Refrigerator and gas stove in the kitchen: the minimum distance between appliances and placement tips

Do you want to make repairs in the kitchen, but don’t know how to place household appliances so that it functions for a long time, is safe for households and does not consume more electricity than it should? You have to admit that I don’t want to wash the appliances from fat every day or pay a lot for the light, only because the refrigerator and gas stove are too close to each other.

We will tell you how to properly place furniture and appliances in order to level out possible negative consequences. We will show you how to protect the refrigerator, if the layout does not allow you to avoid the proximity to the stove.

Rules for the location of the refrigerator and stove

It is recommended to place household appliances in the kitchen at "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 it is convenient for the hostess to get food and cook.

Unfortunately, often the kitchen is small in size and has to be placed almost end-to-end. Next, we will examine in more detail whether it is possible to put a refrigerator near a gas stove and whether there are generally accepted requirements for placement.

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, placing a refrigerator and a stove according to the recommended rules does not always work

Norms of distance between household appliances

All refrigerators differ in power, type of freezing and degree of thermal insulation. Manufacturers must indicate in the instructions the recommended installation distance from the gas stove. For example, a Zanussi brand refrigerator is mounted from a gas stove at a distance of 50 cm.

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, between the technique you need to place a table.

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 in it, but small things in the form of sponges, various brushes and household chemicals are convenient to store there

Due to the fact that many furniture companies produce custom-made furniture, you can easily “mask” the recommended clearance of 25 cm. So, they make storage sections or the same cabinets for individual sizes.

We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the rules for placing the refrigerator. near the gas pipe.

Consequences of a close neighborhood

The gas stove does not have insulation, therefore, adjacent surfaces are heated during its operation.

If the wall of the refrigerator heats up, it will not thaw, it will not work worse, and the products will not deteriorate in it. However, the unit compressor will turn on more often and work for wear. Such a load will adversely affect the life of the device.

Disadvantages of the proximity of the stove and refrigerator:

• rapid ice formation inside the refrigerator - due to heating compressor begins to cool more intensively, as a result, ice freezes faster;
• frequent washing of the walls of the refrigerator - during cooking, splashes of fat may fly off, which are subsequently difficult to remove from the metal surface;
• the appearance of the refrigerator spoils from heating - the paint swells and turns yellow, plastic handles crack or melt, as well as the edging of the doors;
• end of warranty - many manufacturers write in the instructions that it is impossible to install a refrigerator near a stove, oven and heating devices; even the minimum permissible distance between household appliances is indicated;
• increased electricity consumption - the compressor often turns on and the device runs at full power.

In addition, if the refrigerator is up close, it’s not very comfortable to use a gas stove, as you can approach the hob from one side only.

With the close proximity of the stove and the refrigerator, there is almost no free space. This is not practical, since the handles from pans and other utensils will abut 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.

How to protect the refrigerator

When it is not possible to leave the recommended gap between the devices, you need to independently make a partition from a material with insulating properties. As thermal insulation separating the refrigerator from the gas stove, both organic and inorganic materials can be used.

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 be deformed.

Inorganic heat insulators:

• fiberglass;
• asphalt board;
• Isolon
• mineral wool;
• drywall.

Materials have high heat-insulating properties. The only thing is that under the influence of moisture they can lose their qualities, therefore they are not installed near the sink.

Thermal insulation materials are sold in the form of rolls or small sheets with a thickness of 5 or more millimeters, as well as a width of 75 centimeters. The insulation is easily cut into strips, before gluing it must be flattened

On the one hand, the roll insulation has a self-adhesive surface, and on the other, it is covered with a film of lavsan. The material should be glued from top to bottom on the entire surface of the wall of the refrigerator.

There is no self-adhesive layer on sheet insulation. For its fastening, it is recommended to use double-sided tape. It holds sheets well and is easily removed if material needs to be replaced.

Safety Shield Instructions

Using shields, the refrigerator is fenced off from the gas stove. It is possible to make thermal insulation from various materials, for example, chipboard. Plates have high rigidity, so they can not be glued to the surface of the devices.

Option # 1 - thermal insulation with a chipboard stove

Chipboard stove will help protect the refrigerator from the effects of a gas stove. Install it between household appliances and the stove.

The side cuts of the shield must be covered with adhesive tape. Otherwise, different-sized chips in the structure will be visible. In addition, in areas of open sections, it is difficult to wash the material. Therefore, the ends and cover with a decorative film or laminated. You can order such a service at the places where the sheets are cut.

It is better to buy a laminated particleboard. 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, thermal protection from particleboard is enough for three years. After the appearance is lost, since moisture and heat destroy the structure of the material. But since such thermal insulation is inexpensive, it can be changed at least annually.

Option # 2 - the construction of a tile shield

It looks beautiful, easy to clean - the main advantages of a heat-insulating tile 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 tiles, carefully slit the cracks.

Tiles are glued to the shield using special glue. You can lay out tiles on a chipboard sheet, moisture-proof drywall, OSB boards, as well as QSB

Option # 3 - making a mirror screen

Mirror surfaces reflect heat well. As the main heat-insulating material, a mirror, glass or foil can be used. Fix the insulation to the partition with glue.

The partition with foil is thinner than the rest of the insulation options. To improve the protective properties, you can stick the material on a thick shield. Then the mirror screen will be durable and will last longer.

A foil screen will be quite expensive. However, it is able to better reflect heat than conventional low-cost insulation. This means that the refrigerator will not heat up and will last longer

The only drawback of such insulation is the mirror reflection, but it can be removed if you lay corrugated glass on top.

Ideas for optimal refrigerator placement

If the kitchen is small, then the refrigerator can be installed outside, for example, taken to the loggia or to the pantry. Some apartment owners put such bulky equipment in the hallway.

In Khrushchev, not only the kitchen, but also the other rooms are small. The option of installing a refrigerator in the hallway disappears. But in such apartments, the interior walls are not bearing. If desired, you can choose the right refrigerator and build a niche under it in the partition between the living room and the kitchen.

The ledge in the living room is decorated or used as a shelf. In the vacant place it is also convenient to position the washing machine.

When choosing a place for a refrigerator, do not forget that the device must not be installed not only near the stove, but also near the batteries, as well as other heating devices

An example of the correct arrangement of household appliances. Even in a small kitchen you can install appliances so that they do not interfere with each other

In the event that household appliances cannot be moved to another room, then you need to take care of the good extractor hood on the kitchen. It should be powerful enough to capture as many convective streams 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 boards made of chipboard or MDF. 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, a foil or other insulation can be glued to the surface from the side of the gas stove.

A powerful hood and proper placement of appliances will not only extend the life of household appliances, but also optimally complement the design of even a small kitchen

If there’s very little space in the kitchen and you can’t remodel the room, then you can install a mini fridge. 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 of thermal insulation of devices

Replacing full-sized equipment with smaller versions will help to win some free space. For example, you can install a stove with two burners. So it turns out to increase the distance between the tiles and the refrigerator to 15-20 centimeters.

Also available 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 make a small redevelopment, install a smaller sink or move plate her to another place. Even a few centimeters of free space will improve the situation.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

You can find ideas on placing a refrigerator and a stove in a small kitchen in the video below:

Manufacturers of household appliances do not recommend installing a refrigerator and a household gas stove nearby, the ideal option is different corners of the room.

The distance between the devices depends on the model of the refrigerator. The minimum is 25 centimeters. But not every kitchen can afford such accommodation.

Therefore, in the article we examined the existing options for thermal insulation of refrigerators, which can protect against the negative effects 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 photos of your kitchen, participate in discussions, ask questions - the contact form is located below the article.