ᐅ Two ovens on one circuit – electrician installed only a single electrical circuit

Hello everyone,

I need your assessment on something that honestly left me speechless.

During our house construction, the electrical installation was done by the builder’s electrician. The oven outlet had initially been simply forgotten and needed to be redone anyway. During the conversation back then, I clearly stated that we planned to install two ovens instead of one – a regular oven with microwave function and a steam oven – and that these obviously each need to be separately protected.

Now that the kitchen is fully installed (including the granite countertop, everything finished), I operated both appliances simultaneously for the first time and the circuit breaker immediately tripped. When I looked in the breaker panel, I saw there was only one “oven” breaker, so apparently both outlets are on the same circuit.

Yes, I know I should have noticed earlier, but unfortunately I didn’t.

From everything I have researched so far (VDE 0100-430 and 0100-520), this is definitely not allowed, because the combined load of both appliances significantly exceeds the permissible continuous load of a 16-A circuit. Can someone with expertise confirm this?

Overload protection	Circuit must not be overloaded by two ovens	VDE 0100-430 (433.1)
Dimensioning	Circuit must match operating current	VDE 0100-520 (523.1)
Separate circuits	Each high-power appliance on its own circuit	DIN 18015-1 (10.1)
Compliance	Violation of VDE = violation of EnWG § 49 para. 2	EnWG

Now I am wondering if the fault clearly lies with the electrician and whether he must correct it at his own cost. Also, I’m interested in who would bear the costs if parts of the kitchen have to be dismantled for the retrofit. And lastly: What is the best way to handle this without the situation escalating into conflict?

I want to clarify this calmly and objectively with the electrician, but honestly, I find it quite incomprehensible – especially since the wiring had to be installed later anyway and it was clear two high-power appliances would be connected.

I look forward to your opinions and experiences.

Best regards
dergert