Could/should I install refrigerators under a gas cooktop?

16 years ago

I have a very small kitchen where I am trying to maximize counter space by putting all the refrigeration/freezer(s) undercounter.

For some complicated reasons not worth going into here, it would be best to place all of the refrigeration (we need at least 48" worth of space) AND the cooktop or range on one @84" long wall. The obvious way to do this would be to put the refrigeration unit and either a freestanding range or drawers under a cooktop/rangetop side by side. That is our current plan (for what it is worth, probably a 24" bluestar range between a Perlick double refrigerator unit on one side and 12" of drawer/counter space on the other).

I keep thinking, however, that it would really open up my options if we could install a cooktop or rangetop over the refrigeration - that would not only allow us to add more refrigeration or storage space, but also to use a wider cooktop with more burners or a grill. Assuming their is clearance behind the refrigerator unit for the gas line and connections needed, the only downsides I can see are (1) that the counter height might need to be a few inches taller than typical, but I am OK with that, and (2) that unless I can include a really effective insulation layer the refrigeration may have to work harder because of the waste heat radiating downwards - but would it really be any worse than putting a fridge next to a stove? I know that isn't recommended, but it is still done all the time.

Am I missing something?

Everybody I run this past seems to think I am crazy, but nobody can give me a real reason why not. Indeed, from what I can see, it is actually a fairly common arrangement in professional kitchens, and there are also a number of all-in-one units for RVs, etc, that have both a cooktop and refrigeration. On the cooktop side, I have looked through the installation guides and warranties for a number of brands and with one glaring exception they don't specifically address this. The exception is Miele, which specifically states "The cooktop must not be installed over a dishwasher, washer, dryer, refrigerator or freezer. Heat radiated by the cooktop may damage them." This implies that any problem would be on the refrigerator side. On that side, I directly asked Perlick's local rep by email whether they would support/warrant such an installation, and they replied "I am not familiar with building codes with cooking equipment." This seems, to me, to be missing the point - unless I am to interpret it as meaning that if the local code allows the installation, they approve it.

Obviously, I am going to have to try again with Perlick directly and see if they will answer my question more directly. In the meantime, however, any thoughts you all might have on this would be highly appreciated.

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Comments (5)

User
16 years ago
you're missing height.

unless you want a 40" + tall counter ht. you can forget a rangetop. If you want to mount a cooktop over a fridge it will need to be no more than 1 1/2" tall/thick as all undercounter fridges install at 34 1/2" tall.

This is going to severely limit your choices and they will be almost all electric ones.
palimpsest
16 years ago
Miele may specifically say this because they are one of the few gas cooktops that I have found anyway, that is actually thin enough to Mount over something else besides drawers or an oven designed to go underneath.

I don't want to derail your plan necessarily but what you are gaining in 24" of counterspace you are losing in 24" of storage space. Since you are in the Perlick price range anyway have you looked at any of the 24" or less, tall fridges by Liebherr, Gaggenau (?), Kuppersbusch, Blomberg, Northland, etc?
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plllog
16 years ago
I know that in cooktop over oven cases there are sometimes conflicts between where the one unit has its fan, the other has its power, etc., etc., so that they conflict. Manufacturers will make certain of their ovens and cooktops compatible so that they can be used together. That's what the marine/rv units and all in ones have--they're build so that the pieces don't screw each other up.

There's another problem, though, if you're talking rangetop. Most gas tops require a certain amount of air circulation space underneath, but besides that, they also require access to the electrical plug, and also access to the gas shut off. I suppose you could put those behind the drawers, but in that case, why couldn't you put the cooktop over the drawers to start with?

I think your situation is a great candidate for magnetic induction. Have you looked at that? You can only use steel or iron cookware, but you have similar control to gas, plus features like fast water boiling and (on some units) programmable elements and/or autoshutoff countdown timers. Best of all though, when it's not in use you can use your cooktop as extra counterspace. Even while you're cooking, since only the pot gets hot, rather than the cooktop, you can put your cuttingboard, potholder, or whatever right there on the cooktop. You could put in a 30" or 36" cooktop and never miss the counter.

Some, like Miele, are very shallow and don't require a lot of underneath space. I think it's maybe a few inches from the top of the counter, or about an inch from the bottom of the unit. These shallow ones usually require a little back of cabinet air space, but so do the fridges, and they might be able to share the space, if there were enough cool air circulation back there. That might raise your counter just a bit, but some of us do that on purpose anyway.

That said, I agree with Palimpsest, that a 24" wide, tall fridge makes sense, and would be much easier.
John Liu
15 years ago
If you go from ''free standing range next to undercounter refrigerator'' to ''range top over undercounter refrigerator'', don't you then have to find room somewhere else for the oven?

Also, having your refrigerator at the same location as your burners seems to raise work zone and traffic issues. Whenever someone wants to access the refrigerator, the cook has to step away from the burners. How much this matters depends on your, family's, and guests' habits, but it wouldn't work for me.
Anna Michelle
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I was wondering if this would work with an electric cooktop. Long story short, my kitchen is extremely small and the entire studio is 300 sq ft. I was thinking to do some kitchen remodeling that would include a 24-inch undercounter fridge which leaves me with a few inches short of the counter space. But if electric cooktop can go on top of the fridge, my life would be much easier. Having the oven is not in my plans.