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I'm trying to sell a home, and we're in the inspection / repair phase. The buyers asked for me to install an anti-tip device for the oven in the kitchen, and I'm not even sure what that is. Can someone explain it to me and tell me how to install it?

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It's a bracket, with a U-shaped slot. Depending on the model, it is screwed either to the floor, or to both the floor and the wall behind the oven.

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You slide the oven's rear foot underneath the bracket, and it holds the oven in place in case you step on the door while it's open, preventing your pot of boiling water from sliding off the top onto you.

Installation is usually just a matter of:

  1. Sliding the oven out;
  2. Cleaning all the gunk that's collected there over the years;
  3. Measuring where the foot will be when the oven is back in its spot;
  4. Screwing the bracket into the floor, and the back wall if it's an L-shaped bracket.
  5. Sliding the oven back in, making sure the foot goes under the bracket.
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  • Or a short chain attached to the back of the oven and to the wall by some hooks. It's a requirement to have that installed here in NZ now.
    – hookenz
    Commented Jul 15, 2013 at 23:41
  • @matt I haven't seen the chain type; thanks for the info.
    – Niall C. ♦
    Commented Jul 15, 2013 at 23:44
  • @NiallC. Yeah, I found that out just as we had our new oven installed. Some advantages with the chain is it means if oven happens to shift forward it still won't tip. Also, in an earthquake the oven is prevented from shifting around. Earthquakes safety is a bit more important here now after the Christchurch earthquake. Not that I live in that area though. Oddly enough they installed 2 chains. A short one to prevent tipping at the top, and a longer one at the bottom. I don't quite understand the purpose of the longer chain.
    – hookenz
    Commented Jul 16, 2013 at 21:00
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    Your answer is perfectly legitimate... but are people actually stepping onto their open oven doors while cooking on the stovetop?
    – Matthew
    Commented Mar 27, 2015 at 21:51
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    I consider it a child proof feature. Forget the heat, an oven is heavy. If a child opens the oven door and sits on it, that heavy oven could come down on the kid and crush them.
    – user20127
    Commented Mar 28, 2015 at 12:07
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An anti-tip bracket is usually installed on the floor and against the wall (towards the back of the stove) for one of the rear legs to slide into. Its purpose is to prevent the stove from tipping when a heavy load is placed on the door or slide-out racks upsetting the center of gravity. Replacement parts are available at all the big box stores but I’ll bet yours, if not installed, is still in the plastic bag tied to the back of the stove. Shut off the circuit breaker feeding the stove, carefully slide the stove away from the wall, ensure a bracket isn’t installed (the last time the stove was slid against the wall it may have simply missed the bracket) and if not installed, search around for the original plastic bag. Hopefully, the instructions with an installation template is still in the bag. (While the stove is away from the wall, you can fetch lost utensils and kids toys!)

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