The importance of anti-tip devices

Common free standing electric oven

Something I check for on every inspection is an anti-tip device. When a free standing oven is installed the oven should be equipped with an anti-tip bracket. I find these simple and easy to install devises missing on just about every oven that I inspect. Anti-tip brackets come with every new oven. Often I find them in the boiler drawer, in the oven, or in an adjacent drawer on flipped or remodeled homes. Often they are still in the original plastic bag with the oven manual !!!

Picture of an anti-tip device

Now I know from personal experience (installing ovens) that it takes no more then five to ten minutes to install these simple safety brackets. So why are the so often overlooked? I personally blame non qualified contractors, laziness and lack of knowledge.

The purpose of these simple safety devices is to stop the oven from falling forward. A few scenarios that could cause the oven to actually tip.

1) It’s the holiday season and you are having family over for dinner and you have a large turkey or ham. The turkey or ham is extremely heavy so you rest it on the door while removing it from the oven. All of a sudden the oven starts to tip and fall over. Hopefully the only thing that gets hurt is the dinner.

2) Children being children, a child is left unattended in the kitchen for a few minutes and decides it would be fun to play with the oven door. Now hopefully the oven is not on when this happens, and there is nothing on the stove top. The child opens the oven door and starts to climb on it, all of a sudden the oven falls forward injuring the child.

Stock diagram of the importance of anti-tip devices

It is very easy for the average homeowner to check and see if their oven is equipped with an anti-tip device. I will list the steps below;

1) Remove any items from the stove top and from inside the oven.

2)Carefully grab the rear upper section of the oven and pull the oven toward you, I’ve found putting my foot gently against the front of the oven helps get a bit more leverage. If the oven tips and feels unsecure it is likely that the anti-tip bracket was never installed and you should have a qualified contractor or handy person install the anti-tip bracket ASAP.

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