A defect that home inspectors find at 49 out of 50 houses is a missing anti-tip bracket at the range. An anti-tip bracket is a device that is installed at the floor below the range or on the wall behind the range to keep it from tipping over, should a child attempt to climb on an open oven door. Anti-tip brackets have been used on ranges since the late 1980s, and became mandatory in 1991. This is an important safety feature, especially for homes where small children live or visit.
To check your range to see if an anti-tip bracket has been properly installed, either look behind the range to see if it’s there, or carefully tip the range forward to see if a bracket keeps it from tipping forward more than about 2”. If you don’t have an anti-tip bracket installed, then your bracket has probably been thrown away – I happen to know that this happens most of the time! To obtain a replacement bracket for your range, contact the manufacturer. Click here for a list of phone numbers.
