Renovating a kitchen is not an easy task, especially if it is small and there is no centralized water supply. There are many options for how to renovate a kitchen in a Khrushchev-era building with a gas water heater beautifully. For example, a custom-made set or an unusual interior style. There are other methods that are listed in the article.
Advantages and disadvantages of kitchen design with a column
It is possible to get a beautiful kitchen design in a Khrushchev-era building with a gas water heater. However, there are many limiting factors:
- Inability to move the device. If you order the wrong set or if you come up with a good idea for a place for the unit too late, it will take a long time to re-issue documents at the gas service and time for installation work.
- It is difficult to integrate a speaker into the interior of a kitchen in a small apartment due to limited space. Kitchens require space to accommodate all the dishes and appliances, and a water heater takes up a lot of space.
- There are many pipes attached to the water heater. This requires additional camouflage, and free access to them must remain in case of repairs.
- For finishing the exhaust pipe, only materials with hermetically sealed insulation and heat resistance, which do not have much in appearance, are allowed.
The main advantage of the speaker is constantly hot water, which cannot be compared with design restrictions. But the design of a kitchen with a gas heater can be made stylish. For example, you can decorate the front panel of the device. You can place any thematic drawings for style.
When embodying high-tech style, the water heater can be disguised as a high-tech device. And for a loft, a large number of unfinished pipes will add the necessary industrial atmosphere.
Hiding between closets
One option to harmoniously fit the speaker into the kitchen interior is to place it between wall cabinets. With this method, it is necessary to take into account that there must be at least three centimeters of free space on the sides of the device to ensure the necessary air circulation.
The walls of adjacent cabinets must be insulated with non-combustible material.
In this case, it is advisable to pay attention to the column itself - it should be a modern, attractive model that will look organically in the current kitchen design. It is advisable that the color of the column be additionally supported by accessories.
Options for expanding free space
Having planned a kitchen renovation in a Khrushchev-era building with a gas water heater, you need to take care of the functionality and visual expansion of the space. After renovation, the room should be as spacious and comfortable as possible.
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There are several ways to increase the area of the room:
- To increase space, do not purchase bulky furniture with large decor. Choose cabinets with glass, glossy facades. They will lighten the room due to texture and reflection of light;
- if open doors are indoors, then it is better to replace them with an arch;
- Use the space under the windowsill to store dishes and equipment. To save space, you can choose a mini-fridge or move the refrigerator to another room;
- the same applies to water heaters. There are different sizes of gas water heaters. If the family is not large and there is no high water consumption, then opt for more compact units;
- The design of a small kitchen with a geyser is made in light and natural shades, because they allow you to increase the space. Large drawings, on the contrary, narrow the area and are avoided.
In addition to general methods of enlarging rooms, you can use installation or dismantling work with redevelopment:
Redevelopment method | pros | Minuses |
Merging with the living room | It turns out to be a very spacious room | Good ventilation is necessary so that kitchen aromas do not enter the room |
Combining with a balcony | The room is spacious and bright due to the many windows | Need additional wall insulation |
Attaching an area from the bathroom | A good alternative if there is no adjacent balcony | The toilet room will become very small |
Interesting! Redevelopment requires large investments and re-registration by specialized authorities.
Column as an art object
If you want to have a designer column, but don’t have the money for it, you can decorate the gas appliance yourself. All you need is a little diligence and attention, and a unique art object will appear in your kitchen, which can turn from an annoying bulk into the highlight of the entire interior.
So, ways to decorate a geyser:
- Draw a picture. It could be a conceptual image, an interesting pattern, a funny or cute picture. If you don’t have any special talent or artistic abilities, but the desire is great, you can use stencils. The result will be no less spectacular decoration.
- Decorate with stickers. Funny, contrasting, thematic - our choice. Vinyl stickers are best. They look elegant and dignified - they will become an original addition to the interior, and will not destroy its concept.
- Use magnets. Hang magnets from different countries on the geyser and you will get a very interesting rack. If there are children in the house, you can use children's magnets - funny or educational, for example, with letters of the alphabet or numbers. The main thing is to make sure that they do not hang carelessly, otherwise they will turn from decoration into chaos.
- Place motivational slogans and reminders on the column. Lose weight, don’t forget to water the flowers, greet a new day with a smile, call someone - the list of possible inscriptions is endless.
