ᐅ What type of power supply cable is needed from the breaker panel to the stove connection?

My father had a house built in 1975. For the first 15 years, there was a standard electric stove installed. After that, my parents used a gas stove for 30 years. Now the gas stove has broken down, and they want to install an electric stove again. The connection socket is still in place. I bought an electric stove along with a stove connection cable 5 x 2.5 mm² (0.01 inch²). A technically skilled friend who has done many installations installed the stove yesterday. After thinking it over overnight, he made the following observation: He considered the supply line from the circuit breakers in the hallway to the kitchen. The cable there should be 2.5 mm² (0.01 inch²) in size, but the existing one is at most 1.5 mm² (0.006 inch²). Now I am supposed to ask an electrician whether this is okay or if the supply line to the kitchen needs to be replaced. Otherwise, there is a risk of overload and fire. My father is 83 and would be very upset if the walls all had to be broken open now.

The house is from 1975, so not that old. Would all the walls have to be opened up now to lay a new cable from the fuse box to the stove?

I live in a house built in 1962. In 1995, an electrician connected an electric stove to the existing wiring, which was certainly the original wiring. Everything has worked perfectly fine ever since.

How long is the cable from the distribution board to the connection box?
How is the cable protected at the distribution board?
What type of oven/cooktop is connected now, and how (3-phase, 2-phase, etc.)?

RotorMotor schrieb:

How long is the cable from the distribution board to the connection box?
How is the cable protected in the distribution board?
What kind of stove/cooktop is connected and how (3-phase, 2-phase, etc.)?

The cable runs about 3 to 4 m (10 to 13 feet) from the breaker panel to the stove connection box.
In the breaker panel, there are 3 toggle switches responsible for the stove connection.
It’s a new standard electric stove with an oven and a ceramic cooktop. It’s 3-phase—as far as I understand.

For a short distance, this shouldn’t be an issue.

However, if you or your group have so little knowledge that you refer to circuit breakers as toggle switches instead of B-16A, etc., and cannot specify the oven’s power consumption, you definitely should not try to do the electrical work yourselves!

No guarantees:
Probably nothing will happen with that length. However, I personally wouldn’t feel completely at ease, especially since the 83-year-old father might occasionally forget about the stove being on, and it could be running for more than just an hour. Of course, this is all theoretical...

The change in cable cross-section is borderline. Since an electric stove was previously connected here, I would double-check the cross-section starting from the sub-distribution board to see if it might actually be 2.5 mm² (4 AWG) after all.

Your acquaintance should also seriously reconsider and verify whether the stove is really connected with three-phase power. Single-phase with 5x1.5 mm² (5x16 AWG) would definitely exceed the limits. 😉

EDIT: What type of wall contains the 5x1.5 mm² cable (brick, drywall with insulation, etc.)?

Martial.white schrieb:

No guarantees:
Most likely nothing will happen given the length. However, I probably wouldn’t sleep soundly, especially since the 83-year-old dad might occasionally forget the stove on, and it could stay on for more than just one hour. Of course, this is all just theory...

The borderline issue is the change in cable cross-section. Since an electric stove was previously connected here, I would double-check the cross-section from the sub-distribution panel to see if it really is 2.5 mm² (approximately 2.7 sq. inches).

Your acquaintance should also seriously reconsider whether the stove is really connected as three-phase.
Single-phase with 5x1.5 mm² (approximately 0.0023 sq. inches) would be beyond borderline 😉.

EDIT: What type of wall is the 5x1.5 mm² cable run in (brick, drywall with insulation, etc.)?

My father no longer operates the stove anyway. At most, his close acquaintance might warm something up or boil potatoes, but the stove will never be on for more than one hour continuously, nor will more than two burners be used simultaneously. They probably won’t use the oven at all.... The cables are routed in brick walls, so interior walls. There is no wood or insulation inside....