Installing a new kitchen appliance requires careful planning; you should place your stove and your oven in a position that meets certain statutory requirements and honors the manufacturer’s instructions, which means you do not get to simply choose where you want to cook and install the stove there. While setting up and installing a cooktop, there are a few rules that you need to follow in order to ensure safety. Here is how cooktops should be installed.
1. Installation Should Be Done By the Right Person
Neither you nor your friend who happens to understand mechanics should take the responsibility of installing a stove. According to the rules for installing cooktops Australia imposes on households, licensed plumbers, gas fitters and electricians should be hired for this type of job because of two reasons:
- Stoves and ovens use a lot of electricity and gas, and thus, are potentially dangerous for the environment;
- You need to get a compliance certificate for your appliances. This compliance certificate certifies that the installation of your stove and oven conforms with the regulations for cooktops Australia officials look for.
2. Clearance requirements
- Clearance refers to the space between your stove and the rest of the kitchen elements. Wondering why this is important? Because certain appliances, like gas cooktops, use open flame to operate, which is a potential hazard for your house and the surrounding environment. So, to prevent this from happening, your stove should be installed following the instructions from the Australian Standard AG/601- AS560. According to these instructions, the minimum clearance between a gas cooktop and a burner element should be the following:
- A combustible surface should have 600mm of vertical clearance, and a vertical surface should have about 200mm of horizontal distance. If by any case these measurements cannot be met, the surface in question should be protected with a fire resistant material.
- 600mm clearance to a rangehood if there is one;
- A clearance of 750mm to an exhaust fan if installed. (What is interesting about rangehoods and exhaust fans is that there are no specific clearance requirements about them, but they still need to be installed according to statutory requirements and manufacturer’s instructions.)
3. What about ovens?
Ovens generally cannot cause big problems, because they are insulated by design and their surface cannot get that hot to cause any real issues. However, always install them following the manufacturer’s instructions, just be sure you are safe.