Main types of devices
There are three types of geysers, which differ in the method of ignition.
With manual ignition
In Soviet times, a small kitchen with a gas water heater had only manual ignition. This is the oldest type of device. To ignite, you need to turn the gas supply knob and bring a lit match.
With piezo ignition
Nowadays, small kitchens are often made using piezo ignition. Instead of matches, a button is used to fire the burner. Then open the valve and get heated water.
Automatic
For automatic models, water heating begins after opening the water taps. There is no need to press buttons or light a match. Because the spark automatically goes to the burner. The spark supply system is powered by finger-sized batteries, which are rarely replaced due to low energy consumption.
What kind of gas water heater is needed in the kitchen is determined by the required power. Large families with large consumption volumes are advised to use more powerful models from 24 kW. This amount is enough for washing dishes and showering. In addition to power, the devices differ in quality. The most reliable ones cost about 15,000 rubles. and heat the liquid to 50C°.
How to hang a speaker inside the kitchen
If you need to move the device less than one and a half meters, you can take this step without much thought - it will not require special permits or financial investments.
If the distance exceeds this figure, the action will be regarded as a reinstallation, therefore, it will be necessary to make changes to the existing project and lay gas lines.
You definitely can’t hang the column over a gas stove; it’s best to discuss other options with a specialist first.
When moving an appliance inside the kitchen, you need to carefully consider the rationality of this action and determine its pros and cons. Decide in advance what you need the free space for and whether the speaker will become a hindrance in the new location.
Safety precautions for installation and operation
To ensure the safety of a kitchen in a Khrushchev-era building with a water heater, you must adhere to the rules for installing and operating the device.
Before use:
- Look for flammable objects near the burner.
- Make sure there is no gas leaking.
- Check if the burners are working properly. They shouldn't smoke. If present, use is prohibited.
- The flame color should be blue. If you see yellow or red tints, you need to call a professional to clean the surface around the burner.
- If there are malfunctions or defects in the device, it is disconnected from the network. Even when the speakers are turned off, smoking and the use of lighters is prohibited.
- If you find a leak, call a repairman and open the windows. Trying to repair it yourself is prohibited.
Before installation:
- Make sure the rooms are well ventilated. Installation usually takes place in kitchens or bathrooms, because there are hoods there.
- Do not block the water heater's access to air.
- Do not place the device near flammable objects. If your kitchen has a gas stove, then the water heater is not placed above it so as not to cause a fire.
- Do not bury the device with bricks, plasterboard, or tiles. This will interfere with inspecting the performance of the device and carrying out repair work. Moreover, in the event of a malfunction, it will not be possible to quickly detect them, turn off the gas and call the experts, which can lead to disastrous consequences.
Some believe that Soviet devices could explode. This will not happen if you keep an eye on it, do not violate safety regulations, and periodically call specialists for inspection.
People are also afraid of gas leaks. In modern devices, an additional burner is installed for ignition. It prevents gas from entering the room until fire and sparks occur. When the fire turns off, the valve shuts off the gas. If the fire goes out on its own for unknown reasons, the valve will also work.
Interesting! When installing a water heater, it is better to use steel pipes with the longest service life instead of aluminum corrugation. And frequent replacement of corrugations can cause breakdowns, even a fire.
Properly arranging a column in the corner
If the water heater is located in the corner of the kitchen, it is easiest to put it in a corner cabinet. The requirements for it are the same as for other speaker cabinets - without a top, bottom and back wall. Essentially, it is just a door that closes the device.
Also, the corner column can be separated by a special niche, which will visually separate it from the general interior. Do not forget that the wall of the niche facing the device must comply with safety regulations - be covered with non-flammable material.
Real photos of placement
Look at real photos of the best placement of water heaters:
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How to hide communications
If the column can still be chosen to have an acceptable appearance and not be hidden, then the accompanying communications - pipes, hoses and chimney - are definitely not worth showing. They usually look awkward and can ruin the most sophisticated interior.
The most budget option is to paint the pipe to match the wall.
The most aesthetically pleasing option is to hide it behind a box. Either behind the same as the column itself, or behind a separate one.
It must be remembered that communications cannot be tightly walled up. They should always be freely available.