The main thing to keep in mind when storing any type of appliance next to your stove is that you don’t have enough heat reaching the fridge and it doesn’t heat up. This article will go over if you should put a refrigerator right next to a stove or not.
How close can a stove be to a refrigerator?
Stoves should not be placed close to refrigerators, and ideally, the stove should be at least 30 centimeters away. The most important thing when storing your food is keeping it cool. Warm air from the stove will heat up the refrigerator, which will lead to an increase in energy consumption.
Keep in mind that gas stoves produce quite a lot of heat and this can have a negative effect on a refrigerator too. 30 centimeters or less is not enough for it to work properly, as that would mean there would be no airflow between the two appliances, meaning they’re essentially touching which could damage their contents and cause fire risks.
If you’re adding a stove to an existing kitchen, the stove should be placed in a separate room so that it can’t heat up the area where the fridge is.
Is it OK to place the stove next to the refrigerator?
You should never place stoves next to refrigerators. The reason for this is that the machinery of both appliances makes frequent, intense noise, and if they touch each other it can severely damage the fridge (or the stove).
I would say 30-50 cm apart would be enough. If it’s closer then that something might happen to the fridge from heatwaves from the stove or if you notice your fridge is getting hot then it’s too close.
It’s probably better to be safe than sorry Thermodynamics basics: heat will travel via thermal conduction from hot objects (with higher temperatures) to colder ones (with lower temperatures) until they reach thermal equilibrium (same temperature).
When that happens, the warmer object will emit heat (radiation), which eventually comes to rest at the cooler object. When that happens, a new temperature gradient (temperature gradient) is created. If an object is placed between two other objects with different temperatures, heat will flow from the warm object to the cooler one until there’s no longer a temperature difference anymore.
That means that heat radiates from both objects simultaneously (for example, a stove and fridge), and then they’re in thermal equilibrium again.
So, if a refrigerator is placed between a stove and another object, the fridge will be cool (colder than the stove and another object). If you place the fridge next to both the stove and another object, it will be slightly warmer than both other objects.
What happens if you place a fridge next to a stove?
If you place a fridge next to the stove then yes you will get uneven temperatures. But it still shouldn’t affect the fridge or freezer contents as it is all enclosed. But I would be careful with the door not to leave a gap.
The heat that is used by the stove will now travel through the fridge and even if there is no direct heat flow between the fridge and stove, there is still enough of a temperature difference to cause problems.
The most important thing to note about the distance between your stove and refrigerator is that they must be at least 30cm apart. The reason for this is that this will ensure that your fridge doesn’t overheat. This can lead to damage to your appliances.
How much space do you need on each side of a stove?
30 cm is the minimum distance. But it depends on the type of stove you have and what it heats up. A cambro or picnic table with a stove in the middle can get too hot for some cooks to properly use, especially if it has glass doors. In this case, a few centimeters between the stove and door would be fine because they would be used at different times of the day.
The most important thing is to keep your stove away from your fridge. If you place them too close then heat will build up in your fridge and there will be a problem with temperature control as both items are exposed to enough heat for them to overheat and get damaged.
How do I fill the space next to my fridge?
If you have a non-insulated fridge, then you can divide the space next to it into two areas. Put a flat piece of plywood, or just put the stove on one side and leave the other empty. If you have an insulated fridge, then make sure that the insulation on both sides of your fridge is at least 9mm thick.
When storing an electric stove next to an uninsulated kitchen unit like a dishwasher: You can install your electric stove right in front of your washing machine without worrying about having too much heat going into the dishwasher or adjacent walls and flooring.
You can put a shelf or board next to the dishwasher to place your electric stove right on top of it. Do not have the space between these two items get too large. If you want to place your electric stove next to an uninsulated kitchen unit, do not have the space get too large.
The heat will eventually radiate out and warm up the area where the fridge is located. The gap between your stove and fridge has been mentioned as being too small in some of my other answers, but if you keep them close together then it will get very hot in the fridge and very cold in the shop so I would say no less than 50cm apart.
Where should the fridge go in the kitchen?
The design of your kitchen will decide where you put your fridge. Some people prefer to have theirs at the back wall to make more space in the middle of the room, but that can lead to issues with a microwave above it because rising heat could put it out of service.
The same goes for placing gas appliances next to it if you don’t have enough clearance for them. You can place your fridge at the back wall if you have enough space though since it usually has enough clearance from all appliances and objects behind it. You should also make sure that there’s adequate ventilation on both sides and behind.
Conclusion
I don’t think that placing a refrigerator next to your stove is a very good idea. There are certain appliances that work better on their own side of the kitchen.
Throughout my experience, I have heard stories of refrigerators overheating and not cooling off properly causing damage.
The main reason is that the heat radiates out from the sides and other objects placed in the kitchen underneath these appliances can end up getting very hot. I hope this article shed a light.