evening all
we’ve moved to an “all electric” house and thinking of buying an INDUCTION COOKER
it says’ "sans prise électrique"
at the moment there’s an old electric oven connected here via the usual wired in cooker style
so - questions - will the load on that ring be sufficient? or will we need some re-wiring?
(bear in mind i have plainly no idea about electricity and frankly it’s always frightened me…)
also, i’ve seen some threads suggesting there are pitfalls regarding power of these - i.e., you can’t have full power on all rings, grill and oven at once
ah, you know the internet… so difficult to find real info now so thought i’d go straight to some straight talkers… (that means you!)
There’s a few things to consider. i.e. like a future replacement might call for higher spec cable/breaker. Better to have fitted a higher rating cable as as it could be difficult to change at a later date. The circuit breaker can be upgraded at any point. I would install a 6mm² cable and protect it with 32A circuit for a cooker or equivalent (e.g. separate hob + oven) direct back to the control unit. Read the manufacturer’s instructions as they will give you the ratings(Power useage ie. voltage and current All this presuming “normal” installation conditions and the cable isn’t buried in thermal insulation somewhere or is otherwise subject to derating. As I haven’t seen the site etc the above is just what I would do. Sorry but my advice is thatI would suggest you find a qualified electrician to do any work.
I know nothing about All-electric houses and even less about electrical appliances…
But I do know that it would be a good investment for you to employ a French-Registered electrician. It won’t cost the earth and will get the job done and give you peace of mind.
thanks Steve - and Stella, and yes, of course we won’t do this work ourselves - we have a great french electrician company who will eventually do all the work for us…
i just want to do my research first so I’m buying a good appliance and making a good investment.
as i said electricity has always frightened me as a work friend of mine died after getting a shock and falling…
You sound very sensible to me. Too many folk use someone “on the cheap” and that can go terribly wrong.
Not sure where you are, but here… we often get power cuts… so we fitted an electric oven… but a bottled-gas hob… rather than be left with no means of cooking. Several neighbours still use the wood burning cookers, which also keep the kitchen area lovely and warm.
Your area may well have a more secure electricity supply… it’s something to check on, perhaps. Other than that, the only possible drawback I can see… is the need to have compatible cookware (which you may well already have )
Apolgies for repeating some of what has been said.
I’m guessing you mean an induction hob, as opposed to a complete induction cooker (as they don’t exist). One normally then has a separate electric oven, though you I suppose might be looking at a complete cuisinière with an induction hob top (yes, I’m pedantic)
A complete cuisinère (or a separate induction hob) must be run from it’s own dedicated 32A circuit via 6mm² conductors. Many can draw that amount of power (approx. 7kW) if all bits are used at once.
A “four indépendant” also requires a dedicated circuit with an individual 16A socket (via 2,5mm² conductors) - most are supplied with a moulded plug, drawing around 2,5kW/3kW.
If you already have an old electric cuisinère wired in then it’s highly likely to already have the 32A circuit mentioned in place so, depending on what you end up buying, it might be all you need. Your electrician should be able to verify that all is well with it, & ensure it us supplied via a Type A “différentiel” to comply with regulations.
Jonathan,
1st - please do as Catharine says! (she’s always right…)
2nd
what a brilliant, succinct and helpful reply!
i knew someone would be able to put it into words for me
yep. Induction hob, elec cooker, all in one…
yes. old all-in-one cooker looks like it’s on a dedicated ring as per normal.
so, 6mm / 32 is already in place (according to the fuse board)
our electrician company are lovely and I want to give them as much info before they arrive so they’re not faced with a situation which involves them going away again…
i’ve lived in France a while now, and worked on a large estate chateau and I know that giving as much info BEFORE a visit is always welcome!
ok, i think I can order my cooker in the sales now and book the sparks!
Hi as a registered electrician still working in the Dordogne the following in place regulations apply to the installation of cookers
ovens, hob units and extractors.
each unit should be wired back individually to the consumer unit.
An induction anything should be wired back with a 6 mm 3 core cable to a 32A disjuncture either as a solid cable that is visible so that it can be replaced if there is a problem or in either flexible gaine (tube) or solid tube so it can be removed without causing damage to the covering structures(walls, ceiling boards etc).
Any oven including a gas oven should be wired using a 20A disjuncture wired back to the tableau(consumer unit) with 2.5mm cable same as the spec above.The reason for using this cable and disjuncture combination is that you may fit a gas oven now but convert at a later date to an electric unit.
