Installing a new induction hob to replace a ceramic one - challenge

In our rented apartment, we had a 2004 Bauknecht EPV 5460 AL ceramic hob (kookplaat in Dutch) which was integrated into the oven ESN5960/IN and used one 2-phase plug.

When we moved in I noticed the hob had some damage at the edge in the middle at the top.

One day, after a couple of months, I noticed a crack running right across the glass to the other side. This made the hob dangerous to use as it was no longer water tight.

Best thing was to replace it with a new induction hob as:

[1] a new glass cover was very difficult and relatively expensive to buy (€245),

[2] a second-hand Bauknecht hob (€100) to integrate with the existing hob controls on the oven was difficult to get in perfect condition (as they were more than 10 years old),

[3] the new Bauknecht hobs no longer used the controls on the oven.

But there was a problem.

Most (good) new induction hobs in the Netherlands are 2-phase and use a special 5-pole Perilex plug (same plug as the existing hob/ oven combo).

If the new induction hob were to use the Perilex socket then the oven would not have its own socket. 

So this was the challenge - how to get a new hob and the old oven working without having to install another socket. Typically an electrician would charge €600 for this work, assuming there was extra space in the fuse panel.

I chose the AEG IKB64301XB which is the Dutch Consumer's Association "Best in Test" and "Best Buy" (€369).

The AEG has 4 wires.

The old hob is connected using these wires which simply unplug from the top of the oven.

then rolling the oven over onto its door (I had an old blanket on the floor to protect it) and removing the cover plate you can see that the previous installer had omitted to use the cable clamp. The thick black wire is the 5-core running to the Perilex.

So instead of wiring the new hob directly to a Perilex plug, I could simply wire it in to the back of the old oven.

A close up reveals that two of the 5 wires are connected together:

So with careful use of a multi-meter I could double-check the voltage across the terminals. Then simply screw the new hob wires to the terminals.

Close attention was paid to the power rating labels of all devices to ensure that the new hob was compatible to the fuse panel rating. Also the wiring diagram stickers on the units themselves.

Here you can see both the oven light and the hob is on. The hob controls on the oven are now redundant as the new hob controls are on the hob itself.

Since we have now been using the AEG for a few weeks I must say that it is excellent. Very powerful; it can bring a small pan of potatoes to boil in less than 1 minute! A delight to use.