How to Fit a Gas Hob DIY | The Ultimate Guide | 2023
A gas hob is an essential part of any kitchen. If you are planning a kitchen makeover or need to install a new one, understanding how to fit a gas hob correctly is crucial to ensure you are not left dealing with potentially harmful gas leaks. Although fitting a gas hob yourself might seem fairly daunting, you can ensure perfect results if you follow a few simple steps.
One thing to remember about gas hob fitting is that you can not actually connect the hob to the gas supply yourself unless you are registered as Gas Safe. If you hold this certification, then this should not be an issue. However, most people will inevitably have to bring in the services of a qualified contractor in order to connect their hob to their supply That being said, you can handle all the other steps yourself. Our guide has all the information you need to carry out a quality gas hob installation yourself.
Finding a Suitable Position for a Gas Hob
When you purchase a gas hob, you will find detailed instructions included that give you a clear idea of where it should be set within a kitchen. This will outline how far a gas hob should be placed in proximity to kitchen units, as well as mains power plugs and other kitchen staples. This guidance can differ from appliance to appliance, so thoroughly consult these guidelines to ensure you are not placing your hob in a potentially hazardous location.
Ventilation is arguably the most important thing to consider when choosing a place to put your gas hob. Any kitchen should have sufficient ventilation to house things like cookers and gas hobs to overcome any risk to health if you encounter a gas leak situation. However, not all potential kitchen spaces have sufficient window coverage or doorways in the vicinity.
If your kitchen does not have a window or door that opens out onto an outside space, you really shouldn’t be considering adding a gas hob at all. If you have any uncertainty about whether or not your kitchen can safely accommodate a gas hob, it is worth consulting with a registered Gas Safe engineer.
Provided you have outdoor access to your kitchen, you should be fine to install a gas hob. There are however some general rules to go by when selecting a suitable position for one. You should avoid placing a gas hob too close to a door, or underneath a window. You should also avoid placing it adjacent to a wall in a corner. Adding it to the end of a worktop is also a bad idea. Basically, you should avoid placing it anywhere where is is likely to encounter draughts. If the hob is exposed to constant draughts, the flames will struggle to stay alight. Draughts may also blow flames off to one side, causing a potential fire risk.
Understanding Hot Zones
When planning your gas hob installation, you need to think about the hot zone. This basically refers to the area immediately surrounding your gas hob where heat from the hob will cause temperatures to rise significantly. Think of it as an exclusion zone, where nothing should be installed. This is includes kitchen cupboards and units, mains power plugs and even an extractor hood. Sufficient clearance needs to provided between the hob and all of these elements. You should even leave clearance between the job and wall itself.
Gas Supplies
You will obviously need a nearby gas supply to feed your hob. Ideally, a gas supply should be situated no further than 150 centimetres away from the hob itself. A gas hob should only require a 13A fused spur feed. However, consult the guidance provided with your gas hob model to ensure you are fully aware of the gas supply requirements.
Fitting a Gas Hob Yourself
When it comes to installing a gas hob in your kitchen, you can undertake much of the work yourself. However, you can not actually connect the gas hob to a gas supply unless you are fully registered with proper certification. A gas pressure test needs to be carried out to ensure that the gas supply is working correctly. If your hob fails the gas pressure test, it will be a clear indication that you are probably dealing with a potentially lethal gas leak.
Although you can not connect a hob to a gas supply yourself, you can fit the hob to you work surface to save on having to pay someone to do it. Fitting a gas hob to a counter is fairly straightforward and involves much of the same prep work as if you were fitting a sink into place. In order to fit your gas hob into place, you will need to accurately measure the exterior dimensions of your gas hob and trace a cutting guide onto the worktop you are looking to place it. Actually producing the cut-out can be fairly difficult, depending on the type of material your counter is made from.
A jigsaw or similar power tool is an effective way of cutting into a counter, although you need to take your time when cutting to ensure a clean finish. The last thing you want is to cut a hole that is too big, forcing you to have to purchase a brand new kitchen counter. Many gas hobs come with a template included for you to refer to when making cuts to your worktops.
When you have made a sufficiently large cut-out in your work surface, you can transfer the hob to its nestling place to see if it fits. If it does, you can begin to fasten it firmly in place. Your gas hob should have come with fitting clips to secure it to a worktop. If it did not, you can pick this up cheaply from most DIY stores. These clips are attached to the underside of a gas hob and are then fastened into the worktop. The main body of the hob itself should be positioned over sealing strips to ensure it hugs the surface of your worktops snugly.
Once you have taken care of all the above, you are ready to have your hob attached to your gas supply. If you haven’t already, call your local gas fitter and schedule in a time for them to carry out connection and perform a gas pressure test.
