Do you want to make repairs in the kitchen, but do not know how to correctly place household appliances so that it functioned for a long time, was safe for households and did not consume more electricity than is it supposed to? Agree, you don't want to wash appliances from grease every day or pay a lot for electricity, just because the refrigerator and the gas stove are too close to each other.
We will tell you how to correctly place furniture and appliances in order to neutralize possible negative consequences. We will show you how to protect the refrigerator if the layout of the stove cannot be avoided.
The content of the article:
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Rules for the location of the refrigerator and stove
- Standards of distance between household appliances
- Consequences of close proximity
- Refrigerator protection methods
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Instruction on the manufacture of a protective shield
- Option # 1 - thermal insulation with chipboard
- Option # 2 - building a tile shield
- Option # 3 - making a mirror screen
- Ideas for optimal refrigerator placement
- Conclusions and useful video on the topic
Rules for the location of the refrigerator and stove
It is recommended to place household appliances in the kitchen according to "triangle rule». That is, the refrigerator, sink and stove should be located as if in the corners of an isosceles triangle. The optimal distance between the zones is from 1.2-2.7 m. Then the devices will not interfere with each other and the hostess will conveniently get food and cook.
Unfortunately, the kitchen is often small and the appliances have to be placed almost back to back. Next, we will figure out in more detail whether it is possible to put the refrigerator near the gas stove and whether there are generally accepted requirements for the arrangement.
In the layout of many apartments, no more than 5-6 square meters are allocated for the arrangement of the kitchen. m.In such conditions, it is not always possible to place a refrigerator and a stove according to the recommended rules
Standards of distance between household appliances
All refrigerators differ in capacity, type of freezing and degree of thermal insulation. Manufacturers must indicate in the instructions the recommended installation distance of the equipment from the gas stove. For example, a Zanussi brand refrigerator is mounted at a distance of 50 cm from a gas stove.
If the instruction is lost, then, according to the regulations, minimum distance from any refrigerator to a household gas stove should be 25 cm or more. Ideally, a table should be placed between the equipment.
Bosch refrigerators have multi-layer thermal insulation. They can be installed at a distance of 30 cm from the stove with gas burners and 3 cm from the electric hob
A small cabinet can be installed between the refrigerator and the gas stove. Pots will not fit into it, but small things in the form of sponges, various brushes and household chemicals are conveniently stored there.
Due to the fact that many furniture companies produce custom-made cabinet furniture, you can easily "mask" the recommended gap of 25 cm. So, they make storage sections or the same cabinets to individual sizes.
We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the rules for placing the refrigerator. near the gas pipe.
Consequences of close proximity
The gas stove does not have insulation, therefore, during its operation, adjacent surfaces are heated.
If the wall of the refrigerator heats up, it will not defrost, it will not work worse, and food will not deteriorate in it. However, the compressor of the unit will turn on more frequently and work hard. Such a load will negatively affect the service life of the device.
Disadvantages of the proximity of the stove and refrigerator:
- fast ice formation inside the refrigerator - due to heating compressor begins to cool more intensely, as a result, the ice freezes faster;
- frequent cleaning of the walls of the refrigerator - splashes of fat may fly out during cooking, which are difficult to remove from a metal surface;
- heating spoils the appearance of the refrigerator - paint swells and turns yellow, plastic handles crack or melt, as well as door edging;
- end of warranty - many manufacturers write in the instructions that the refrigerator should not be installed near the stove, oven and heating devices; even the minimum permissible distance between household appliances is indicated;
- increased power consumption - the compressor is switched on frequently and the appliance operates at full capacity.
In addition, if the refrigerator is right next to it, then the gas stove is not very comfortable to use, since you can only approach the hob from one side.
With the close proximity of the stove and refrigerator, there is almost no free space left. This is not practical, since the handles from pans and other utensils will rest against the wall of the refrigeration unit.
If household kitchen appliances still have to be placed nearby, then you need to take care of additional thermal insulation of the refrigerator wall.
Refrigerator protection methods
When it is not possible to leave the recommended gap between the devices, you need to independently make a partition from a material that has insulating properties. Both organic and inorganic materials can be used as thermal insulation separating the refrigerator from the gas stove.
Organic options: reeds, cork sheet, textolite, Chipboard. These materials are moisture resistant and can be used as insulation. But, it is worth remembering that with prolonged heating, they can deform.
Inorganic heat insulators:
- fiberglass;
- asbokarton;
- isolone;
- mineral wool;
- drywall.
The materials have high thermal insulation properties. The only thing, under the influence of moisture, they can lose their qualities, so they are not installed next to the sink.
Thermal insulation materials are sold in the form of rolls or small sheets with a thickness of 5 millimeters or more, as well as a width of 75 centimeters. The insulation is easily cut into strips, before gluing it must be leveled
On the one hand, the roll insulation has a self-adhesive surface, and on the other, it is covered with a polyester film. The material should be glued from top to bottom on the entire surface of the refrigerator wall.
