Gas hob minimum distance to tall larder unit

[TomHD]

My new kitchen design looks like this:

As you can see, there is a tall larder unit close to the left of the gas hob. In the design above, the distance is 170mm from the left of the hob to the larder unit. The hob installation instructions state that the minimum distance should be 150mm, so it seems like I should be ok.

However, I have read elsewhere that the minimum distance between the gas hob and a flammable surface (ie the larder unit) needs to be 300mm, as stipulated by some official UK building codes. Is this true? I've not been able to find it in any official documents. Are there any GasSafe people here who can answer for sure? I've read on other threads that some UK regulations state 300mm but these are overridden by the manufactures instructions. I've also read contradictory opinions stating that the minimum distance should be the greater of the 300mm and the manufacturer's stated minimum.

Anyone able to enlighten me? If you are a GasSafe fitter, would you fit a gas hob as above?

 

[Dan Robinson]

Hob instructions are the ones to go by.

 

[Madrab]

+1 ...

MI (Manufacturers Instructions) are the rule book and if not specified, then it's the regs - 150mm from the cooker burner deck up - 50mm for a hob.

300mm is an advised clearance, to give room either side for pots and pans and stuff.

 

[picasso]

If the hob is closer than the minimum allowed in the instructions put a sheet of glass or tile the larder unit.

 

[shambolic]

To me 150mm seems small. If you have a large pot or frying pan surely the heat will spread out to the side more?

 

[Agile]

The clearance should extend vertically upwards for at least the clearance height which is often around 870 mm.

You seem to have designed shelves into that distance !

As Sham has suggested you seem to be wanting to make it very cluttered around the hob rather than making it easy to use with good clearance all round.

For my own kitchens I would want at least the hob width available either side !

Tony

 

[nickso]

I haven't checked for a while but I thought in the absence of MI's it was 50mm on all sides and 460mm to anything above inside that 50mm clearance box.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Just tile the larder unit you should be ok, tiles may crack though with heat, so may be a layer of heat insulator and a stainless steel reflective plate.

 

[TomHD]

The clearance should extend vertically upwards for at least the clearance height which is often around 870 mm.

You seem to have designed shelves into that distance !

As Sham has suggested you seem to be wanting to make it very cluttered around the hob rather than making it easy to use with good clearance all round.

For my own kitchens I would want at least the hob width available either side !

Tony

In an ideal world yes but there isn't room for that in this small kitchen. 18 cm clearance to the side is plenty to allow for overhanging pots and handles, and I've chosen a hob which has the fast burner on the right hand side of a diamond layout, so any fast cooking will be taking place on the other side, and 90% of the time I won't need to use the burner on the left.

I'm not going to tile the larder unit, but might put some glass on it. Alternatively I might hang a blackboard on the side, suspended from a shaker peg rail at the top of the unit. This could then be removed for cleaning, and would protect the larder unit from any heat. I'm not going to have any shelves on the left of the hob (as is shown in the drawing), as now the unit is in, I realise it would look too cluttered.

Thanks for the info everyone.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Looking at your sketch, you could have moved the cooker unit and the hood to middle and arranged a different size units in the corners. But its done now.

 

[Agile]

Looking at your sketch, you could have moved the cooker unit and the hood to middle and arranged a different size units in the corners. But its done now.

Exactly, when cooking its most convenient to have at least 600 mm available as a work surface on both sides of a hob.

That enables ingredients to be stored ready for addition to the cooking pots.

Many of my cooking pots have handles longer than 180 mm !

But then I have a 1200 mm wide range cooker with 8 gas rings ( and a grill and two ovens ).

But perhaps you don't sometimes cook for 20-30 people!

Tony

 

[Dan Robinson]

SWMBO has the better part of a metre either side (more in fact on the right) and still wants more space.


Well I ain't building even more extension!!!!!!

 

[TomHD]

Looking at your sketch, you could have moved the cooker unit and the hood to middle and arranged a different size units in the corners. But its done now.

I went over all possible layouts quite a few times, but personally I prefer to have one larger stretch of worktop rather than two smaller ones. Hence choosing this layout. I could possibly put the dishwasher (450mm) immediately to the right of the larder unit (rather then to the right of the cooker, where it is now), and move the hob and fan across, but then I have a smaller main work surface, and a not very useful 485mm bit to the left.

 

[TomHD]

Looking at your sketch, you could have moved the cooker unit and the hood to middle and arranged a different size units in the corners. But its done now.

Exactly, when cooking its most convenient to have at least 600 mm available as a work surface on both sides of a hob.

That enables ingredients to be stored ready for addition to the cooking pots.

Many of my cooking pots have handles longer than 180 mm !

But then I have a 1200 mm wide range cooker with 8 gas rings ( and a grill and two ovens ).

But perhaps you don't sometimes cook for 20-30 people!

Tony

I think your kitchen is on a rather different scale to mine! The most I've ever cooked for is 5 I still think that with the spatial constraints I have, this is the best layout I can manage. I also have pans with handles longer than 18mm, but the hob has a diamond layout, so there's no need for the handles of pans of the LHS burner to stick out horizontally to the left. What's more, that burner will not be used very often.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Looking at your sketch, you could have moved the cooker unit and the hood to middle and arranged a different size units in the corners. But its done now.

Exactly, when cooking its most convenient to have at least 600 mm available as a work surface on both sides of a hob.

That enables ingredients to be stored ready for addition to the cooking pots.

Many of my cooking pots have handles longer than 180 mm !

But then I have a 1200 mm wide range cooker with 8 gas rings ( and a grill and two ovens ).

But perhaps you don't sometimes cook for 20-30 people!

Tony

Tony is in the Entertainment Industry. I just hope you don't invite too many RGIs , too many cooks spoil the broth!