Can I put an oven in front of water pipes?

[DavidA1982]

Hi all

I’ve got a quick question on my kitchen design.

We are having a tall unit with a double oven in it. I know where I want it to go, but there are currently 3 water pipes that run from floor to ceiling right in the middle of where I want to put it. The pipes are all copper, and quite wide (22mm I think). I can afford to build the oven unit off the wall by a few cm so that the oven does not actually touch the pipes and this is what I plan to do, but I’m still a bit nervous about having water pipes running behind the cooker. I think I’ve got 3 options and I’d appreciate your thoughts on what is best:

1) Stop worrying and put the oven unit in front of the pipes
2) Box the pipes in and then put the oven unit in
3) Re-arrange the entire kitchen to put the oven unit elsewhere (a significant pain which would involve blocking up a window).

Any thoughts would be appreciated...

 

[jj4091]

I would probably go for option 2 in your position as you obviously have concerns about it. I would be easiest to do it using flat plastic trunking with the lid fixed to the wall & the trough used as a lid, instead of the normal way round. Or you can also get clip on pipe covers that would be another option.

 

[foxhole]

Should be fine nothing achieved by boxing in the pipes , especially with plastic which could melt behind an oven.

 

[jj4091]

Should be fine nothing achieved by boxing in the pipes , especially with plastic which could melt behind an oven.

If it got hot enough behind the cooker to melt plastic I think I would be rather worried about the unit that it was installed in.

 

[foxhole]

Oven units have no back and are designed to allow all round air flow and prevent overheating.

 

[m0t]

I have plastic pipes behind my oven and haven't had any issues, although it is only a single. I made sure to use extra clips so that is one failed the pipe wouldn't drop onto the hot metal back. I'd be more concerned if it was a pyrolytic one as they get very hot.

 

[jj4091]

Oven units have no back and are designed to allow all round air flow and prevent overheating.

So why should plastic be likely to melt?

 

[foxhole]

Plastic has a low melting point.

 

[DavidA1982]

Thanks all. So it seems I've got nothing to worry about then, and I can just crack on regardless.

Thanks.

 

[jj4091]

Plastic has a low melting point.

Oh come on it isn't that low, especially electric cable trunking!.