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Electricity is a serious and dangerous business, but many jobs do not require high qualifications and can be done independently without the involvement of specialists. For example, you can connect an electric stove with only a distant idea of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbelectricity. Especially if the socket is already mounted. All that remains is to install the plug on the cord and connect it correctly to the stove connectors. The situation is worse if it is necessary to pull the line from the shield, but even here you can manage without help. Just remember that all work is done with the power off.
Scheme and connection methods
Electric household stoves are powerful equipment, the current they consume is about 40-50 A. This means that you need to connect the electric stove to a dedicated power line. It must be powered directly from the apartment or house shield. Power is supplied through the RCD and circuit breaker. The plate itself can be connected through a socket and plug (special power), terminal box. Also, the line from the machine can be directly connected to the input terminals on the rear wall.
A more reliable connection is directly to the input terminals of the plate. In this case, there is a minimum number of contact points, which increases reliability. But this method is not entirely convenient: you can only turn off the power supply automatically. Approximately the same problem occurs when using a terminal box, with the only difference being that there are more connection points.
Most often, they use a connection using a socket and plug. It’s more convenient and familiar. Since the equipment is powerful, they do not use ordinary household devices, but special ones, which are also called power ones – for their ability to withstand significant current loads.
Please note that when connecting powerful electrical equipment, grounding is required. Without it, you will be denied warranty repairs, and its absence is life-threatening, so it’s better not to risk it.
Electrical parameters and ratings of circuit breakers
As we found out, there should be separate RCDs and a circuit breaker in the electrical panel. Through them, the phase is supplied to the outlet. This pair can be replaced with a difavtomat. These are the same two devices, but in one case. The minus is taken from a common bus, passes through the RCD, grounding is taken from the corresponding bus.
Nominal automaton selected according to the maximum current consumption. These data are in the passport of the electric stove and are usually in the range of 40-50 A. In this range, the ratings go in large steps – 40 A, 50 A, 63 A. It is better to choose the nearest larger one – so there is less chance of a false shutdown when operating at full power . That is, if the declared maximum current consumption is 42-43 A, you still take a 50 A machine.
On the other hand, you may never turn on all the burners and the oven, and even at full power, and more powerful machines are decently more expensive. It’s up to you to choose.
RCD rating take a step higher than the machine. If you decide to install the machine at 50 A, then the RCD is needed at 63 A, the leakage current is 30 mA.
Wire and its parameters
In recent years, when laying electrical wiring and connecting household appliances, copper conductors are most often used. Although they cost much more, it is more convenient to work with them, besides, copper requires a much smaller core diameter than when using aluminum conductors.
Select the cross-section of conductors depending on the type of network – 220 V or 380 V, the type of wiring (open / closed), as well as the current consumption or power of the equipment. Typically, copper conductors with a core of 4 mm (with a line length of up to 12 m) or 6 mm are used.
When choosing the type of cable for laying from the shield to the outlet, it is better to stop at single-core conductors. They are tougher, but more reliable. To connect the stove itself (to which it will be necessary to connect the power plug), you can choose a flexible stranded wire: a single-core one in this case will be too inconvenient.
Connecting the hob is described here.
How to connect an electric stove to a 220 V network
All the above diagrams were specifically for a single-phase 220 V network. To connect, you need a three-core cable, a three-pin power socket and a plug with a rated current of at least 32 A. Let’s say right away that connecting equipment of different brands is fundamentally no different. It does not matter which stove you have purchased – Electrolux, Gorenje, Bosh, Beko. Doesn’t matter. The only difference is the different design of the covers that cover the terminal box on the housing and the different ways of fixing it. Everything else is similar.
Connecting the cable to the electric stove
First, the cable selected for connection must be connected to the electric stove. On the rear panel, usually at the bottom left, there is a terminal block to which the conductors are led.
Nearby are connection diagrams for different networks.
With a network of 220 V, the diagram is on the far right. On the plate, contacts 1,2,3 should be connected with one jumper – this will be the phase (red or brown conductors), the second – contacts 4 and 5 – this is neutral or zero (blue or blue), the sixth contact is ground (green or yellow -green). From the store, electric stoves usually come with jumpers already installed, but it doesn’t hurt to check.
It is more correct and reliable to compress the conductors with contact plates, and then connect them. Such a connection is more reliable, but often the conductors are simply twisted around the clamping screw and then tightened. In any case, it is better to observe color marking – so there is less chance of making a mistake.
Plug installation
Next, connect the plug to the cable. Power plug – collapsible. Unscrew the two fixing screws, remove the cover with contacts. The fixing plate holding the cable is also removed. The protective insulation is removed from the edge of the flexible cable (by about 5-6 cm), the conductors are straightened, their ends are also stripped of insulation by about 1,5-2 cm. The cut end of the cable is inserted into the plug body.
The clamping screws on the contacts are loosened, the conductors, if they are stranded, are twisted into a bundle. These flagella are twisted around the contacts, tightened with clamping screws.
The distribution of conductors is important and must be connected carefully. The top contact of the plug is usually signed – the “ground” wire (green) is connected here. When connecting an outlet, it is necessary to apply the “ground” to a similar connector.
The other two contacts are “phase” and “zero”. It doesn’t matter where which of them to feed, but when you connect the outlet, the “phase” should fall on the “phase”, “zero” – on “zero”. Otherwise there will be a short circuit. So before turning on, be sure to check again if the wires (phase and zero) are screwed correctly.
How to determine the phase in an installed outlet
If you already had an electric stove and there is an outlet, you need to find in it where the ground, phase and zero are located and, accordingly, connect the wires in the plug. To determine the easiest way to use a voltage indicator in the form of a screwdriver. It works simply – install the indicator in the place of the intended phase, and look at the LED mounted in the case. If it is on, then there is voltage and this is a phase. If there is no voltage, the LED does not light up, and this is zero.
Earth is even easier to define: it is a contact at the top or bottom.
Connection to a three-phase network 380 V
In this case, an automatic machine and an RCD for a three-phase network are bought, the wires must be five-core (the cross section is determined according to the same table, only the value must be viewed in column 380 V). The plug and socket must also have five pins.
The connection process itself will not differ in anything, only the number of wires. The difference will be when connecting the wire to the output terminals of the electric stove. Only one jumper will be installed – on pins 5 and 6. All the rest are connected by separate conductors.
It is also necessary to keep track of the position of “ground” and “neutral” (or they also say “zero”). The color matching of the conductors on the phases is not critical, but it is more convenient if they also match.