Choose a suitable hob today is not so simple. Assortment series of this type of household appliances is so wide that you involuntarily start to get lost and even doubt. And here in this situation there is a risk to get completely different from what was supposed at the very beginning. To prevent this from happening, you need to determine the desired purchase before the trip to the store, and this, in turn, will require some knowledge from you. Here we will talk about the type of chewing surfaces and their distinctive features.
Variety of cooking surfaces
- Gas
- Electric
- Combined
Together or apart
Depending on the oven, cooking surfaces are divided into dependent and independent.
- The peculiarity of dependent models is that the control panel is on the oven. On the hob surface, the knobs and knobs are missing. This option is convenient when you feel the need for only the hob itself, but also in the oven. In this case, they are installed in one place and outwardly resemble an ordinary plate, only built into a kitchen set. Select specific models will help the data from the special compatibility table. You can also just get a consultation on the spot in the store.
- The independent hob, in contrast to the previous version, has its own control panel, which is responsible only for its functioning. In this case, it does not matter at what place the oven is installed, what type it belongs to and whether it exists at all. The control of such a surface can be carried out both mechanically (with the help of ordinary handles) and sensory.
Surface material
Enamel
Pluses:
- low price;
- wide range of color palette;
- resistance to heavy loads (both thermal and mechanical);
- there are no stains from the fingers on the surface.
Disadvantages:
- fragility (if a heavy object falls on the enameled hob, it can be chipped).
Aluminum
Benefits:
- low price;
- resistance to heavy loads (both thermal and mechanical);
- unhappy beats.
Disadvantages:
- special requirements for care of the hob (aluminum is easily scratched, therefore the use of abrasive agents is excluded);
- there are traces of water and fingers.
Stainless steel
Benefits:
- rather low price (although we note that the cost of cooking surfaces from stainless steel is somewhat more expensive than the cost of enamel and aluminum);
- resistance to heavy loads (both thermal and mechanical);
- unhappy beats.
Disadvantages:
- stainless steel surfaces can leave very visible divorces of bends and fingerprints. Despair, of course, is not worth it. Already began to producewrought surfaces made of matt stainless steel. Fingerprints on them are virtually invisible, so during the operation their neat appearance does not deteriorate.
Glass-ceramics
Benefits:
- presentable appearance;
- a simple walk-through (the glass-ceramic surface is absolutely flat, and so the dirt is very easily removed with a cloth or a special scraper);
- electrically-ceramic surfaces are characterized by rapid heating and cooling of the cooking zones.
Disadvantages:
- high price;
- special requirements for dishes (the bottom of the dishes should be absolutely flat, and its diameter should not exceed the diameter of the heating zones);
- The surface of glass ceramics is afraid of point gifts and impacts of heavy objects.
- The glass ceramic surface does not tolerate sweet liquids, as stains can remain.
Cooking surfaces also differ from each other by a set of additional functions, types of burners, their number, etc.
Connection rules for the hob
The connection of machinery, including such a welding surface, is better to be immediately entrusted to specialists who know a lot about this. Here, skills play a role, and experience. The quality of the installation of the cooking surface depends not only on its service life, but also on your emotions that are experienced daily during cooking. Moreover, making mistakes in connecting the hob may serve as a threat to the safety of your family, and, in general, the safety of the whole house.
Nevertheless, it is not superfluous to become familiar with the basic rules for connecting hobs. So you can show off your knowledge to your husband and personally monitor the quality of the installer.
- When connecting the hob, it is important to properly and accurately connect the wires to it. They must be reliably fixed, and connections - carefully insulated. In the opposite case, this is a short-circuit, a fire, a smoke in the room or an electric shock.
- When installing the hob, it is worth considering the place where it will be placed. As a rule, the surface is installed either by a supra-cupboard or over the drawers. In any case, the surface must be stable - do not wiggle and do not swing.
- The power of the hob, which is usually varied between 5 and 8 kW, determines the rating of the cable safety device. The most optimal is a separate connection (for each appliance, they lay their own cable that connects to their automatic RCD, which is very important for a single-phase input).
- The cable for the hob must be copper, three-core, with a cross section of at least 6 mm2. Perfectly suitable PVSili VVG.
- It is better to wiring the equipment with the use of plugs with three pins and sockets for the appropriate current of different construction, so as not to confuse them.
- When connecting the hob, it is necessary to take into account the expected load, correctly select the cable cross-section and connect it to the switchboard.