phase and only one wire will have an indicator on.
With a multimeter, everything is clearer. Between two phases of the 380 V network, it will show ~ 380 V. Between zero and any phase – 220 V. In a single-phase network, the voltage between phase and zero is 220 V.
Types of sockets
Can a hob be connected to the C5/C6 socket standard?
C5 does not have a ground contact. This reduces electrical safety. It is better to completely refuse C5.
C6 – type of open outlets with constant access. The rated current for them is 16 A, the wire section is 2.5 mm. Such sockets are used to connect devices with a power of not more than 3.5 kW.
There are models of cooking surfaces with a maximum load of up to 3.5 kW. As a rule, they have less than 4 burners. They can be used in a normal circuit for C6 outlets. The maximum load of a standard 4 burner model is ~6 kW.
Socket contacts, wires with a certain cross section and circuit breakers (circuit breaker) in the switch cabinet are designed for rated current. The circuit for electric stoves is designed for 20-32 A, while the standard circuit for other electrical appliances is 16 A.
Circuit breakers can be installed with more than necessary rated current. Electricians do not bother much when choosing a machine and buy 32 A at once. The price between 16 A and 32 A is minimal.
Another thing with the cross section of the wire. Here comes the unhealthy economy. There are a lot of fake wires. The marking on the cable may indicate a cross section of 2.5 mm, while in fact it will be equal to 1.5 mm.
Copper wire with a cross section of 2.5 mm can withstand 25 A for 380 V. For 20-32 A, a wire cross section of 4 mm is required.
Installing a C6 socket on a wire with a cross section of 4 mm is not easy. Add here the open type C6, constant access, regular dragging of plugs from socket to socket, and at the end we get an unreliable screw connection. Burning out the contact in this case is a matter of time.
The plug must also comply with electrical safety standards. The plug and socket are not included with the hob.
It is easier and better to take a ready-made industrial version of sockets for electric stoves and take them out of the reach of eyes and hands. For example, behind the kitchen cabinet, having previously allocated space for it at the design stage.
I use simple sockets for 150 rubles. Two pieces for each electrical appliance (hob and oven). Directions in different directions, since the wire for the oven comes from the bottom, and the wire from the hob comes from the top.
A wall chaser was used to move the sockets to the right place .
VVG-NG wire with a cross section of 4 mm or more is placed in the strobes. A junction box 40 mm high is attached to the ceiling. The box is further covered with a stretch ceiling.
You can get by with angle grinders .
Installing the outlet itself involves the participation of a perforator . It won’t hang in the air.
Wires with a cross section of up to 6 mm can be made detachable, crimped and soldered. All these rules and regulations are part of the SNIP. This gives some freedom. For example, you can completely abandon sockets when connecting the hob.
For connection, you can use Wago terminals for 32 A.
The advantages of such a connection:
Cheaper.
Faster. The process of installing Wago terminals takes 1 minute, while with a cheap electric stove socket you can spend not 1 hour of your time.
The set of necessary tools is reduced.
There is no need to install a junction box, branch the cable and hang an additional outlet. Unlike soldering and crimping, the connections are detachable.
A detachable connection introduces an additional minus – this type of connection should always have access for inspection.
To connect to aluminum wiring, you need to use Wago terminals with a special paste. That’s what the kit is called.
Each terminal has a dedicated voltage sensing output (useful for testing). This exit can be covered with electrical tape in order to protect yourself from getting liquid inside the Wago.
Selection and installation of countertops
We figured out the connection and slowly we moved on to the next stage.
The kitchen worktop can be solid, covering all the lower cabinets, or dedicated to a separate cabinet for built-in appliances (~ 60 cm). The choice of the length of the countertop depends on the dimensions of the entire kitchen and the size of the hob.
Manufacturers often make classic 4-burner rectangular models that do not exceed 56 cm in width. Thus, from a minimum countertop of 60 cm, 2 cm will remain on each side. For 2-burner models, the width is ~ 27 cm, for 3-burners – ~ 45 cm.
There are also completely unique models, for example, from Franke . The Swiss manufacturer produces corner models and options with an embedding width of up to 1 meter. The installation of such hobs can come as a surprise to the designer. It is worth considering an additional height parameter, since the panel will not fit on one specially dedicated cabinet for built-in household appliances, but on several.
The standard and sufficient countertop height is 3.8 cm.
The minimum height of the worktop is 16 mm. This economy segment is short-lived and has a lot of disadvantages.
The minimum height of the hob is 4.8 cm. The panel will rest against the sides of the adjacent cabinet by at least 1 cm, that is, 1 cm from each side must be removed. This does not solve the additional problem that when you open the doors, you will see the bottom of your panel. It must be closed, leaving sufficient clearance for the active cooling system.
The same fact should be taken into account in the case of moving the oven into a separate pencil case, since the cabinet blocks the view of the lower part of the hob.
For the embedding demonstration, I chose the Beko HII 64400 ATX model .
The recommended build-in height is 5.5 cm. The width of the tabletop is available in two widths (not counting custom options) – 60 cm and 80 cm.
60 cm is sufficient width. A standard oven comes with dimensions (WxHxD) 56x60x57 cm. With an oven width of 56 cm, there will still be 4 cm behind it for outlets and the location of communications.
The width of the furniture cabinets themselves can cover all 60 cm, but it may turn out to be less in order to save material.
Bottom line : for most hobs, it is enough to use countertops with dimensions (WxHxD) of 60×3.8 cm. The Beko HII 64400 ATX demo must be entered into a 60×60 cm square.
Hob insert
At home, the embedding process is only possible for laminated or wooden countertops. Stone, marble, metal and polymers are cut on special machines.
A hand saw is indispensable here. Laminated countertops are made from chipboard and MDF. Density is average. It is recommended to use an electric jigsaw and a saw blade with a reverse tooth arrangement to preserve the side of the facade.
Hole marking. Finishing the countertop is much more difficult than initially marking out the correct contour. Take into account the dimensions of the hob assembly. Special spacer mounts also take up space.
We mark out a square of 60×60 cm and enter the dimensions of the hob into it. Additionally, you should step back 1 cm from above if you use borders.
It is recommended to take the stress off the corners. To do this, it is enough to drill 4 holes in the corners of the contour.
The jigsaw needs to start from a point inside the contour. To create this point, I use a drill with a diameter of 10 mm (can be used both for wood and metal) or a pen 22 (because I don’t have a smaller size).
Facade damage is unacceptable. The drilling process should start from the front of the countertop. An object, a chair, a stool should be placed under the contour to prevent the sawn-off part from falling off until the end of the process.
Hole dimensions are specified in the technical documentation of the specific model. A fresh saw cut should be treated with silicone sealant, which forms a protective film when dried. The film prevents the penetration of moisture.
Installing the hob
The hardest part is just set it up and you’re done. Gluing the panel itself to the sealant is not required.
Connecting the hob
The apartment has a 220 V network. For a 380 V network, the connection should be changed.
The scheme is indicated in the instructions for the hob and is duplicated on the body itself on the back of the device.
The Beko HII 64400 ATX, which is rare, has a pre-installed cable that has 5 wires. This complicates the installation process, since there are 2 cores per 1 plug mount.
In the case of Wago terminals, there will be no problems.
The set of tools depends on your stage of installation of built-in home appliances. Wasted time, as an irreplaceable resource, depends on competent planning. The installation process is simple if you are familiar with the theory and even if you have no experience.
