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When buying a built-in oven, sellers recommend entrusting the connection of equipment to professionals. But this service, even with normal wiring, costs about 1500 rubles (about $ 25), which is already a lot. And if you have to pull the line from the shield, the cost still increases, and solidly. But an ordinary person who knows how to hold a screwdriver in his hands can connect the oven with his own hands. Laying a separate power line is more difficult, but it can also be done. The only disadvantage of such actions is that you will not have the corresponding column filled in your passport. Based on this, you may be denied warranty repairs if a warranty case suddenly occurs. So the choice is yours.
There are two types of electric ovens – dependent and independent. Dependents come with the hob and are connected with it to the same power source. They should be located nearby, usually the hob above the oven. They are interconnected by cables, since the position of the oven controls affects the operation of the hob. All requirements are detailed in the instructions and must be followed exactly.
Independent ovens are completely self-contained devices that connect independently. The choice of their place of installation is also arbitrary. Because, perhaps, such models are more popular.
Connection procedure
Regardless of the type of device, connecting the oven takes place in several stages:
Existing wiring needs to be assessed. The oven can only be connected if:
- Physical condition is good.
- The cross section of the conductors is not less than necessary.
- The line has an automatic switch or at least a knife switch. They are needed to de-energize the equipment in an emergency.
If the existing wiring does not meet the requirements, it is necessary to lay a new route from the shield to the intended location of the oven. On this line, you will need to put a machine of a suitable denomination. We will talk more about the cross section of the wires and the ratings of the machines for them further.
What to do
First you need to prepare the oven for connecting to the mains. The oven may have a power cord. Sometimes it ends with a three-prong (grounded) plug, sometimes there is no plug. Depending on the connection method, you can install a plug on the cord, or you can do without it. You can even change the cord – this does not even affect the warranty.
It’s all about which connection method you choose. You can – traditional through a three-pin socket with a plug. You can one that is not so convenient, but is considered more correct. Through the terminal block. Depending on the selected connection method, connect the electrical wires (more on this below).
- Prepare a place for the installation of a built-in oven. Typically, manufacturers recommend that cold air be supplied from behind and from below for ventilation. If the furniture has a back wall, make a hole in it or even cut it out as much as possible. To ensure the flow of air from below, you can lay linings a few centimeters high on the sides (it is important that there is also an air gap at the top between the oven and the worktop. In addition, the side racks of the cabinet must be adjusted to the dimensions of the oven – it must be fixed to the sidewalls with screws.
Such a plan picture will be in your instructions with the exact mounting dimensions - The built-in oven is installed in place, we check the verticality and horizontalness of the installation with a building level, if necessary, correct it. We open the door, there are holes on the side strips, we install self-tapping screws in them that will hold the oven in place. To prevent the walls of the furniture from breaking when screwing in the screws, first make a hole using a drill with a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the self-tapping screw.
That, in fact, is all. They have already connected the oven, but not everyone fully understands some of the nuances and, most likely, there are a lot of questions about the electrical part. We will talk about them further.
Electrical connection
If everything is fine with your wiring, it was recently laid, there is a separate line for connecting with a properly working ground, and even the oven is not very powerful – about 2,5 kW, there are no questions – put the plug on, turn it on and that’s it. But if the wiring is already more than ten years old, in what condition it is, you don’t know what section of the wire is unknown, it’s better to stretch a separate line, do everything according to the rules, and only then connect the oven. In this case, you do not have to be afraid that something will happen to the wiring.
The cross section of conductors and the rating of the circuit breaker
The latest models of ovens have become not very “gluttonous” – the struggle for savings is bearing fruit. If you look at their characteristics, then the average installation power for a built-in oven is in the range of 2,6-3 kW. But this is a rather expensive product. Equipment in the cheaper segment can have significantly more power. Also, models with pyrolytic cleaning will be more powerful.
That is why it is recommended to connect the oven to a dedicated line with a large cross-section of conductors, on which a circuit breaker is installed. Recommended section – 6 mm2. Such a conductor can withstand a continuous load of 10 kW, which is more than enough. It is recommended to install a class C 32 circuit breaker on this line. This is with a very large margin of safety – lines with such parameters are often placed at the input to a summer house or a house in a village. Its laying will require a solid investment – and the cable is not cheap and the machine costs enough.
| Cross section of copper wires | Permissible continuous load current | Maximum load power for a single-phase network 220 V | Rated current of the circuit breaker | Circuit breaker current limit | Approximate load for a single-phase circuit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,5 sq. mm | A 19 | 4,1 кВт | A 10 | A 16 | lighting and signaling |
| 2,5 sq. mm | A 27 | 5,9 кВт | A 16 | A 25 | socket groups and electric underfloor heating |
| 4 sq. Mm | A 38 | 8,3 кВт | A 25 | A 32 | air conditioners and water heaters |
| 6 sq. Mm | A 46 | 10,1 кВт | A 32 | A 40 | electric stoves and ovens |
| 10 sq. mm | A 70 | 15,4 кВт | A 50 | A 63 | introductory lines |
If your oven has a power much less than 8 kW (even when all available devices are turned on at the same time), you can lay a cable with a cross section of 4 square meters. mm, and put the machine on C 25. This will be no less reliable, but more economical. By the way, for greater safety when installing the oven, it is recommended to use two-pole circuit breakers. When triggered, they will turn off not only the phase, but also zero, which is important in some cases (during insulation breakdown).
