Space around American style fridge freezers
Discussion
We are going to get a new fridge freezer to go in our new kitchen.
Like most things seems to be what I thought was a straightforward decision turns out to be far more complicated, in particular the recommended gaps around the appliance.
We have a gap 93cm wide which I thought would be fine. Lots of them however are recommended as needing 5cm on either side and up to 10cm at the back. The side gaps strike me as an ideal width to collect muck and be awkward to clean and the back gap just makes it stick out too far.
Do you have one of these things? How big a gap do you actually allow (as opposed to recommended) does it still work ok? All of one side will be up against a tall kitchen unit and half the other side would be up against a unit with the top half exposed.
Like most things seems to be what I thought was a straightforward decision turns out to be far more complicated, in particular the recommended gaps around the appliance.
We have a gap 93cm wide which I thought would be fine. Lots of them however are recommended as needing 5cm on either side and up to 10cm at the back. The side gaps strike me as an ideal width to collect muck and be awkward to clean and the back gap just makes it stick out too far.
Do you have one of these things? How big a gap do you actually allow (as opposed to recommended) does it still work ok? All of one side will be up against a tall kitchen unit and half the other side would be up against a unit with the top half exposed.
How deep is the fridge freezer you have in mind? Most of them are deeper than average kitchen units, and as the doors require opening space on either side (they are hinged differently to european style refrigeration) they usually need some space either side for that reason.
Basically it all depends on which unit you are looking at.
Basically it all depends on which unit you are looking at.
When we were toying with the idea of using a American fridge freezer, the kitchen guys advised against it for the reason of having a gap around for the doors to open in to.
They said if we do want to go for it the recommended either liebherr refrigerator or if you have deep pockets, subzero. As these manufacturers don't need a gap due to their design.
In the end we just went for a Siemens integrated fridge freezer and put an additional unit in the utility for beer and wine.
They said if we do want to go for it the recommended either liebherr refrigerator or if you have deep pockets, subzero. As these manufacturers don't need a gap due to their design.
In the end we just went for a Siemens integrated fridge freezer and put an additional unit in the utility for beer and wine.
h0b0 said:
Here is ours. There is no gap around the sides.
Do you think you could tell me what model it is? I'll look up the install info for it.Having discussed this at work at lunch we reckon (far better than facts) that it's about getting air to the cooling fins at the back so it can dump heat and the guidelines given are for the worse case where it is completely boxed in, so needing flow along the sides and round the back.
Mine isn't going to be fitted in like the one in the picture, in particular there is nothing above it and half of one side will be open so air can easily get in that way. I've also realised that the worktop overhangs a bit at one side so increasing the air gap below it.
Thanks for the contributions.
Edited by Shaolin on Tuesday 5th November 22:55
Shaolin said:
Having discussed this at work at lunch we reckon (far better than facts) that it's about getting air to the cooling fins at the back so it can dump heat and the guidelines given are for the worse case where it is completely boxed in, so needing flow along the sides and round the back.
I believe you are right.The important thing is to know how the unit dumps the heat it's removing from its contents. If the apparatus for this is at the back then that's where the air flow needs to be, and the sides are of no importance. Some units draw cold air in through a grille at the front bottom, and out the same way, so again, no gap needed at the sides.
As long as the doors have room to open as far as you want them to, and the required air flow is there, then install it however you please.
h0b0 said:
Here is ours. There is no gap around the sides.
Having said that I would follow the install guides for your fridge so that you do no thave issues in the future.
Maybe no gap, but it sticks out like a sore thumb so that you can open the damn thing. Great idea in theory, but if you don't leave somewhere for the doors to open to, they quickly become a nightmare. (metaphorically)Having said that I would follow the install guides for your fridge so that you do no thave issues in the future.
h0b0 said:
Here is ours. There is no gap around the sides.
Having said that I would follow the install guides for your fridge so that you do no thave issues in the future.
The reason the cabinets can be tight to the fridge in your pic is because the cabinet is not as deep as the fridge, ie the doors don't fowl the cupboards when they open.Having said that I would follow the install guides for your fridge so that you do no thave issues in the future.
Unless there is ventilation at the front and a gap somewhere at the top to allow for airflow, I'd not be comfortable with the tightness of fit for your FF. Normally for a tight fit you should use the manufacturers own install kit.
Like this one
Edited by Wozy68 on Tuesday 5th November 22:31
mondeoman said:
Maybe no gap, but it sticks out like a sore thumb so that you can open the damn thing. Great idea in theory, but if you don't leave somewhere for the doors to open to, they quickly become a nightmare. (metaphorically)
Agreed. There are 2 different types of American fridge freezers here (I'm in the US so we call them fridges or refrigerators). The first is counter depth. They don't stick out but all the gibbons are in the freezer section and so reduce the freezer size. The doors are made to open within the cabinet space.
The second design is the one pictured which sticks out. You can tell the difference easily. Ones like mine have Stainless steel sides. Counter depth ones don't because they will not be on show.
The one pictures is a GE Cafe refrigerator. I assume they are not on sale in the UK though.
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