Kitchen wall units either side of Gas hob

gogsboy

Are there any experienced kitchen fitters, gas fitters on the site.

Currently replacing our kitchen but have a query about the position of wall units either side of a gas hob.

I have came across a manual for the hob left by the last people and it doesn't actually give a height for any nearby units but it does say 'if a vertical piece of furniture is installed there must be a gap of at least 100mm between it and the edgge of the cooking hob'

Surely this isn't essential is it?

The last kitchen had been fitted since the house was built 20 yrs ago and that hob has been installed for a few years now.


Looking at current models on the market they all seem to recommend wall units (combustible material as some put it) either side are to be at
least 420mm above the worktop no mention of this 100mm figure, I think one manual said if they were going to be lower than 420mm, 50mm would be required clear either side.

I just fitted the untis where the other ones came off, this leaves a gap of 430mm which is more than 420mm so fine, however my partner also wants cornice/pelmet fitted to, these are 35mm, which would mean I need to raise the wall units by 25mm to keep within the guideline for the hob manuals I have managed to view.

It's a bit of hassle but not only that, the height of the units are borderline for my partner reaching up to the top shelve so raising by 25mm will just make it worse.

What would you recommend I do, is there are law/regulation to say it must be such and such or is it just a recommendation by the hob

Any advice appreciated?

Thanks in advance

economiser

I think a good clue is that in kitchen showrooms the gap between units is usually the same width as the hob. That's the arrangement we have in our kitchen. 580mm wide hob and 600mm wide extract hob over. Perhaps the 100mm applies to units that come right down to the worksurface?

Rikki

If they are just wall units the can be directly above the base units on either side of your hob. Normally there could be an extractor in between. If they are full height units base to ceiling there will need to be handle clearance on both sides of the hob. Hope this helps.

nickyvicar

I found this informative

http://www.kbsa.co.uk/kitchens/faqs_kitchens.asp#appliances

Nick

gogsboy

economiser wrote:

I think a good clue is that in kitchen showrooms the gap between units is usually the same width as the hob. That's the arrangement we have in our kitchen. 580mm wide hob and 600mm wide extract hob over. Perhaps the 100mm applies to units that come right down to the worksurface?

580-600mm is far to high for someone who is only 5 foot 4, not a problem for me, however I think they would look silly, fine in a kitchen showroom but not so good in a wimpey house, the ceilings are not that high.

After reading the hob manual again I would say the 100mm must be in relation to any units coming onto the worksurface.

Strange they dont state a height for units either side that dont come to the surface level.

gogsboy

nickyvicar wrote:

I found this informative

http://www.kbsa.co.uk/kitchens/faqs_kitchens.asp#appliances

Nick

Thats a handy link, I did have a nose at that site before but never seen that part.

They also say in the page that 'Note that the 760mm clearance is between the top of the burners and combustible material and not from the worktop'

However I have looked at some Indesit manuals and they dont seem to be specific on this, their picture looks like it's measures from the worktop

shelly

gogsboy wrote:

'if a vertical piece of furniture is installed there must be a gap of at least 100mm between it and the edgge of the cooking hob'

Surely this isn't essential is it? Thanks in advance

We had the same query when we installed our new kitchen. The 100mm gap doesn't mean the wall units. What it means is, if you have either a cupboard that comes down and sits on top of the worktop or (as we have) a tower unit next to the hob, then the 100mm gap is needed so there isn't any scorching.

HTH

jobbingmusician

Shelly, that's just how I read it too. I think that by 'a vertical piece of furniture' they mean something that goes vertically upwards from the sides of the gas hob - i.e. a tall unit like a fridge/freezer or the sort of tall kitchen cabinet that starts at the floor and goes up as high as the kitchen cabinets. It makes total sense, then, that you need a gap between this and the gas hob.

shelly

Exactly right eastchristina, you explained it better than me We have a tower unit from the floor to the top of wall units and its right next door to the gas hob. We had to have a gap from the tower to the hob but I think ours is more than 100mm as we have got a small cupboard on the wall above the gap. If that makes sense...lol...

gogsboy

That makes perfect sense but what guidlines would a corgi plumber use when the instructions dont state height of wall unit.

Also if I put them at around 410mm for arguments sake and at some stage the current hob packs in so is replaced with a similar one on the market now which states minimun height for wall units either side should be 420mm, would he say no can do because of 10mm

Curry_Queen

gogsboy wrote:

580-600mm is far to high for someone who is only 5 foot 4, not a problem for me, however I think they would look silly, fine in a kitchen showroom but not so good in a wimpey house, the ceilings are not that high.

I think you'll find that is the width of the overhead cupboard which the extractor attaches to. Most of them are 600mm as standard