The extractor ideally should be wired back as well on its own separate circuit but can also be linked into the feed for the gas oven/ hob.
Also anything that has a water feed to it,fridge, washing machine, dishwasher, water softener, water heater and the like must be on separate circuits at the tableau.
The new rules in France are extremely high now and many UK people can be caught out is they ever make a claim and the insurance company notices that the installation does not comply to the French Standards.
A good french registered electrician either French national or English with the 10 year insurance should offer a good system for you and comply to these regulations.
Bon chance
I’m curious about couple of things in your reply, being a professional electrician here in France myself.
You should say that a 2,5mm² circuit for an oven can have maximum 20A disjoncteur. Personally if such a circuit terminates in a 16A socket I only ever fit a 16A disjoncteur. This slightly lower rating also helps with the new calculation for needing a 40A or 63A ID controlling a row of circuits.
Whilst there’s no harm in wiring an individual extractor (by which I assume you mean a cooker hood) back to the board it’s perfectly acceptable to provide a socket for one from a normal socket circuit. I would not connect such a thing to another specialised circuit as you have suggested.
My big question is where you have got the idea that anything that has a water feed needs it’s own circuit? I’ve certainly never come across that in any texts I’ve read, so if you can point me at your source I’d be very grateful.
I agree that some items on your list require their own “circuit specialisé” due to being high load appliances (washing machine, tumble dryer, dish washer, water heater) but fridges (or freezers) do not require such (though they are certainly a good idea, ideally separated from any other différentiel that might switch them off due a fault elsewhere). As for water softeners, I’ve never seen anything specific about them.
Yes, electrical regulations in France have got increasingly complicated over the years. You have to have your wits about you to keep up, hence my concern that I might have missed something…
It is not my intention to involve myself in a discussion as I only offered my advice on a one of basis.
If you ask 10 electricians for their response then you will get 10 different answers based on their particular approach.
The only things I will say is that I receive from my supplier each year an update of the standard, and there are 2 things I wished to answer based on their published information.
16 amp disj are designated to replace a 10A fuse and should be used only for lighting and maybe bedroom sockets circuit with limited outlets not a specialised circuit.
A fridge with its own designated water supply is classified as needing a separate circuit.
Not my rules but does seem to make sense.
As I am not carrying this work it seems a waste of time discussing it don’t you think.
It’s always worth discussing things if there isn’t complete clarity otherwise misinformation becomes held up as gospel truth. My reply was made with friendly curiosity & not intended as criticism. I do agree that we all have our own approach but certain things are set out in the regulations. I too get updates from various sources, hence my question as to where your information is from - a web link is always handy.
All fuses are now banned for new installations but that doesn’t mean that 16A disjoncteurs are automatically a replacement for a 10A fuse. There is also no issue with derating a disjoncteur as I’ve mentioned. I don’t like protecting a 16A connecter with a 20A fuse, seems illogical to me. I only fit 16A to my socket circuits, specialised or not. I equally never use 16A for domestic lighting, only ever 10A.
I’m still looking for info about fridges with water supplies. I’ll post it here if I find it.
Induction hobs are great,but, that is my opinion and they do take some getting used to. They do require to be plugged in and they can consume a lot of electricity, albeit for a very short amount of time. The problem is that you will need to have a decent amount of electricity coming into your house. If you are on the minimum tariff and turn on two burners to maximum (they can be 2kw, or more, each), you may blow your trip switch. Nowadays, more and more professional kitchens are using induction hobs, as they heat up instantly. However, you have to get used to only moving the pan off the surface for a tiny amount of time, e.g. when your tossing food in a pan. Otherwise they turn off, when the pan is removed. I don’t like four burner induction hobs, as I use mine for different purposes; therefore, I have two (separate) double and two separate single hobs. Certainly far, far, better than the normal electric hob, and because they are faster, I presume that they are cheaper to run than a normal electric hob.
Ha ha David… I do know some mad Brits who prefer to pay less and have a low supply. They ensure that certain things are never switched on at the same time. It works for them … but…
Induction hobs are awesome, for me, it is either induction, or gas, and I much prefer induction. They are fast and very safe. Do keep in mind that not all pots and pans work with induction, you will have to check. Typically, cheaper pots and don’t work or don’t work well on induction hobs. The ones that do work tend to have a pretty thick base.
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Stella, they’ll only go off if you have not got the right supply of electricity for your needs.