I feel your pain. I would not remove the hatbox (fan shroud). When my wife decided she wanted a Cafe AG, I immediately looked at the diagram you are talking about to see if we would be in trouble concerning the gas stub & wall outlet. Something inside told me that something wasn't right about the diagram, especially when I noticed that some of the recommended areas around the centerline is where the guts of the convection system are located. I went to an appliance store and looked at the back of the Cafe AG, and sure enough there was no way that diagram could be valid and allow the oven to be pushed flush with the wall. While in the store I also noticed a small square box on the bottom left side of the stove where I was going to install the dedicated receptacle for the bottom oven/warming drawer. The issue got me so aggravated that I put off buying the Cafe until I can get back to the store with a camera to take a picture of where everything is located on the back of the stove. I know my post doesn't offer you a solution, but I wanted to let you know that you are not crazy...the diagram, especially the recommended areas near the centerline, are incorrect. If your stove isn't installed yet, I would love for you to post a picture of the rear of the stove so that you could help me, and others, before others put their trust in an incorrect diagram. I have found another error in the installation instructions and I called the GE answer Center about it. The instructions (that I downloaded) state that "You must use the rear filler strip kit shipped with the range or the optional accessory backguard when installing these ranges". Filler strips are only used on slide-in ranges, not freestanding ranges such as the Cafe. The answer center agreed that I was correct and that that sentence in the instructions was a mis-print and that a filler-strip kit does not ship with the range. I guess I, or someone else, needs to call them and convince them that the diagram is also a mis-print. In summary, I see no way that your stove will fit flush with the wall with the gas pipe installed near the centerline. Where did you install the electrical and did that work out OK for you? Nothing seems to be easy nowadays, especially when you are given bum information to work with. I will still probably eventually buy the Cafe Range, but I expected a company like GE to "sweat the details" a little more when doing the documentation.

penguinsrus; Is this exactly what the back of your Cafe AG range looks like?

Here is a link that might be useful: Back of Cafe AG Range

Yep, that is exactly it, was just about to post a similar pic.

And the very inaccurate installation diagram is on page 44 of the referenced manual.

I thought I was losing my mind, glad to know it wasn't just me being a moron. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: CGS980 Owner Manual & Installation Instructions

I spent about 40 minutes on the phone with GE this morning, first with their Answer Center, and then with Customer Relations. The issue has been reported, but they take no responsibility for it, i.e. they won't compensate the cost of having to move the gas line based on their faulty info. Am I wrong to be PO'd about this?

No, it is disappointing that GE doesn't have it more together on this. I looked at the installation diagram yesterday, and spoke to someone at the answer center about the locations of the electric and gas outlets, because I want to make sure I get it right. I'm interested in buying the Cafe DF tho, not the AG. I'm not clear on what problem you're describing, exactly, but do you think it would be the same for the DF?

On the DF the electric should be installed on the bottom right of the rear wall, while the gas can be either bottom left, or adjacent to that on the floor. Have any of you Cafe DF range owners had this problem?

Would having the range on site at the time of the elec. or gas installation solve the problem?

thanks!

It is a world of mis-information and I think you certainly have a right to be upset. Heck, I'm upset and I haven't even bought the stove yet. As I asked/stated in an earlier post, I planned on installing the electrical receptacle, per the diagram, to the left of the centerline in that 9" clearance area they show. Do you think that square box thingy on the bottom left of the stove is going to interfere with it if I install it in that area (is the plug a flat-type plug or one that takes up a lot of room when plugged in)? I already have a gas stove, so the pipe is where it was installed 20 years ago. I'll deal with moving it if I have to when the time comes. But I need to get the 120V installed and don't want to do it twice. I'm sorry to be asking you for answers in "your time of pain", but I'm desperate to get correct answers to my questions. Having the benefit of actually being able to look at the real estate at the back of the range, where would you suggest others (meaning me) install the gas and 120. I know what you mean about nobody taking responsibility for anything anymore. Thanks in advance.

egganddart49, my gas line comes out of the floor, about an inch left of center. It's about 5" tall with the shutoff valve (no hose connected yet). The diagram implies there should be 13" of wall clearance there, but instead there is a shroud for the convection motor fan that starts about 6" off the ground and is abot 6" wide (centered) and goes flush to the wall... no clearance whatsoever. So I may not have room to actually connect the gas line. I'm hoping that I have enough clearance to put a 90 bend after the shutoff valve (no service call required), but I'm probably dreaming. Having it onsite first would have definitely prevented these problems.

