I have an older gas stove in my kitchen. On the left of it is a wood shelf but on the right and behind it are drywall panels. The gap between back of stove and back wall is around 5 inches. The problem I have is that when the oven is turned on it also heats the back drywall to the point where it becomes bendable.
I was told that the newer stoves are built better so that the heat does not go in the back but comes through air ducts out of the front of the stove (I did see the air ducts).
How do I go about double checking this before I purchase a new stove? I do want to believe that newer stoves insulate the heat better, but how should I go about double checking this before making a purchase?
As far as increasing the gap between the stove and the back wall, it is the last resort, because I do not want to stove sticking out in front of the side shelves.