I've always been a gas-hob user, and rarely use more than one ring at a time, but that may have to change to electric ... upcoming decision on whether to go with bulk LPG tank for boiler which would also allow gas hob, or go full electric with heatpump and induction hob, I suppose bottled gas for hob-only would be do-able.
I'd have to check, but I think that some induction hobs can be wired to be able to run at full whack OR at a reduced current.
If wired for a lower current, the individual plates are managed to ensure the total draw is within that limit.
I always preferred gas hobs until I had to switch to induction; I would not go back to gas.
You may just be able to prise the existing hob out by sliding a blade under the edges. I don;t think the Neff hob I removed was held in. The Bosh induction hob I bought as a replacement has a configuration option to set the maximum current itm could draw. I was very pleased that it just fitted in the same size hold in the worktop.
I grew up with gas cookers, but for the last 35 years have used electric hobs latterly induction ones. I now find gas hobs alarming as well as being awkward to keep clean.
Unless you have a good well sited cooker hood, the fumes from the gas hob are slowly killing you.(Nox)
No-one seems to have mentioned the fact that the size of cut-out required varies from hob to hob.
If the existing cut-out is too small you can enlarge it. But if it's too big - or in the wrong place relative to where the hob needs to go - you may have a problem.
Really depends on how you use it. Few choose to have all the elements on full anymore. Its much more about using the appropriate element now.
I have seen it done. And some of the posh hobs automatically turn on the extractor hoods when you turn them on.
Who does the cooking?
RTFM and make sure you can meet the clearance and ventilation requirements of your hob. Mine is a cheap "Viesta" brand and is installed above a cutlery drawer. It requires a 3mm gap between the bottom of the counter and the top of the drawer front, that was easy because the fronts have screwdriver adjusters for height, however the chipboard carcase partially baffles the airflow and the kitchen fitter did not feel it was important enough to cut away. I will have to take my multitool to it myself because as I predicted the hob occasionally goes into its induction coil overheat shutdown error mode which clears if I open the door slightly.
Here's a couple of photos that may illustrate what I mean.
Some 7 or 8 years ago, I was informed, by someone I trusted, that in commercial premises you had to have the extractor fan running before you could get a supply to a gas cooker. Easily dome with a solenoid in the gas supply.
On mine the controls go from 1 to 9. Between 5&9 the continuous power is changed, between 1&4 the duty-cycle is changed.
If, for example, you have two burners on "2" which is about 50% duty cycle, I would have expected them to alternate to help with diversity, but no, they come on and off together.
That's just bad design, what brand ?
I haven't tried one, but when I was looking at induction hobs recently, some were smart enough that they used reduced power if all the "rings" were energised at the same time, but operated at full power if only a couple were.
SteveW
Thanks for yet more detailed and important considerations. If I hadn't started this thread I would still be thinking that choosing and fitting an induction hob was a fairly simple matter.
The person you trust is correct.
There is however more to it than just a switch to turn on the fan and operate the solenoid in most cases.
There are usually two fans in such properties an intake and an out-take and they are often variable speed fans.
Normally a fan control unit monitors the fans and shuts the gas off if either fail. The unit uses a couple of potentiometers that you have to set to to determine the detection range when the fans are on the slowest setting.
The ones I have worked on also have an emergency "run for 30 minutes even if a fan has failed" button to press if you take the front cover off. That is supposed to let you finish what you are cooking before I arrive and bypass the con
I have the very cheapest 2kW single induction plate thing, countertop plasticcy thing. It was just over 20?. The fan is noisy, the temperature setting has 20°C increments which is "too coarse" in the lowest range. And the 60°C and 80°C settings will boil water if the pan is small; fine if large enough but still considerable deviation. The hot spot is smaller than on a large electric plate. The temperature, time and wattage can be set independently, if clumsily. It is easy to clean and light (to the point of flimsyness). As there is no hot air as in burning gas, spatter does not get spread around as much.
For all the pros and cons: underpowered? naah, not compared to the gas hob.
All in all, a great buy, well worth its money. Next time around, I'd get the second-cheapest, not the cheapest...
Thomas Prufer
Good to know.
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