There is no self-adhesive layer on the insulation sheet. It is recommended to use double-sided tape to secure it. It holds sheets well and can be easily removed when material needs to be replaced.
Instruction on the manufacture of a protective shield
With the help of shields, the refrigerator is fenced off from the gas stove. Thermal insulation can be made from various materials, for example, chipboard. Plates have high rigidity, so they do not need to be glued to the surface of the devices.
Option # 1 - thermal insulation with chipboard
A chipboard stove will help protect the refrigerator from the effects of a gas stove. Install it between household appliances and the stove.
Cover the side cuts of the shield with adhesive tape. Otherwise, different-sized chips in the structure will be visible. In addition, it is difficult to wash the material in the places of unclosed sections. Therefore, the ends are covered with a decorative film or laminated. You can order this service in the places where the sheets are cut.
Better to buy laminated chipboard. There are many color options for this material. You can choose the color of the shield, which will match the color of the furniture and match the design of the kitchen
On average, chipboard heat protection lasts for three years. After that, the appearance is lost, since moisture and heat destroy the structure of the material. But since such insulation is inexpensive, it can be changed at least annually.
Option # 2 - building a tile shield
Looks beautiful, easy to clean - the main advantages of a tile heat-insulating shield. It fits perfectly into the design of the kitchen, especially if it matches the style and color of the “apron”.
If moisture gets on the drywall, then it will begin to collapse. Therefore, when laying out the tiles, carefully cover up the cracks.
Tiles are glued to the shield by means of special glue. You can lay out the tiles on a chipboard sheet, moisture-resistant plasterboard, OSB boards, as well as QSB
Option # 3 - making a mirror screen
Mirrored surfaces reflect heat well. Mirror, glass or foil can be used as the main thermal insulation material. Fasten the insulation to the partition with glue.
The partition with foil turns out to be thinner than other thermal insulation options. To improve the protective properties, the material can be glued onto a thick shield. Then the mirror screen will be durable and last longer.
The foil screen is quite expensive. However, it is able to reflect heat better than conventional cheap insulation. This means that the refrigerator will not heat up and will last longer.
The only disadvantage of such insulation is specular reflection, but it can be removed by applying corrugated glass on top.
Ideas for optimal refrigerator placement
If the kitchen is small, then the refrigerator can be installed outside of it, for example, taken out to the loggia or in the pantry. Some apartment owners put such large-sized appliances in the corridor.
In Khrushchev houses, not only kitchens, but also other rooms are small. The option to install a refrigerator in the corridor is no longer needed. But in such apartments, the interior walls are not load-bearing. If you wish, you can find a suitable refrigerator and build a niche for it in the partition between the living room and the kitchen.
The ledge in the living room is decorated or used as a shelf. It is also convenient to place a washing machine in the vacant space.
When choosing a place for a refrigerator, do not forget that the device cannot be installed not only near the stove, but also next to batteries, as well as other heating devices
An example of the correct placement of household appliances. Even in a small kitchen, you can install appliances so that they do not interfere with each other.
If household appliances cannot be taken to another room, then you need to take care of a good hood on the kitchen. It must be powerful enough to capture as many convective currents from the gas stove as possible.
A good option for a small kitchen - built-in refrigerator. The surfaces of such a device are sheathed with chipboard or MDF plates. The frame of the box will not only protect the unit from heating, but also insulate the metal walls from dirt and grease splashes. To improve the thermal insulation properties, foil or other insulation can be glued to the surface from the side of the gas stove.
A powerful hood and competent placement of equipment will not only extend the life of household appliances, but also optimally complement the design of even a small kitchen
If there is very little space in the kitchen and it is impossible to redevelop the room, then you can install a mini-refrigerator. It is lower than standard models, so you can mount an oven or microwave on top. The main thing is not to forget about the rules for thermal insulation of devices.
Replacing full-size vehicles with smaller versions will help win some free space. For example, you can install a hob with two burners. This will increase the distance between the stove and the refrigerator to 15-20 centimeters.
Also available for sale narrow refrigerators, their width is about 55 centimeters. Of course, this is an expensive solution to the problem.
Sometimes in the kitchen it is better to do a small redevelopment, install a smaller sink, or move the stove her to another place. Even a few centimeters of free space will improve the situation.
Conclusions and useful video on the topic
For ideas for placing a refrigerator and a household stove in a small kitchen, see the video below:
Manufacturers of household appliances do not recommend installing a refrigerator and a gas stove next to each other; the ideal option is different corners of the room.
The distance between the appliances depends on the model of the refrigerator. The minimum is 25 centimeters. But not every kitchen can afford such an arrangement.
Therefore, in the article we examined the existing options for thermal insulation of refrigerators, which are able to protect against the negative consequences of overheating.
How did you solve the issue of placing these two extremely important types of household appliances in your kitchen? Share interesting ideas with other users, add a photo of your kitchen, participate in discussions, ask questions - the contact form is located below the article.
