Commercial-Type Ranges Now Made for the Home
All those affluent people who have been risking their lives and property with commercial gas ranges designed for restaurants should have waited.
Wolf Range Co., Compton, and Viking Range Corp., Greenwood, Miss., two major manufacturers of commercial ranges, have introduced look-alike models designed specifically for home installations. Both firms had displays at the recent convention/exposition of the National Assn. of Home Builders in Atlanta, where the emphasis this year was on the growing move-up housing market.
Viking has models in 30-, 36- and 48-inch widths, while Wolf has a variety of units in 37 1/4-and 61-inch widths. Costs vary, but expect to pay $3,500 to $5,000 or more, plus installation, advises Stewart Fair of Kitchens by Stewart in Pasadena.
Installations Mostly Illegal
Kitchen designer and instructor Bill Peterson of Santa Monica has strong feelings about illegal installations of commercial ranges. In an interview, he said that virtually every installation of a commercial range in a residence has been illegal “since day one. They have almost always been installed in violation of the codes that apply.”
Peterson said most installations ignore the required clearance from the range to combustibles, specifically the wood kitchen cabinets and wood wall studs.
“The code clearly states that no amount of fireproofing material, such as tile, asbestos, brick or metal could be used to reduce that clearance,” he said.
The distance between the commercial range and combustibles varies from 6 to 10 inches, so anything closer is not only illegal, it’s dangerous, Peterson said.
Scorchings and Fires
He added that there have been many reported fires and scorchings of the cabinet sides, and one case of severe damage to a granite countertop that was behind the range. Too, the oven door on a commercial range is not insulated, as it is on models designed for residential uses, so a nasty burn can result from a brush with the door.
Peterson added that a recent ruling by the California Energy Commission mandates a fine of up to $2,500 for restaurant supply houses and others that sell a restaurant range with standing pilot lights--a typical range uses enough gas for the pilot lights alone to heat a small house--to a residential user.
“With the changes in real estate disclosure in California, the seller must disclose all known facts about the structure and equipment of the house,” he added. “An illegal commercial range installation may impair the sale of a house.”
