When is a gas oven a Commercial Appliance and thus a Kitchen a Commercial Kitchen?

[FozzieBear]

We run a community village hall and have a large kitchen provided for the use of hirers. This includes a Lincat SLR9 gas cooker which I believe is a 23.8Kw appliance with all six burners and oven on max. This was installed some 10 years ago and has passed all subsequent Gas Safety inspections as part of the boiler(s) annual check.
We have decided to get the oven serviced and checked over as part of normal schedule and the company approached to do the service has asked if the cooker has an "extraction canopy above it and an interlock system to meet current gas safety regulations?"
We do have an extractor hood, a Franke Quadra FQD907XS installed at the same time as the cooker but not an interlock system only a manual isolation valve in the adjacent cupboard.
My questions therefore are:-
1) What constitutes a commercial appliance. Is it the gas rating or its application?
2) Are updates to Gas Safety Regulations retrospective. i.e. do the revisions to the regs apply to existing installations without an alteration being made to the installation, as with Building Regulations?
We are not a commercial kitchen in the sense of use like a school kitchen, factory canteen or restaurant where the kitchen is in use on a regular basis. The oven only generally gets used when a caterer uses it to heat up a pre-prepared meal for a wedding reception or our Community Brunches and Lunches where they fry up sausages and bacon for rolls or heat a pre prepared meal.

I am not really sure how a gas interlock system works but assume in principle they monitor if the fan is running and if not disconnect the gas by use of a solenoid valve?? Does it require a specific type of overhead fan which our existing Franke Quadra does not provide?
We don't want to shirk our responsibilities but neither do we want to spend out hundreds or even thousands installing an interlock system when it is not required. However I am aware everyone is looking for business!!
Any advice gratefully received

 

[Exedon]

If its regarded as a commercial kitchen you should have a CP 42 gas certificate issued yearly.
The lincat cooker you have is normally regarded as a commercial cooker.
Interlocking consists of a gas solenoid valve and control panel with a canopy above cooker with fan
When fan is activated a air pressure switch or on newer panels a sensor on fan motor that puts a feed to panel which opens gas solenoid valve.
On some systems a air inlet fan is linked as well.
The cooker should be installed with a yellow commercial gas hose and be tethered to wall normally by a stainless steel lanyard.

 

[FozzieBear]

If its regarded as a commercial kitchen you should have a CP 42 gas certificate issued yearly.
The lincat cooker you have is normally regarded as a commercial cooker.
Interlocking consists of a gas solenoid valve and control panel with a canopy above cooker with fan
When fan is activated a air pressure switch or on newer panels a sensor on fan motor that puts a feed to panel which opens gas solenoid valve.
On some systems a air inlet fan is linked as well.
The cooker should be installed with a yellow commercial gas hose and be tethered to wall normally by a stainless steel lanyard.

Thanks Exedon I appreciate your reply.
I think your opening sentence "If its regarded as a commercial kitchen" is the bit I am trying to get confirmation.
We do not consider it a commercial kitchen in terms of its use. Does the existence of a "commercial appliance" alone dictate it is a commercial kitchen?
I was given to understand elsewhere that if nothing has changed since the installation, when a interlock system was presumably not a requirement of the then current regulations, are we obliged to install it retrospectively?
If I wrote to Gas Safe Register would they give a ruling on the application of the regs to our scenario?
Thanks

 

[polesapart]

It's a grey area.

For example a small B&B serving half a dozen cooked breakfasts on a domestic cooker would not be regarded as commercial for gas safety purposes although "commercial" in the sense of money changing hands.

Do please ask Gas Safe for a ruling: I'd be interested in their response.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

My understanding was that if any appliance is greater than 70Kw, then it becomes a commercial installation.

 

[FozzieBear]

My understanding was that if any appliance is greater than 70Kw, then it becomes a commercial installation.

Thanks Harry, So on that basis our 23.8Kw cooker does not constitute a commercial kitchen. Is this from Gas Safe Regs or BS 6173:2020

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Thanks Harry, So on that basis our 23.8Kw cooker does not constitute a commercial kitchen. Is this from Gas Safe Regs or BS 6173:2020

No, from my memory - let the gas guys confirm it first!

 

[gas112]

My understanding was that if any appliance is greater than 70Kw, then it becomes a commercial installation.

nope thats boilers

 

[gas112]

Give gas safe a call as it can be a grey area and get them to email the reply to you

 

[JohnD]

But surely a cooker in a house is a domestic cooker.

A cooker not in a house is not a domestic cooker.

A cooker used to provide food in a canteen is not a domestic cooker

Whether the canteen provides three meals a day or one a week.

 

[FozzieBear]

But surely a cooker in a house is a domestic cooker.

A cooker not in a house is not a domestic cooker.

A cooker used to provide food in a canteen is not a domestic cooker

Whether the canteen provides three meals a day or one a week.

Hi JohnD. Not sure I follow your argument. What if you install our large 6 burner oven in a house. Does that make it a commercial installation? (Infact some cookers sold for domestic use are bigger than our cooker with two ovens and 7 burners). Similarly many village halls like ours have small domestic cookers. Does that still make them commercial? I am trying to find a definition of Commercial Kitchen ie a kitchen where the total gas loading exceeds 70kw or other figure. Otherwise it’s subjective. All I can find are generalisations such as hospital or school kitchen, takeaway or restaurant. I’ve emailed Gas Safe Register and will await their reply

 

[JohnD]

Hi JohnD. Not sure I follow your argument. What if you install our large 6 burner oven in a house.

An oven in a house? Used to cook for the occupants of that house? By my reckoning is domestic use. Even if you have 12 children or your friends have come to Christmas dinner.

What do you think "domestic" means?

 

[FozzieBear]

I have just found this on a website:-
"A commercial kitchen is a kitchen in a house, restaurant, hotel, bar, or any other hospitality type business that’s main focus is to prepare food for customers. The word ‘commercial’ tells us that these kitchens are designed for food that is to be sold rather than food that is cooked and eaten by the person or people making it.

Commercial kitchens are built to handle a high volume of orders, large turnover, and different types of food at varying preparation stages. There are certain pieces of equipment that can be expected in most kitchens, as well as other built-in appliances to support the large output of food and constant running of high-power equipment."

To me this defines a Commercial Kitchen. Our kitchen does none of the above. Prrparation of food is not the main focus as the area is primarily used as a bar servery. The food prepared is not for sale. The food prepared is consumed primarily by the people who prepare it.

I will see what Gas Safe Register responds with.

 

[FozzieBear]

OK so panic over. I have now spoken to the company I approached to undertake the service on our oven. They asked about the gas interlock on my initial enquiry as it identified the kitchen as being commercial and they would have to send a commercial qualified fitter. They have confirmed that in their opinion the kitchen is not a commercial kitchen and therefore does not require the gas interlock.
If I get a response from Gas Safe Register I will post their reply for information.