Whats the purpose of back panel in kitchen unit?

[conny]

Used to do work for shipping companies during the 80's-90's which necessitated going down to the engine room past the kitchens.
Up top where the passengers were allowed was quite clean and pristine. If they were allowed access to the galleys they would eat ashore or even cancel their trip!
The only ships I saw that had clean cooking/storage areas were the Norwegian ships. They were cleaner than a F1 pit garage. It didn't matter if you were booked to do the job 3 weeks in advance or got an urgent phone call at 3.00am They were always spotless ships throughout, including the engine rooms.
Compare them to one that was Liberian or South American registered which usually used Filipinos or some other far Eastern crews and it was unbelievable the difference. Never ate or drank anything on those ships which we hadn't taken with us.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Most of them do, have you ever being called to a Chinese take away?

Andy

Why might I get called to a Chinese take-away? I could probably count on the fingers of one hand, the number of such take-aways I have had and I have never had an Indian take-away in my life. Even when I do, I take a good look at the place before venturing in.

 

[HERTS P&D]

Why might I get called to a Chinese take-away?

Well being a Plumber/Drainage engineer, takeaway restaurants do have leaks and blockages.

Andy

 

[conny]

We used to visit a Chinese buffet in the town centre and from where we sat you could see into the kitchens. All utensils were hanging from hooks attached to overhead racks were all manner of cooking pots/pans/woks etc were stored upside down on polished steel rails. I once went in the kitchen to pick up a box of Fortune Cookies were were buying for a party at home and it was spotless. Never had an Indian, much less been in one.

 

[Munroast]

As per above .... is it for support or mainly to stop things falling through?

I'm installing my kitchen waste and need to drill a hole through wall, which i have established i am doing once i've got the plumbing rigged up under the sink so i can make an accurate hole.

For this, it would be much easier if the back panel was completely removed.
Either side of the sink is going an integrated D/W and W/M if it makes any difference.

So, my question is, what's the purpose of the back panel?
If i remove it permanently i'm assuming no issues? (Will probably keep bottom 6" to stop stuff falling through)

it can help reduce condensation issues inside the cupboard if the units are up against a cold damp outside wall , and make cleaning the cupboard easier. It can also making fitting simpler in old houses where the walls are not straight or vertical, re you can cut the sides without compromising the integrity of the inside of the unit. Apart from that it is just a waste of valuable storage space.

 

[JohnD]

keeps the mice and spiders out.

 

[YorkshireMidge]

As per above .... is it for support or mainly to stop things falling through?

I'm installing my kitchen waste and need to drill a hole through wall, which i have established i am doing once i've got the plumbing rigged up under the sink so i can make an accurate hole.

For this, it would be much easier if the back panel was completely removed.
Either side of the sink is going an integrated D/W and W/M if it makes any difference.

So, my question is, what's the purpose of the back panel?
If i remove it permanently i'm assuming no issues? (Will probably keep bottom 6" to stop stuff falling through)

I have pretty much the same layout. Dishwasher one side of a 600mm base unit where the sink bowl is, washing machine the other, so the appliances add no support to the worktop. Like you suggest, I kept the bottom few inches of the back panel but there is so much pipework in mine (mains water in, water meter, outside tap, appliance taps, waste disposal etc. ) that it was just too much of a pain to keep the rest of the back panel. Our base units are all good quality pre-built and I'd only have been tempted to add cross bracing to that unit if we'd gone for a seriously heavy worktop such as granite.

The mains water in and copper pipes guarantee some condensation and even if you were to retain the back panel in a sink unit, there are going to gaps around pipes to let in spiders, woodlice etc. So like some others have noted, ours is cleaning stuff only in that unit.