Is my fuse board suitable for a 32A induction hob?

flamenco45

This will probably seem a daft question, but since 3 days ago, we have decided we like the idea of swapping our gas hob for an induction hob when we do the kitchen upgrade shortly. We have found the hob we like (AEG at £369) but have no idea if my current(!) fuse board will allow installation. So my question is - is it possible to tell by looking at it (or posting a photo) and if so what do I need to look for, or do I need to get an electrician out to tell me? The current oven is likely to be changed to another electric too.

SameOldRoundabout

You need an electrician, however the fuse board should be fine as long as it’s relatively modern. You will however need a hardwire put in for the hob, and possibly the oven depending on the spec and the existing arrangement. Some inductions and ovens are compatible with a plug but really it is not suitable as they have a high draw. The new wiring will need to go through walls/under floors and you’ll have to get a gas fitter to disconnect the hob supply so you may need to consider that too as it won’t be as simple as just changing hobs. 

flamenco45

Thank you. I was certainly not going to try anything myself, just trying to assess whether it was going to be straightforward or massively expensive before finally plumping for an induction hob. The current oven has a 32A breaker on the board (I think that's what I mean). So it would probably need an new cable for the hob, running alongside the oven cable from the board, and a dedicated 32A breaker of its own? If so would that be an expensive job would you imagine? (I anticipate your answer will be the first one you gave me - get an electrician in!) Many thanks.

SameOldRoundabout

It shouldn’t be that much, some will depend how far away your fuse board is from the kitchen etc. If you’re having a kitchen remodel try and clump all the small bits you’d like to change (moving sockets, new sockets, spotlights etc) into one, it is more layout initially but you’ll probably pay less than doing them all individually! I think our sparks charges a flat rate of around £200 a day plus materials, and just the hob wiring would be probably a day or 2 depending on chasing, I think he’s managed to chase and rewire about 5 sockets in a day for us. 

It’s not going to be massively expensive in the scheme of things. And as a total convert to induction (AEG are nice, so good choice, failing that Neff are lovely) I can tell you that it takes some getting used to but I would never ever go back. So quick, so easy, so clean! 

pimento

We've just had an AEG induction hob fitted and the electrician ran another cable (not sure about the technical wording) and it didn't add much to the overall cost bearing in mind he had to fit the oven and lights.
By the way, you won't regret getting an induction hob, they're excellent.  It heats up a pan of water faster than the kettle and it is super easy to keep clean as it never really gets hot so nothing gets burnt on.

floppydisk1

there's quite a large selection of 13A ovens ( non pyrolytic ones )  so you can get one of those and plug it in, and hardwire hob into a 32A circuit.... there are a some plug in induction hobs ( for 13A or 2990W ) but they are not really good at all, as under high draw you can barely run one ring on booster on those ( so you won't boil anything that fast and forget about cooking on 2 or 3  rings at the same time ), otherwise get an electrician in.

fenwick458

one x 6mm cooker circuit rated at 32-40A would be enough to supply most cooker & hob combos