The cable can be used VVGng or NYM. Parameters, respectively 3*4 or 3*6. Only when buying, be sure to measure the diameter of the conductor – too often manufacturers, in an attempt to make products cheaper, save on copper. As a result, instead of the declared 4 sq. mm, we have at best 3, and this is already unsafe – the wiring can heat up, which can lead to a short circuit and a fire. So, check the diameter of the conductor. For a cable with a cross section of 4 sq. mm it should be 2,26 mm, for 6 sq. mm – 2,76 mm. Read more about how and what to measure, how to calculate, read here.
RCD – necessary or not?
On the line to which it will be possible to connect the oven, in addition to the circuit breaker, it is also recommended to install an RCD. The machine protects the wiring from overheating and short circuit currents, and the RCD – a protective earthing device – will protect users. In the event of an insulation breakdown to the ground or in case of touching the phase wire, it will turn off the power supply. Electricity is the area in which it is better to play it safe and RCD is usually reinsurance, but it is better if it is. Safer.
The selection of RCD parameters is simple – its rating is one step higher than the rating of the circuit breaker. That is, if you set the machine to 25 A, take the RCD at 32 A, if the bag is at 32 A, the RCD will be needed at 40 A. The second parameter is the cut-off current. Everything is simple with him – for the lines to which one device is connected, they take it 10 mA.
We still need to discuss the type. It is better to install class B (B 25, for example), but class A (A 25) will also work. But do not take the AC class. Although they are cheaper, they do not provide the required degree of security.
Once again: if you want to connect the oven correctly and reliably, use a heavy gauge wire, a circuit breaker and an RCD. Such an installation will guarantee long-term and safe operation of the equipment.
Socket or block
Connecting the oven to the power line is possible in two ways: using a power plug and socket with suitable parameters (selected according to the maximum current, which should be indicated in the technical specifications) or in the section “Safe operation”. Generally speaking, with a power of 3-3,5 kW, you need a plug and socket with a maximum current of 15 A, for an oven with a power of up to 5 kW, you will need a socket with a 32 A plug.
A ground wire (usually yellow-green) is connected to the bottom connector, a phase and zero (blue or cyan) are connected to the other two. When connecting, do not confuse – the phase and zero on the socket and plug must match.
The second connection option is a terminal block. This is a simple and reliable way. There is a plate made of heat-resistant plastic compound, on which several pairs of contact plates and screw clamps are mounted. The wires of the two cables are connected from two opposite sides. When connecting, observe the color marking: the yellow-green wire is the “ground”. These conductors are connected strictly one opposite the other. The same with blue wires – this is neutral or “zero”. The remaining wires are the phase and they are also connected one opposite the other.
Naturally, it is necessary to work with the voltage turned off – put the machine in the “off” position. The wires are connected simply – a conductor stripped by 7-9 mm is inserted under the top plate. You can first loosen it – turn the clamping screw a couple of turns. After that, the screw is clamped, ensuring good contact. After the screw has been tightened, pull the conductor with sufficient force several times – make sure that it is well fixed.
In order for the terminal block with wires not to be exposed, it can (and is very desirable) be packed in a case. You can use a regular wiring junction box, or you can use a small plastic wiring cabinet in which you can pack everything very neatly.
Jumpers
In most cases, the oven is delivered from the store with the power cord already attached. Naturally, in this case, jumpers are already installed in accordance with what kind of network you have – single-phase or three-phase. But if there is no cord, jumpers must be installed independently.
It’s not difficult at all. On each device and in the instruction manual there is a table that shows which jumpers need to be installed for which network. An example of such a table is shown below. In this case, it is pressed out on the back cover, but can be glued near the place where the leads from the oven come out and where the cord is attached.
As follows from this diagram, the first circuit is suitable for a single-phase 220 V network. She is signed 1N. It is shown that in this case it is necessary to connect three outputs, signed 1, 2 and 3. To do this, install two jumpers. Please note that the output “ground” in this model is on the right. A yellow-green conductor should be connected to it, we connect the same one there from the cable / cord.
The far left is the terminal for connecting the neutral or “zero”. Please note that there should also be a jumper. It usually stands by default (always), but it does not interfere with checking. A blue wire is suitable for this conclusion, we connect the conductor of the same color from the cable.
The remaining reason is phase. Having installed two jumpers on the remaining three contacts, we connect this wire. It can be any color except yellow, green and blue. Most often it has a black, brown or red color, but not necessarily.
If you have a three-phase input (380 V) in your house or apartment, then in addition to the jumper on the neutral wires, others are not needed. In this case, it is also better to connect the protective wires first – ground and neutral – and then the phase ones. The order of connecting the phase wires is not important, but it is desirable that they are connected in the same order as on the electrical plug. It’s just that the less confusion, the better.