INSTALLATION GUIDE

How to Install a Kalamazoo Outdoor Kitchen

Your comprehensive guide to installing a Kalamazoo outdoor kitchen. Find everything you need—from site preparation and delivery to unpacking and detailed installation instructions.

Before Your Kitchen is Delivered

Review the Owner's Manuals for All Appliances

Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet gas and live fire appliances have very specific restrictions for safe installation and use. Review the owner’s manual for any gas appliance in detail before installation.

Please note that Kalamazoo grills, pizza ovens, cooktops and smokers are not for use indoors, in enclosed areas or breezeways, beneath overhead combustible structures, or on recreational vehicles.

For some installations, a properly engineered and installed ventilation hood system may adequately protect an otherwise combustible overhead structure. We recommend working with a licensed architect to ensure a safe installation and complying with local codes.

Prepare the Site

The patio surface should be as near to level as drainage requirements permit. Although all Kalamazoo kitchen components include stainless steel leveling legs, installation will go more smoothly on a level surface. For extremely large outdoor kitchens, a sloping surface may exceed the adjustability range of the legs from one end of the kitchen to the other. In these instances, footings under the equipment may be needed to compensate.

To avoid settling, never install the kitchen on an unstable surface. If the kitchen is being installed on a deck, roof or balcony, please have your engineer or contractor ensure the area is designed to support the weight of the kitchen and the people who will be enjoying it.

Plan for Proper Plumbing

Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet gas-fired equipment exceeds industry standard performance by a wide margin. Your plumber or contractor must account for the total BTUs of all the gas equipment when determining the proper size for the gas line. The total BTUs in conjunction with the length of the gas line will determine the proper diameter for the pipe. The gas pipe supplying a Kalamazoo kitchen is typically greater than 1-inch in diameter. The pressure must be 7-inches water column for natural gas or 11-inches water column for bulk propane.

Install a separate shutoff valve for each piece of equipment in addition to a main shutoff valve for the entire kitchen. For safety, the shutoff valve should be easily accessible.

Bulk LP and Natural Gas connections for grills should be ½-inch NPT. Bulk LP and Natural Gas connections for pizza ovens and cooktops should be 3/8-inch NPT. For more information, please contact our customer service department.

Plan for Proper Lighting

Your designer or contractor should help ensure you have adequate task lighting for the grill and all other work centers planned for the kitchen. Additionally, it is nice to plan ambient lighting for the space that is controlled separately from the task lighting. For safety, all paths leading to and from the kitchen should be lit.

Plan for Proper Electrical

All exterior outlets must be wired with a ground fault interrupt circuit. Subject to local code compliance, we recommend using GFI breakers in the home’s electrical panel to power the entire outdoor kitchen rather than installing individual GFI outlets outdoors. If undercounter refrigeration were to trip a GFI outlet under the counter, it would be very difficult to reset. By putting a GFI breaker in the panel, it is easy to reset the kitchen. Of course, you should consult your electrician who should be familiar with local codes and requirements.

Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet appliance cabinets and back panels include an electrical box inside for the appliance. There is also an electrical face plate on the front of appliance cabinets, just below the counter on the left or right side. Neither of these electrical boxes is wired. Your custom kitchen drawing from Kalamazoo will show the location for electrical connections on these units.

Plan for Countertops

Although we typically provide countertop dimensions with our kitchen drawings, it is best to have your countertop supplier measure the kitchen to create a template after everything but the countertop has been installed.

We recommend having a 1/8-inch groove cut into the underside of counter overhangs to serve as a drip edge. This can help keep cabinets looking cleaner as environmental water will be less likely to flow down the outsides of the units. 

Kitchens that have a back splash and are exposed to the elements may benefit from having the counter slope slightly downward at the front to help reduce rainwater accumulation.

When Your Kitchen is Delivered

Accepting Delivery

Your order will arrive in sturdy packaging on wooden pallets. Please inspect all packaging immediately upon receipt for any visible signs of damage. Make detailed notes of any damage directly on the bill of lading and have the delivery driver sign the notes. In worst case scenarios, it may be best to refuse delivery. Please call us if you have any questions or concerns about your delivery.

  • BRONZE LEVEL OR CURBSIDE DELIVERY: This basic level of delivery service means the driver will leave your pallets at “the first dry area” on the property. Please note each pallet can weigh hundreds of pounds. If you are in the midst of a large home project when your kitchen is delivered, you may have a crew available to handle receiving and moving the kitchen. However, if you do not have the ability to move the pallets and lift heavy products, you may wish to consider using the White Glove Delivery service.
  • WHITE GLOVE DELIVERY: The enhanced level of delivery service requires advanced arrangements and detailed information. The driver and delivery crew will place the pallets in the area on the property you have arranged for, remove the products from the pallets and take the pallets and other packaging away. The cost of White Glove Delivery varies greatly by the distance pallets have to be moved, the accessibility of the location and a host of other factors. Detailed information is required before we can accurately quote this delivery service. Lack of information can result in additional charges and/or failed delivery attempts.

Unpacking Your Kitchen

Many Kalamazoo products ship with accessories and smaller pieces that can easily be lost on a busy job site. We recommend consulting the line items on the sales order as well as the packing list in the owner’s manual for each grill, smoker cabinet, pizza oven or other appliance to take inventory of the various parts before any packaging is discarded. 

Parts that can be lost in the shuffle include:

  • Toe kicks
  • Owner's manuals
  • Appliance covers
  • Pizza oven stones
  • Pizza oven lighting wands
  • Grill grates and surface removal tool
  • Gas hoses
  • Ash bins
  • Rotisserie forks
  • Control knobs

WARNING:

  • The clear plastic wrapping that protects your shipment should be removed shortly after delivery. If left on the products for extended periods, it can leave residue that can be difficult to clean off, as well as collect construction dust and environmental debris.
  • The protective film we place on various areas of the stainless steel must be removed shortly after delivery. Film and tape left on products for too long can become very difficult to remove, especially if exposed to direct sunlight.