Replacing Gas Hob with Induction Hob - How?

doraspenlow

Has anyone done this? I'm really tempted to because I can't stand how difficult my gas hob is to clean and I'd love to just have a flat surface to wipe. I have heard that modern induction hobs are very responsive.

Can anyone talk me through the process, please? Do I need a gas engineer to cap off the gas and then an electrician to wire in the induction hob? How do I know how big the actual hole is in the worktop without first taking the gas hob out? We have a double electric oven close by so I'm presuming that the wiring isn't going to be too tricky.

Cornucopia

doraspenlow said:

Has anyone done this? I'm really tempted to because I can't stand how difficult my gas hob is to clean and I'd love to just have a flat surface to wipe. I have heard that modern induction hobs are very responsive.

Can anyone talk me through the process, please? Do I need a gas engineer to cap off the gas and then an electrician to wire in the induction hob? How do I know how big the actual hole is in the worktop without first taking the gas hob out? We have a double electric oven close by so I'm presuming that the wiring isn't going to be too tricky.

I'm considering doing this (part of a bigger heating/re-modelling issue).

Yes - potentially you'd need a gas engineer to cap the gas supply, and then an electrician to connect the induction hob - especially if the existing cooker circuit is not of sufficient capacity and a new cable run to the consumer unit is required.

It's normally possible to see the hob from underneath before removing it - perhaps you need to remove a false drawer-front or similar to get access to it?    Hobs are generally pretty standard sizes, and unless the worktop surface is made of a tricky material (granite, concrete, etc.) then trimming it to fit the new hob won't be a major problem.

TELLIT01

The hole for the existing gas hob isn't going to be a lot smaller than the hob itself.  I wouldn't expect an electric hob to require a larger opening.  Yes you will need both gas and electrical engineers for the work.

grumbler

doraspenlow said:

Do I need a gas engineer to cap off the gas

I am pretty sure you do, but personally, I'd do it myself.

doraspenlow said:

How do I know how big the actual hole is in the worktop without first taking the gas hob out?

You possibly can reach the cutout from the bottom of the worktop. What's under the hob?

doraspenlow said:

and then an electrician to wire in the induction hob? ... We have a double electric oven close by so I'm presuming that the wiring isn't going to be too tricky.

This depends. Ovens are much less powerful than hobs. Check the circuit breaker for the oven in your consumer unit. Is there a dedicated one? How many Ampers?

Doozergirl

If you google the model number of your existing hob, there will
almost certainly be a pdf copy of the manual/installation instructions online.  

 

Within that, there will a drawing indicating the required cutout. 

Ditto when you are shopping for your new hob. Check the installation drawings before you buy  to make sure that the hole you have is okay.  The size doesn't have to be exact, as long as you can see it can be made bigger or that the size wont see the hob falling through the hole!  

FreeBear

A (very) quick search online....

600mm wide Gas hobs need a cut out of 560mm by 480mm. Induction hobs, 560mm by 490mm - Both, give or take a bit.. If your existing hole is too small, it can be made larger without too much trouble. If it is too big, yet still smaller than the overall size of the hob, it can be packed out with thin strips of timber - This assumes a chipboard or solid timber worktop.

An induction hob will require some air space below for ventilation, and also somewhere for the hot air to get out - I have a small gap between the bottom of the worktop and the top of the integrated oven below. The gap is only 20mm or so, but it is enough to allow air to circulate.

doraspenlow

FreeBear said:

A (very) quick search online....

600mm wide Gas hobs need a cut out of 560mm by 480mm. Induction hobs, 560mm by 490mm - Both, give or take a bit.. If your existing hole is too small, it can be made larger without too much trouble. If it is too big, yet still smaller than the overall size of the hob, it can be packed out with thin strips of timber - This assumes a chipboard or solid timber worktop.

An induction hob will require some air space below for ventilation, and also somewhere for the hot air to get out - I have a small gap between the bottom of the worktop and the top of the integrated oven below. The gap is only 20mm or so, but it is enough to allow air to circulate.

Does it require more circulation space than a gas hob then? We've got a cutlery drawer underneath the hob.

doraspenlow

Doozergirl said:

If you google the model number of your existing hob, there will
almost certainly be a pdf copy of the manual/installation instructions online.  

 

Within that, there will a drawing indicating the required cutout. 

Ditto when you are shopping for your new hob. Check the installation drawings before you buy  to make sure that the hole you have is okay.  The size doesn't have to be exact, as long as you can see it can be made bigger or that the size wont see the hob falling through the hole!  

Good idea, thanks. 

lesalanos

Its extremely likely that a new cable will need running from the consumer unit for the hob as the power required will probably be too big to run on the existing cable with the oven, especially with it being a double oven.

You would need to ensure that there is space in the consumer unit and also consider where the cable will go and what needs fixing for that 

woodwormme

Have you ever used an induction hob? You will also need new pans.

doraspenlow

lesalanos said:

Its extremely likely that a new cable will need running from the consumer unit for the hob as the power required will probably be too big to run on the existing cable with the oven, especially with it being a double oven.

You would need to ensure that there is space in the consumer unit and also consider where the cable will go and what needs fixing for that 

Thank you. All things worth looking into.

woodwormme said:

Have you ever used an induction hob? You will also need new pans.

I haven't. I know about the pans.