Having to replace old electric hob - ideas?

twiglet98

My Zanussi electric hob and oven were in this house when I moved in 20 years ago, they were installed in 1986 and have done pretty well. One by one the hotplate rings have started to trip the mains and as of tonight we are down to one ring. Time to replace it - on a strict budget. The double oven is pretty awful when it comes to baking, and the second oven and grill stopped working years ago, but it can do a roast and for the time being it will have to do, I can't afford to replace both. The cooker hood - oh, let's not go there, that hasn't worked for years either.

The old hob has four solid plates, two large and two small. The village doesn't have gas and the cooker is against an internal wall, there's nowhere to store calor gas so the replacement still has to be electric. I haven't used any other electric hob and would appreciate tips re induction vs ceramic vs solid plates. I really have hated the solid plates as they stay hot for so long after switching off, and I'd rather have something more controllable. Zanussi have proved themselves long-lasting but I'm open to ideas. Not white, though!

The existing hob is 500mm front to back and 580mm across. Do I have to get one exactly the same size to avoid cutting the worktop?

I don't really know an electrician so will need to buy from somewhere with an installation service too.

Thanks!

premkit

induction is the best by far, but expensive.
ceramic are good also. you have to have flat bottomed pans for ceramic, perfectly flat. with induction they also have to be flat but have to be magnetic base.

have a look on ebay of freecycle, i have given away and sold lots of hobs/ovens on there over the years, all in good condition.

ormus

most hobs are designed to fit a standard 600mm unit. so should fit your hole, with maybe a little trimming.

twiglet98

premkit wrote: »

induction is the best by far, but expensive.
ceramic are good also. you have to have flat bottomed pans for ceramic, perfectly flat. with induction they also have to be flat but have to be magnetic base.

have a look on ebay of freecycle, i have given away and sold lots of hobs/ovens on there over the years, all in good condition.

Thank you for this - having been "lucky" enough never to have replaced a cooker, are qualified electricians (eg advertising in the local paper) likely to be happy to install a second-hand one?

ormus

you can get a competent handyman to fit em.
no big deal.

lindos90

If you are replacing a hob, and sticking with electricity, then I would say go for induction!

I did a fair amount of research (including threads on here) Ive always had gas hobs, but decided to go for an induction. After doing lots of searching around I chose this one from ikea..

http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/30147618

Its brill! I wouldnt say too expensive compaired to other inductions I saw. Includes a lock, timer, hot indicator, I found the controls to be the clearest and simplest. Ikea do a fitting service for kitchens, not sure if they would do that for a one off appliance, but its worth a try.

Its easy to clean, heats up quick and responds quickly when turning it up or down, very similar to gas in that respect. I would really recommend an induction!

Ikea also sell a cheap set of pans that are induction compatable (annons if I remember rightly), as not all pans are compatable. You need pans that are magnetic, as thats what makes the heat transfer. Take a fridge magnet with you when you are looking for pans, much easier than trying to read all the small print on every pan!

Due to the high ampage (or is it voltage, I never remember!) they are best hard wired, but the electrician/fitter should do all that as part of the fitting.

edit..its voltage, if you look on the ikea link it tells you how many volts per ring, our electrician then calculated what grade wire it needed, and the ampage for the fuse. Best to leave that to an electrician anyway really!

It fits by having two long brackets (they look like rulers) screwed on the left and right of the hob hole, into the 'chipboard' of the worktop (but can be glued for solid worktops like granite) the hob itself is fitted with clips which then fit onto the bits sticking out of the brackets.

Your current hole shouldnt be too much of an issue, as most hobs are of a similar dimension, there is obviously some wiggle room, as the top of the hob will be slightly bigger than the hole in any case.

HTH

fluffpot

Check the power of your existing hob (it'll be marked on the underside in kW) against the new one. They should be similar if you want to avoid having to upgrade the electricity cables.