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What do I need to know to
choose a rack that will work in my home?
You need to know the following measurements:
A)
the height of your ceiling; and
B) the height
of the person using the rack and what a comfortable reach is for
them.
How to figure out the size rack you need:
Find out the height of your ceiling.
In the example above, this is 9 ft. high (see
A).
Reach your arm into the air as if you were
reaching for the bottom of a pot or pan. Find out what this height
is (see
B1).
Typically, this would add 6-10 inches to your height, depending on
the length of your arms. In our example, we'll assume a 5'6" person.
They would want the bottom of their pan to be about 6’ 2” up in the
air (see B2).
Remember:
you do not need to be able to reach the hanging hooks on your pot
rack. You only need to reach the bottom of the pan to lift it off
the hook.
If you subtract the "reaching height" from
your ceiling height, there are 34 inches of space left over (see
C
above). This space needs to encompass the height of your rack and
the length of your pans.
Calculating if the rack fits
Now you need to find out the height
of the rack you like. In your Enclume catalog, the height of the
rack is listed. This is from the ceiling to the bottom of the pot
hook.
If, in our example, this person wanted a
Three Foot Oval (PR16b), they would have a rack that is 22" high
(see
D above).
Their pots then need to hang at least 12 inches below
here for them to reach, since their reaching height is 6’2” and the
ceiling is 9’ tall. (see E
above). A small, 2-cup pot is about 10” long; a 12” skillet (with
handle) is about 21” long. Your pots will range from 32” to 43”
below the ceiling (F).
You may have to stretch a bit to reach the little pots, but the rack
should fit nicely without any adjustments.
Important note:
In our example, the racks is
hanging over a kitchen islands. Remember in this case you need to
reach not only up, but in. You need six inches of clearance on all
sides, so you’ll need to add to the distance down you need your pots
to hang for you to reach them (see
H
above). See the small pot in the middle of the
rack? That will need to hang toward the outside for you to reach it
easily.
How do I make adjustments if my rack is not
a perfect fit?
In our example, everything works out
well with one exception - the Three Foot Oval has 12” hanging holes,
and most ceilings have 16” joists (including our example - see
G).
The rack fits nicely, but with Enclume racks needing to be mounted
into solid wood. If your joist runs parallel with the rack, you can
mount it by drilling two holes in the same joist. If your joists are
perpendicular, however, then we need to find another way to hang it.
The easiest way to solve this problem is to
use a ceiling plate. A ceiling plate has two eye bolts. They are
attached to a plate that has holes drilled in it at the distance
apart that your joists are. The ceiling plate is mounted into the
ceiling, and the rack hangs from the plate.
Too high or too low?
A different problem would be having
a ceiling that hangs with your pots out of reach (too high) or one
where the pots are in your way (too low). Enclume racks are
generally designed for a 9 foot ceiling. If your ceiling is lower
than this, our low-ceiling racks are your best options (PR12 and
PR13). They measure only 8.5” high.
If your ceiling is higher than this, the
rack will need to be lowered. There are two options for this. One is
with chain. The advantage with chain is it is flexible; if you are
off in your measurement, you can simply take it up a link to make
the chain shorter. Chain is sold in 1 foot segments but will be cut
to meet your specifications. The other option is extension hooks,
which come in 5”, 7”, 10” and 15” lengths.
Please note that chain and extension hooks are
considered accessories and need to be added to your rack purchase.
Where would I put a
rack?
Hanging racks most
commonly go over kitchen islands or peninsulas. Other common places
are over a sink or counter. Racks do not have to actually hang over
anything, although a higher ceiling may be needed in order to ensure
adequate clearance of racks in the open.
Wall racks are
terrific between cabinets or below a cabinet between two longer
cabinets. Utensil bars are often mounted over stoves or on top of
open space where utensils or pots can hang. | 
