Check with your insurance company to see if they will allow this. Then, if they do, and most won't, hire a licensed electrician to perform the connection.

Well there's the small matter of the Hertz difference.....

Our juice is not the same as Euro-juice. You know that the current we use is alternating (AC) current, right?

The difference between our alternating current and theirs is that ours alternates (reverses direction constantly) at a rate of 60 cycles per second and theirs at 50 cycles. This is expressed as being 50 or 60 cycles Hz (Hertz).

This typically makes the most difference when dealing with a motor. Motors designed for 50 Hz will run 20% faster at 60 Hz. In an induction unit I bet there are at least some tiny motors to run cooling fans. They would not be getting fed the current they are designed for, and may prematurely fail or not operate at the designed speed (too fast). I am not sure enough of how the principal electronics of an induction unit work to be able to say with confidence how the difference in Hz would affect that function.

And then there's the lack of UL (Underwriter's Laboratory) certification. That's where your insurance company may turn grumpy (or weasely in event of an appliance-related claim). You may also have building code issues with non-UL stuff in some jurisdictions, or in semi-shared structures like apartments, condos, coops or duplexes.

Sorry to not be more encouraging. I have lusted for years after a Swiss VZug washing machine but know that my only chance of using it would require installing a converter to change to the correct Hertz-flavour for it. Both the washing machine and (most) built-in induction units require 220v power so a suitable converter for these would be no small undertaking. I am married to a licensed electrician so I haven't given up hope, but I'm also not holding my breath.

If you find an economical way to install a converter to serve your unit (and get go no blowback over the lack of UL certification) many people here would be very interested in the technical details.

L.

summit has a 24" induction

http://summitappliance.com/catalog/model/SINC424220

Was it plllog that imported a gagg induction cooktop? I don't know if she is still around but do a search on her username. Old threads should show up where she explained the process.

Thank you all for the replies.

Is it as easy by just changing the plug like they say on here? http://www.justanswer.com/electrical/1kznm-how-convert-european-cooktop-us-electricity.html

It is much easier than you may think. An AEG Maxisense is CE certified for 50-60hz and 220-240 volts. This range includes both the EU and US. This info can be found by downloading the manual from the AEG product page and looking under Installation Instructions.
There is no compatibility problems. There are no import duties. The VAT 19-21% is refundable.
Fedex ships the 35lb box for about $150.
Look on PricerunnerUK for price comparisons and suppliers.

Best of all the price is less than $1k because of the broad range of products available.

While other certifications are important to know that it has been tested, those are still not accepted by most locales in the US. Is it UL listed? It has to be in order to be acceptible to the vast majority of US municipalities and insurance companies.

Don't call your insurer, read the exclusions in your policy. I work for a homeowners insurance company, and am not aware of any standard exclusion wording about appliances. In addition, most agents wouldnt be aware.

I'm not saying there isn't an exclusion, but your best bet is to take responsibility and read your contract. If there's no exclusion, then you are fine.

I am considering buying an induction cooktop in Italy but installing it in the USA. I was aware of the electrical hurtiles, administrative issues UL/CEA, insurance issues, etc.

But since the above goes back to 2013, I ask myself if there are updates. The base issue is in Italy the cost is Euro 1,000 vs $3,000 Sonia

I don't think the situation has really changed much. In the vast majority of cases, installing a European appliances is pretty straight-forward, if you already have a 240V circuit running to the location. Some small number of appliances might be incompatible, because of the different line frequency (50Hz vs. 60Hz), but the manual should tell you.

As far as certification goes, you are in a bit of a grey area. It's not as if European appliances are any more dangerous than US appliances. But lack of paperwork could theoretically cause trouble down the line. In practice, I have yet to hear of any case of that actually happening.

Different dimensions could be a bit of a problem, though. You might have to modify American kitchen cabinets to fit European dimensions. So, expect a bit more cost in labor from both your general contractor and from your electrician as they sort out the small differences.

Importing the appliance should generally be pretty straight-forward. But I have no idea whether there currently are any customs duties that apply to these types of products. And the state that you live in might also impose some taxes on you. So, the savings could be a little less than what you think. You also lose out on warranty service. But all of that could still very well be worth it.

