I'm in EU too. We had recently a blown fuse or something in the entire 5 story building, the result was sort of weird: lights were ok in the entire house, half of the power sockets in the flat were ok, half of the power sockets were without power. That's when I realized that each of these 230V circuits are probably connected to a different phase. (Perhaps so that the load gets distributed evenly)
All the places I've lived in (UK) used a 32A 240V radial spur with a dedicated breaker with the appliance hardwired, or a regular wall socket on the kitchen ring main, 13A 240V, with a shared breaker (lower power portable appliance). Never seen 2-phase wiring for domestic use.
I thought, but I could be wrong, that UK cookers use a radial spur with a dedicated breaker, and that sometimes those breakers also include a standard regular wall socket, but this socket (and the cooker) are still on their own radial spur.
The cooker should never be connected to a normal kitchen ring main.
> Q1.18 Appendix 15 of BS 7671: 2008 gives advice on ring final circuits and sharing/spreading the load around the circuit. Item (iii) suggests that cookers, ovens and hobs over 2 kW should be on their own dedicated circuit. Why can’t ovens of less than 3 kW be connected to a ring final circuit via a suitable connection point such as a socket-outlet or fused connection unit?
> Appendix 15 is intended to give guidance only. Such connection is not prohibited, provided that no part of the ring final circuit will be overloaded as a result.
> Regulation number(s)
> 433.1.5
So, not forbidden, but if you have new wiring the electrician is going to give the cooker its own circuit.
Just checked in my new-ish flat where I have an electric oven only (gas hob). It's a 13A square pin standard wall socket, but does have a dedicated breaker, so it is indeed not on the ring main for the other wall sockets. It has a 32A MCB in the consumer unit (same as on the two main rings). Not sure if it's ring or radial without removing the socket.
One phase is the standard in UK and Spain too. You don't get the same amount of Watts outs of a hob wired with one phase, and most hobs seem to be possible to wire either way.
I'm trying to google a diagram, but I only find a bunch of forum posts that explain. For Neff stuff (the one we have), the connectors are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
1-2-3 would be separate phases in a 3-phase home and joined together for a single phase.
I know nothing about spain but the UK is the exception to all rules, particularly electricity wise. It evennused to have its own color coding and circuit design.
> Most European transformers are three-phase and on the order of 300 to 1000 kVA, much larger than typical North American 25- or 50-kVA single-phase units.
Electric stoves in Germany are usually hooked up to a special 3 phase wire in the kitchen, but thats the only exception in can think of, at least for apartments.
bjelkeman-again is referring to kVA- a unit of power rather than voltage.
Systems which run a higher consumer voltage (e.g. 230V) will tend to use higher kVA transformers compared to the American system (~110V).
I believe this is because it is feasible to run longer cables when using higher voltage (higher voltage -> lower current -> lower thermal losses per metre of cable), hence it is economical to use fewer, larger transformers in a higher voltage system vs. a lower voltage system.
