Last Updated On December 4th, 2018
Induction hobs have become very popular as they cook food faster and are more energy-efficient. They are however more expensive to buy because they transfer heat to the pans directly than the cooking surface. This means you can touch the cooking surface without burning your hand. They are also more expensive in that you can only use pans that contain iron on induction cooktops. Pans compatible with induction hobs are readily available in stores.This type of cooktop is more preferred as they are easy to clean because the surface does not get hot.
These cooktops reflect energy changes immediately in comparison to gas cooktops.
How Induction Cooking Works
Induction cooking works by heating cookware by magnetic induction instead of thermal transfer. Induction cooktops have a copper coil wire located underneath the cooking pan. Electricity passes through the copper wire creating electromagnetic energy. The energy then passes through the cooktop to the cooking pan producing a current, which provides heat.
Unless a pan is on top of the cooktop, heat is not produced and the cooking surface stays cold.
Energy Specifications
Induction hobs need a lot of energy and therefore need special power connections. Induction hobs may need 32A or 42A connection that needs wiring by a professional electrician.
Induction hobs also demand specific measurements during installation, which is an added fee. This is because a large amount of heat produced that the cooktop needs to eliminate. Because of this, therefore, induction cooktops need proper ventilation. Most induction cooktops have fans to disperse heat produced. These fans produce a whirring sound that you may notice.
When people are thinking about acquiring induction cooktops, they are either building a new house or doing kitchen renovations. The wiring available in a new house will allow installation of cooktops easily.
Induction cooktops come in two basic ways; in-built permanently and portable units to be plugged into an electrical socket.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgC0pJ62Uuo
Countertops designed for homes have limitations on power level usually from 1.3kW to 1.8kW. The capacity of a home’s circuit controls the type of cooktop a person can install.
Induction hobs may need special wiring to increase the voltage supply in the household. This extra wiring is however very expensive.
People often want the highest voltage capacity they can afford. They need to check with their electricians on the cost difference in various ampacities and the impact of higher voltage on the electrical wiring of the house.
Many manufacturers of induction cooktops do not specify required ampacities. They usually specify a nominal unit of power. They specify maximum voltages, high and low. Households should not ignore the manufacturers’ amapacity specifications if any when trying to increase the voltage to their homes.
Homeowners have to gather as much information as possible from either the manufacturer or an electrician before making any decisions on induction cooktops wiring. Induction cooktops may at times need separate circuits because they use large amounts of power.
Induction cooktops need a 240-volt circuit protected with 40 or 50 current unit breakers direct. The best site of the junction base can be determined by whether the power cable that supplies the comes from the left or right of the house. They recommend owners to install the junction box at the bottom of the cooktop to avoid exposure to excess heat.
The only drawback of induction cooktops is they were once expensive, but the price has decreased substantially. Induction cooktops, therefore, need special wiring when considering renovation or having an in-built induction cooktop installed.
This is to make sure the cooktop receives as high voltage as possible without causing any damage to the household’s wiring.
2 Responses
I am considering having our gas hob removed and an induction hob installed – I would use a professional to do this. Currently a cable runs from the fuse box, or whatever the modern term is, to the electric oven – would it be possible to run a junction from that to the induction hob or would it require it’s own cable from the fuse box? If the latter what “vacant” part of the fuse box would be required? The current fuse box was installed a few years ago and has MCB and RCD “things”. I know very little about wiring or any special requirements for an induction hob. I read somewhere that an induction hob requires a special platform to sit on – would that mean the cutlery drawer immediately below the hob would have to be removed? I would not be renovating anything else in the kitchen. Can you give me any guidance as to how feasible replacement of the hob is likely to be?
Modern induction hobs don’t use a lot of electricity.
I purchased a Bosch hob 3 or 4 years ago and it’ll run from a stand 13 A socket.