And now for something completely different. If your business is language services, it would probably be a good idea to spell the word "language" correctly :)

I had a client bring all their appliances here from Singapore. The electrician had to do special wiring and breakers for the overseas appliances ( for instance the dishwasher needed a 220 line) . I do not believe he had an issue with the outlets ( they may have come with the appliances). He did however have to also install electrical runs to fit US appliances in case any went bad - he did this for the dishwasher, microwave and built- in coffee maker.

No inspection issues at all.

In general, the requirements on the electrician are very simple. Electricians are already used to installing 240V circuits, as various residential appliances (e.g. wall ovens) regularly require 240V. If it is a dedicated circuit per appliance (and building code generally requires that already), changing from 120V to 240V or vice-versa is a pretty simple change at the breaker box. No new in-wall wires needed unless you also need to change the amperage rating. You do need a new breaker though, and the 240V two-phase breakers probably take up more space than a 120V single-phase breaker. So, if your load center is already full, you might need a sub-panel.

Running a second 120V "backup" circuit in parallel isn't technically needed, but of course it never hurts to have more circuits. Running wires while the walls are open is comparatively cheap. Doing so at a later time could be prohibitive.

There could be problems with plugging the appliance into the wall though, as different countries use different standards for the shape of their plugs. But the electrician should be able to either hard-wire the appliance (if allowed by code) or to install a new US plug or power cord. This is the one bit, where technically you run afoul of certification requirements. Installing a new power cord or a new power plug is almost certainly going to void any safety testing for the appliance. But again, in practice this doesn't really matter much; if the electrician knows what they are doing, this is more of a paperwork issue and not really a technical issue. Conversion is absolutely possible and shouldn't cost more than at most $10 in parts.

It's up to you to decide whether you are willing to take this chance with the lack of certification, though.

Hi- just like ITALIAN LEGAL LANGAUGES, LLC I would like to have an induction cooktop purchased in Italy installed in the U.S. If there is someone who has recently had an electrician successfully do this could you please let me know? Our electrician is concerned about the 240V connection being a single wire, rather than two, and I am wondering if I can refer him somewhere or to someone who has done this successfully?

Most US residential households have 120V center-tapped two phase service (some big apartment buildings are different). Most European systems are 220V (confusingly called 230V) three phase service in a Wye configuration. The nominal difference between 220V and 240V is negligible in practice. All modern electric equipment is built to handle these small differences. If in doubt, check the appliance's documentation. Sometimes, you have to change a configuration option for optimal performance.

Also, the difference between 50 Hz (Europe) and 60 Hz (US) is generally fine. You can in principle get away with smaller-size built-in transformers when using a European appliance in the US; and on the other hand, you'll drive any frequency synchronized equipment 20% too fast. It's unlikely this would affect your stove. And in fact, I'd expect the ratings plate to show you that the equipment is compatible with a range of frequencies.

Some American 240V appliances use the center tap to drive a subset of the electronics at 120V and the rest at 240V. This is not really doable in Europe, and thus they don't require a 120V input. That's why you don't expect to see two hot wires and one neutral wire on these appliances, whereas American appliances frequently have that.

Instead, you'll have one hot and one neutral. When you connect the appliance in the US, you'll instead connect it as if it had two hot wires. The neutral on the appliance becomes the second hot wire. This is not what the manufacturer expected, but it doesn't really matter much in practice. European equipment doesn't rely on polarized plugs (there is no such thing). So, it is always designed to be compatible with two hots, even if it never would be connected that way in Europe.

The reason this sounds scary is that really old US equipment didn't distinguish between ground and neutral. In Europe, whole-house GFCI has been a standard for more than half a century. So, this was never an option. Neutral would never be connected to the chassis. So, even if the appliance has something that is labelled as neutral, it is fully interchangeable with the hot wire.

This is all really basic physics. But electricians are frequently trained to memorize regulations instead of understanding the underlying principles. This makes it difficult for them to transfer knowledge from one domain to another one. My best suggestion is to find a different electrician who is more comfortable with cross-referencing both physics and local regulations.

I can try to explain the physics, but you obviously need a trained electrician to figure out how to apply all of this so that it results in a safe and approved configuration. If your electrician regularly works with commercial equipment, he might be more comfortable with how electrical systems can be configured.

Thank you so much!