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Commercial Range Clearance Question

18 years ago

I've read the FAQ thread on the pros and cons of a commercial range in a residential household.

In the Wolf installation instructions, they call for 10" of clearance between the side of the range and any combustible materials. Is this because the sides of the range/oven get hot or because the flames from the burner can/will extend wider than the perimeter of the range?

Comments (8)

  • 18 years ago

    I doubt any company will knowingly sell a commercial range to be used in a residence today. The liability issues involved in installing one and the difficulty of getting it serviced by commercial equipment technicians are major problems. Plus your insurance company would not be too happy either when they find out.

  • 18 years ago

    The clearances specified for commercial ranges are because they get very hot, especially when the ovens are run all day as in a commercial setting.

    I personally know of two commercial ranges is residential settings. One is in a big 150 year old farmhouse used as a church retreat center in upstate NY. The other is in a NYC apartment. The Wolf range in the farmhouse was inspected, along with the rest of the building, by the church's insurance carrier within the last year and passed. The Garland range in the apartment was repaired within the last five years. It had a burned out thermostat. That was the first repair it needed in 30 years. I don't remember what the repair cost but I do remember thinking at the time that it was very low.

    Neither of the ranges has any cabinetry anywhere near it. The one in the farmhouse is located at least a foot out from the wall behind it. The one in the apartment backs up on a brick exterior wall. I've cooked on both of them and they do get very hot.

  • 18 years ago

    I can not say what they are like now but I spent 20 years cooking on Wolf ranges and they are OK but nothing special. I thought the gas ovens were terrible,uneven heat,pilot lights going out,thermostats constantly needing to be calibrated,and a tremendous amount of heat loss through sides and doors of ovens. They do have red knobs though. I think that is what attracts a lot of people to them

  • 18 years ago

    The oven in the Garland in the NYC apartment isn't all that great either. I baked birthday cakes in it several times when I met DW 45 years ago and I still remember her telling me exactly where to put the pans on the racks and how to rotate them. But her cousin who lives there now still manages to turn out wonderful baked goods.

    There is one odd point in favor of the Garland in that particular apartment. The original range in the almost 200-year-old building was coal fired. There was and still is a natural convection (no blower) hood over the range that vents out through the roof when the damper is opened. There are no radiators in the kitchen and the apartment is not billed for gas. For as long as anyone in the family can remember they have run the oven in the winter to heat the kitchen.

  • 18 years ago

    Thanks for your responses. Paddy--have you been cooking on Wolf commercial and residential ranges?

    My stove will be bookended by two stainless steel modular tables. Also, besides roasting a bird, a piece of meat, or baking a pizza, I don't use ovens much. Once a week is on the high side.

    I'm also looking at an Imperial range, though I haven't researched it outside of the store.

  • 18 years ago

    I am using a GE Monogram 36"/grill cooktop and a GE Profile electric oven, both of which I enjoy tremendously.
    One thing I would check for is to make sure the burners are not to large for your sauce pans causing most of the heat to go up the sides of the pans. Skillets are not as much of a problem unless smaller than 10".

  • 18 years ago

    paddy_99 makes a important point. Burners on commercial ranges are typically sized to work with 10" or larger pans. The Garland in the apartment where DW grew up had the outer couple of holes on each arm of one of the star burners blocked to work with smaller pans, very much like a BlueStar simmer burner.

  • 18 years ago

    Everyone I ever spoke with about a commercial range, both users and sales people were firm on the all around clearance because of the oven heat and low insulation on the walls.
    We came close to getting a used Wolf at one point but didn't need that kind of power. They were also going to be a pain to clean.