Gas in the kitchen-living room: courage or stupidity?

Combining a kitchen and a living room is a common and almost ubiquitous situation. The reason is the small area of ​​the rooms, and such a redevelopment expands the space (albeit slightly, but still!).

But if you look at SNIPs, which are created specifically for the safety of citizens, you can understand that the absence of a partition between the living room and the kitchen, where there is a gas stove, is not only dangerous, but also forbidden.

However, there are solutions to help harmonize and legitimize all possible redevelopments.

Why do you need a partition?

The wall between the living room and the gasified kitchen in many houses was invented for a reason. It is designed for two dangerous situations:

• in the event of a gas leak, it will not enter other rooms;
• if an explosion occurs, the shock wave will fall on the window, and not on the main walls.

In the second case, the maximum insulation of the kitchen will save the lives of the tenants of the apartment. Injuries, unfortunately, are not excluded, but the risk of getting them can be minimal.

Can you still demolish?

If the kitchen is gasified, then, according to the requirements and rules, there must be a partition, and besides it, there must also be a tightly closing door. And what is interesting - there is not a single clear phrase that would forbid this very door to be removed. Such circumstances have been causing a lot of controversy for a long time, since you will not find such an item in SNiPs. Therefore, this nuance can still be attributed to recommendations rather than strict requirements.

Another interesting situation. According to the same rules, it is forbidden to install a stove for more than 3 burners in Khrushchevs. Such models are found, but usually these are 4-burner hobs, and sometimes 5-burner. It seems like a taboo, and gas workers during inspections for some reason are silent about this and do not attach much importance to the situation.

So what to do if you really want to combine the living room with the kitchen, and there is a gas stove (and God forbid, there is also a column)? There is a way out, but all the points still require agreement.

If the wall is load-bearing, then you will not receive approval for its demolition! At least not in this life.

Examples of legal and possible solutions

Before making a decision and combining both rooms, you should still think carefully. Perhaps leaving the layout in its original form is the best option, which is also safer!

Change the stove to an electric one

This solution is considered optimal, but not everything is so simple here either. Electric power in small apartments is usually small, and therefore replacement with an electric stove is practically impracticable. In addition, refusal from gas will also have to be coordinated with energy supplying and gas companies. And this is additional finances, time, nerves and a bunch of pieces of paper.

Install sliding door

You can agree and get approval for combining the living room and kitchen, if a partition is provided in the plan. This could be a glass / wood sliding door.

Previously, many went to the trick and mounted a simple curtain, which was then removed, but now this option will not be approved.

In panel houses, the wall between the kitchen and the living room is usually load-bearing. It is strictly forbidden to demolish it completely, but it is allowed to make a small opening, no more than 0.9 m wide.

For two or more bedroom apartments, the living room should be designated as non-residential for permission. Then even a curtain is not required. But the doors to the rest of the rooms must be present and tightly closed.

Safety Tips

If you did manage to get permission for redevelopment, be sure to take care of safety. There are many ways to help you get out of trouble:

1. Technical devices. We are talking about sensors - gas catchers. In the event of a leak, they let you know of the problem.
2. Change your stove. Give preference to models that are equipped with a gas control - a mechanism that cuts off the gas supply if the burner was filled with liquid.
3. Be sure to check the ventilation efficiency. Do not block the openings with the exhaust pipe. First of all, think about your safety and only then about foreign smells. Agree that it’s better that the apartment smells of fried potatoes than there is a risk of gas poisoning.

Conclusion

Based on the above, we summarize:

• if the apartment is one-room, and you sleep in the living room, then it is better not to do the redevelopment, and the door to the kitchen must always be tightly closed;
• when deciding to connect rooms nevertheless, be sure to think about safety sensors, and replace the stove with a more modern one - with the gas-stop function;
• the ventilation holes in the kitchen must work, otherwise be sure to correct the problem and adjust;
• if the power of the electrical network allows, switch to an electric stove, coordinating this with the energy supply company and gas workers.