It sounds to me that the person asking the questions does not understand enough about wiring to do this safely and should get someone that knows what they are doing to help. Even if one does not get a shock or worst setting it up, there is always the fire hazard. Based on what I read so far, if he switches the elements to 3500's and they only run one at a time, then the 12/2 wire would be just fine and this is the way I have seen many a water heater installed. The thing I did not care for is the use of two single 20 amp breakers for a 240v load. Code requires the breakers to be tied together so that both trip if one trips. If he gets the correct breaker, this should be safe. Static

The breaker ratings do not determine the load. Adding up the breakers in a panel is a pointless excercise. You need to compute the actual loads. Before you get too far down the road, you need to assure that the branch circuit to the stove is indeed a four wire hookup. Some older installations are not and these can't feed a subpanel as they lack a separate equipment ground. Frankly, I'd leave the 50A circuit in place. Some day you might want an induction cooktop or something.

12Crumbles..... As you can see, certain people attack and critique responses. It is difficult for anyone to answer your questions specifically. There are still a lot of unknowns for your particular situation. Permits are normally required for new circuitry. I only gave a couple of potential areas of consideration to remember. There are others. Someone with specific knowledge of your local area is best to answer this, in my opinion. Your particular situation may vary tremendously depending on local codes also. (These are above and beyond the NEC in certain municipalities.) As a former electrical inspector, I must reiterate using your inspection department. The NEC is the minimum safety standard. Your installation has to meet or exceed the NEC, satisfy the intent of the NEC and also local codes, if applicable. Everyone on Houzz.com can analyze and interpret the codes anyway they see fit and give you all sorts of advice. In the end, if it fails inspection, all you can say is, "XXXXX on Houzz.com told me it was fine or told me to do it that way". The bottom line is that it still fails and you either have to redo or pay someone to correct or undo/ redo the whole project. Get your responses documented from the electrical inspector, if at all possible. Then you may have recourse if an unfortunate circumstance occurs or there is an inspection problem down the road. (when you sell, etc.) I hope that helps.

This is long, but has a lot of detail. I hope it helps-- Importing big stuff isn't for the faint at heart. If I was buying Gaggenau (or pushing my comfort zone) I'd probably use a group like Importappliances.com or buy from someplace in the UK, with no language barrier and an American-ish idea of customer service. If you have basic (and I mean VERY basic) German skills, my favorite site is… wait for it… Amazon… I've imported many things from them, from trash cans to appliances. Just type "Amazon.de" instead of .com in your browser. Your login is the same as your US login. Expedited 2 day shipping is a manageable up charge on accessories/parts. German Amazon has better kitchen stuff than British Amazon, by the way. I will say that the German site has weird "typos," so you want to make sure the item number matches the picture/discription before finalizing an order. For example, on Amazon.de, the Bosch Domino Lava-Grill (PKU375N14E) is listed. If you search for the grill, you'll get a picture of a 12" induction cooktop, and the product title-- Bosch "Warmeschublade." Unless you have good enough language skills to figure out which one is being sold, you might end up with something unexpected. I always double-check item numbers w the manufacturer. The only problems I have ever had is with packaging coming open in transit. Clearly, this is a bigger problem with a cooktop than a trash-can. UPS is pretty good, but inspect the item before accepting. I've never had to deal with a big return, but the process is the same as in the US. If you use Google Chrome, it can automatically translate the pages. The format is so similar that you can generally navigate, even without translation. The basic keywords to search w/o translation are "Induktions Kochfeld" (Induction Cooktop). Usually, searching in English works. 60cm = 24 inches… figure up or down from there. On the right side of the Amazon.de website, where you do filters like Prime, click the button for "AmazonGlobal Bestellbar" this means it is available to ship internationally, with minimal fuss. If you are lucky, you'll find something sold directly by Amazon, as they will subtract VAT, calculate reasonable shipping (including 2-3 day for a minimal up-charge!), and "pre-charge" duties. Basically, if you can get something from them, it is as easy as buying from them in the US. You can also filter by brand. Personally, I agree with Pillog that if you stick to brands sold in the US, you minimize potential issues… Some brands like AEG (Electrolux) have so many options for a low price that it is tempting. That said, a lot of brands (like Bosch) won't let Amazon sell to the US for obvious reasons. If Amazon doesn't ship to the US, under the product description, it says: Leider kann dieser Artikel nicht in die Vereinigten Staaten versendet werden However, under that, you can choose other Marketplace sellers besides Amazon. If there are other sellers, below the Amazon pricing, it usually says something like: "16 neu ab EUR 659,85" just like on the American site where it says "16 new from $659." If you click that, you'll get a list of several sellers. If the individual Marketplace retailers ship internationally (some do, some don't), it says: "Internationale und Inlandsversandkosten." If they only sell in Germany, it just says "Inlandsversandkosten." Add the item to your cart and go through the checkout process (without finalizing) to see shipping costs. If buying from Marketplace sellers, I look at feedback and go to their "normal" online store before buying through Amazon. You can always ask questions. If you write in English, 99% of the time, they can translate and reply. Thank them for that! Many Germans speak some English, and are happy to do so, but are annoyed that Americans ASSUME they speak English. If you thank them for the effort, they soften up. Make sure to figure out customs duties-- only Amazon (direct) calculates that in checkout. Also, you shouldn't have to pay the VAT (which is usually included in list prices) if the item is leaving the EU, but some sellers don't deduct it (or give you the paperwork for a refund.) I consider that a "red-flag" for shifty (or unsophisticated) sellers since they won't have to pay the VAT on their end. Depending on the country, the VAT can be over 20% so its a significant amount, often covering a good bit of shipping and customs costs. Another option for purchases is http://www.importappliances.com. I've never used them, but they look legit. Their prices are higher, but still MUCH less than USA and they can provide the kind of hand-holding that is reassuring. Most induction cooktops seem to be under 1000 EUR (about $1100 USD) My guess is that their business model is to buy appliances in Brussels (where they are based) for normal retail, then simply forward to customers in the North America and Australia. Their site is a good place for research, as they have downloads of product specs, etc. You can also get specs, installation guides, manuals, etc in English on the manufacturers European websites. Just go to the regular website and change your country. I know Bosch allows you to choose English as a default language, even on their German site, which is nice. Again, Google Chrome will translate… Generally, the European economies are hurting, so they are happy to "go the extra kilometer" to close an international sale. Still, be aware that Continental Europe has a different attitude about customer service than what we are used to in the US… Its a running joke that in Germany, "customer satisfaction" means that you should be satisfied that they allow you to be a customer… They are wonderful before a sale and will answer all sorts of questions, but if you are asking questions, it is assumed you are a serious buyer, not just "kicking tires." After the sale, they are polite & helpful, but the American expectation that they can return things "no questions asked" for cash refunds isn't the norm. Anyhoo, hope this helps.