Kitchen planning guidlines

I'm planning a new kitchen and could do to know if there are any rules or guidlines for placing appliances. For example are there any rules about placing a cooker/hob/oven adjacent to a doorway, or anything else I should be aware of when planning? Our kitchen has three doors, so it is not easy.

Peter.

Reply to
Snowman
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I think it is mostly common sense.

It's certainly very sensible not to put a cooker or hob next to a doorway, or at the very end of a run of units, where the adjacent space is used as a passageway. Otherwise, you'll probably find what it is like to have a vat of boiling water/oil pour on yourself or your children. On the other hand, I can see no reason not to have a built in oven tower next to a doorway, as there are no pans to knock off.

If possible, keep cookers and ovens away from fridges/freezers, as this can lead to excessive energy consumption. Although this is not always possible, you should at least check that the appliance manufacturer doesn't explicitly forbid it.

If you can, put the hob on an outside wall, to enable a direct through the wall extractor to be used.

Christian.

Reply to
Christian McArdle

In the case of a gas cooker, away from other sources of drafts too like windows.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

This is slightly leaving the topic (sorry) but...

I'm installing my hob on an outside wall of my kitchen which forms the boundary of a neighbouring property. If I install an extrator hood, then the extracted air will be blown out onto their patio area, effectively. Does anybody know what the legal situation is with this?

Unfortunately I can't just go round and ask them as nobody seems to be living in the house at the moment.

Any advice appreciated :)

Martin

Reply to
Martin Brook

You certainly wouldn't be very popular with just about anyone in this group... see the "flues crossing my boundary..." thread that cropped up at the beginning of the month

cheers

David

Reply to
David

Have a careful look and consider how your doors are hung. My kitchen also has three doors and I lived with it for ages until I realised that by re-hanging two of the doors so they opened outwards a lot of extra useable space could be created. Thus inspired I also reversed the sitting room door :-) more room for the 7.1 sound system.

Richard.

Reply to
Richard

Electric sockets apparently should be positioned at least 1.5 metres from a sink unit. With the usual miniscule size of kitchens in a lot of houses, this would be hard to achieve. Unfortunately, I've just measured and the nearest socket is only 8cm from the draining board. Everthing is earth bonded - should I be worried about this. I'm certainly not going to move anything whatever the regs.

Terry D.

Reply to
Terry D

Thanks - that thread has quite definitively answered my question!

Martin

Reply to
Martin Brook

Completely false. There is no restriction whatsoever on distance apart from a generic point worded something like "must be suitable for the intended location". This is usually interpreted to mean more than 30cm from the sink, or IP rated. You can probably legally install a socket inside the sink, provided it is rated for continuous underwater use and should some fool invent such an item.

Provided it never gets wet, then it is fine, as the socket is suitable for installation in locations that don't get wet. Provided it is more than 30cm from the actual sink/taps, then it is unlikely to get splashback.

Christian.

Reply to
Christian McArdle

Fortunately, this is incorrect, otherwise many kitchens would have no sockets in them;-)

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

Thanks for the suggestion - I had thought of that, but it might be worth another look.

Peter.

Reply to
Snowman

And had to move all the light switches ?

Reply to
G&M

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 19:11:33 +0100, "G&M" strung together this:

Then they'd all be on the hinge side, why would you want to do that?

Reply to
Lurch

Because he said he swapped all the doors round.

Reply to
G&M

No just think about it. If you rehang a door so that it opens the opposite way but from the same jamb there is no problem at all with light switches. In one case, the sitting room, I hung the door on the opposite jamb and it still opens inwards. There was therefore a potential switch problem. This was easily overcome by siting the main lighting switch outside the room in the hall. All that was needed was a long masonry drill and replacing an existing two gang switch in the hall with a three gang.

Richard.

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Reply to
Richard

Traditionally, you plan it around keeping the length of the work triangle (the route bewteen fridge, sink and cooker) as small as possible. However, the trend today is more for the freezer to microwave route to be the one you need to keep short.

It is mostly common sense safety considerations. Don't put frequently used stuff where someone using it could be hit by an opening door etc.

Colin Bignell

Reply to
nightjar

I did not say that. You have overlooked the fact that for a given door opening it is possible to hang a door FOUR different ways. Left or right inwards and left or right outwards.

Richard.

Reply to
Richard

Sorry - you're right. Didn't read his suggestion right.

However, it often isn't permitted by the building regs to open the door outwards into certain areas of certain domestic buildings so these will need to be checked. For example opening the door outwards into the hallway could bring it within 400mm of the stairs.

Reply to
G&M

On Wed, 30 Jun 2004 19:38:51 +0100, "G&M" strung together this:

Inwards\outwards, not left hinged\right hinged.

Reply to
Lurch

"G&M" wrote | And had to move all the light switches ?

No, don't do that, make it interesting for any future occupants. Previous owners of this flat moved the bedroom wall. They didn't move the light switch. Took me two hours to find it as dusk fell.

Owain

Reply to
Owain

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