When I have a little more time (tonight or tomorrow hopefully), I'll take a better picture and put some measurements to it. Maybe that will save others from the pain I'm dealing with.

stubaby, the box you're referring would be about 1 1/4" from the wall if installed flush. The cord, excluding prongs, is about 3/4" of an inch deep, so I guess it comes down to how much your outlet protrudes and/or how close you're willing to go.

Hi guys. I just had this range delivered today and it sticks out almost 2" from the wall. I'm having trouble following what you all are saying. The delivery guy says we have to cut the pipe and put some other attachment on it to change the direction of the hose. I have no ideal what he's talking about. When I pull the stove out I see the hose is attached to the front of the gas line facing the back of the range. I think it has to attach to the side of the gas line. Am I right? And is this something we can do ourselves (my husband is pretty handy) without getting blown up? Thanks for any help.

tlbb

tlbb: If your gas pipe is coming up out of the floor anywhere in the area of the middle convection area of the oven, you are out of luck getting the range flush with the wall unless you relocate the gas pipe. I'm assuming the installers meant cutting the pipe down under the 4" area (the area that the specs state that you have 13" of clearance)under the shroud and then using a 90 degree elbow to relocated the flex junction area to an "indented" area of the rear of the stove. I'm a handy guy but tinkering with gas pipes scares the s*** out of me. A gas leak, compared to a water leak or an improperly wired circuit, is very, very, very unforgiving. Only your husband can answer if he is handy enough to do it. Will he get blown up? Maybe yes. Maybe no. If yes, he's taking you, your house, and probably your neighbors with him. As always, sharing the dimensions of the back of the stove and the location of your gas pipe & electrical receptacle will help save others from falling prey to this problem in the future. Let us know what you decide to do. Thanks in advance.

O.K. I see what you guys are talking about. My problem is not that my gas line is in the center where the convection fan is, it's that my gas line comes up out of the floor about 4 inches from the back wall. The back of the range is only indented about 3 inches. So I either get used to it sticking out or pay to have it moved back about 3 inches. Any idea how much this costs? (Due to an intense fear of getting blown up, I have decided to hire a prfessional :). )

tlbb: It's funny, I was just talking to my wife about how much it would cost to move our gas pipe a few inches if need be. I basically told her that if we lived in a small rural town in Illinois the plumber would probably charge $50-$75. Considering the particular suburb of Chicago we live in plus the "Doctor's Discount" tradesmen add to their bills for this suburban area, it would probably cost me $250 - $300. Can I ask how many inches your pipe was installed either left or right of the oven centerline or from the right or left cabinet wall? I'm also curious where your 120V receptacle is installed? Hopefully once you get the gas pipe moved, you won't move on to the a new problem that the range will not fit flush with the wall because of the location of the power receptacle in your wall. Call a few plumbers for estimates and let us know what you end up doing.

I am sooo confused ! When looking at the photo posted by stubaby it appears that electrical cord is running down the righthand-side of the GE Cafe and the gas line on the left (when looking at the stove from the back). Is this correct? Why does the electrical outlet need to be on the bottom right (when looking at the wall)? What is the box underneath what I thought was the electrical cord? How far from the floor is this box? Can I not install my stove outlet above this box? How far the floor above do you estimate the bottom of the electrical outlet is from the floor?

I have purchased (but haven't yet received)the GE Cafe DF, therefore I need the larger 240 electrical box and receptacle. I don't want to install and then have to redo.

Help!

Thanks.