I am in desperate need of factual answers here because I have no tolerance (literally and figuratively) for error. My existing fridge is dying. It is a Whirlpool side-by-side fridge/freezer. The back literally butts up under a bulkhead that is 68.5" above the floor. (By that, I mean, I have 0.0" clearance and we were dang lucky the existing unit fit as we did not think about the height!) Anyway, the fridge has a sticker claiming a height of 69.75" (including an external hinge). Now, the hinge is located only at the top front exterior of the dying fridge and measures 1" tall. So, if I subtract the hinge, my fridge should be 68.75" tall. However, if this were true, the existing fridge STILL would not fit under the bulkhead.
So, lets consider two unknowns not yet mentioned: (a) The dimension is rounded or estimated. This leaves me in a quandary about the accuracy of today’s fridges and their quoted dimensions and/or (b) what about the little feet at the base of the fridge for leveling? I am not sure how much leeway these adjustable feet give a person on height of the fridge. And, what might the feet grant as “play” in these measurements? …Plus or minus an inch? …Plus or minus half an inch? How do I begin to account for this in such a tight space? :rolleyes:
Knowing the feet and/or rounding (or estimating) of dimensions could make or break me, how do I size a new fridge? While Whirlpool, for one, offers an online sizing guide, it is oversimplified and assumes too much. Also, it does not mention anything about the feet (which complicates matters, as I said). Furthermore, I have searched for my fridge’s owners and repair manuals. From what I have found online, neither manual gives any dimensions - no less ANYTHING about the feet to help me.
Yes, I could go to the store and take measurements, but again…how do I account for the feet (which could be set at any height, being a demo model). I simply cannot afford to “wing it”. So, what do I do? :eek: Going nvts!
I’ve been shopping for appliances as part of a kitchen remodel. I drew the whole thing in autoCAD first and that has been a life saver. Unfortunately, I’ve found that few appliance manufacturers seem to want to tell younhow big their stuff if. The more expensive it is though the better the documentation. If you buy a sub-zero it has every line documented exactly where it is down to the buttons but I think Thermador only drew a rectangular cube and called it good.
In other words if you won’t buy a fridge that clears by inches and don’t want to go to your appliance store and hand measure the fridge you’re going to buy then you need to drop some cash and pay for a fridge that gives you the right info in an online format.
If it’s 68.5" tall at the appliance store and it has feet (usually there are rollers, not feet) then you can put it in your kitchen because the feet aren’t going to grow.
They’re almost certainly not feet but rollers so you don’t destroy your floor moving it around. Assuming they’re wheels/rollers, they’re not going to be adjustable. I suppose if you look at the manual (probably available online), it’ll tell you if there’s feet down there. The manual might also give you better specs.
On the off chance there are adjustable feet, you could still measure it at the store. It’s possible that you’ll be able to get a quick yes or no instead of a ‘well, maybe’.
If it helps the decision, you really shouldn’t have your fridge butted up against the top/sides in such a way that hot air can’t get out.
I strongly suspect the manufacturer is rounding up for two reasons:
a fridge that’s ~10 mm (3/8”) smaller than advertised will piss off many fewer customers than one that’s exactly to spec. Remember, the people measuring the space the fridge needs to fit in may be professional contractors or they may be amateurs who can’t measure things consistently.
the tolerances on a refrigerator are pretty loose compared to those on other large objects. It’s not crazy that one fridge off the production line night might be 5mm taller than the one next to it. My rounding up the stated dimensions covers this variability.
Missed edit window.
I think one or two might have had leveling feet that lift it off the rollers. I’m surprised that there are fridges without some kind of leveling mechanism.
The problem with assuming that you can just lower the feet or the rollers is that you might need to raise them to level the refrigerator, perhaps if your floor slopes away from the wall.
Your refrigerator space sounds identical to mine - if I recall correctly, even the exact measurements are the same. Recently, I too had a dying fridge. (Word of advice: don’t wait until it totally craps out on you to buy a new one. Ask me how I know this.)
While it didn’t occur to me to worry about the feet under the fridge, I did know I had to be pretty careful about the height. So, I went to Home Depot and narrowed my selection to models that would fit even if the fridge were an inch taller than the stated dimensions. There were two decent choices in that range; I picked the one I preferred. Problem solved.
That approach won’t work if it is important to you to purchase the largest fridge you can possibly fit in the space, but if you feel cramped by your fridge needing to be larger, I wonder if it could be the fridge design? Those side-by-side fridge designs are horrible, and make the fridge space seem really restricted. I don’t know anyone who has that style who is happy with it. Get a fridge with the freezer on the top or bottom. It makes scrounging around in the refrigerator a lot easier.
Isn’t it a bad idea to leave no clearance around the refrigerator, especially the top? The fridge gets cool by pushing heat to the coils on the back, and they need some air flow to carry the heat away.
In the searches I made yesterday, the manufacturers’ sites gave exact dimensions for their refrigerators and specified how much clearance needs to be along the top and sides.
In general, I think if the OP just goes to the store with the exact dimensions of the space that the refrigerator will need to fit in, the salespeople will be able to help find ones that will fit. For one thing, they’ve been through this with most other customers. (Few of us have wide open spaces.) And for another thing, if they deliver the refrigerator only to find that it won’t fit, they will need to bring it back to the store and that costs money. So they’re incentivized to avoid problems.
Two things to note. Pay attention to the width of the doors and hallways that they’ll need to come through to bring it into the kitchen. And when measuring the opening for the refrigerator, check at several points along the top and sides, in case the opening is not square.
I wouldn’t try this in a big box store - I don’t have any hard data to prove it wouldn’t work, but my general experience is, if the (theoretically) experienced appliance salesperson is off that day, the department may be staffed by someone from cameras or paint. Also a big box store is more likely to have loopholes in the sales contract so they can blame these problems on you.
I went through the exact same thing last summer. The space is further complicated by being next to a wall, so the thickness and curve of the door were critical. We also discovered hinge placement made a difference as to how the doors swung open.
We went to a number of appliance places with a measuring tape, I felt that I was tailoring a suit every time we saw a fridge that matched the general dimensions. I ended up having to take the overhead cabinet down and cut it down by 2”, or would have had to get a substantially smaller unit.
Short answer, no one publishes specs to the detail required for appliances.
Off-topic, but I disagree. At our last house we had a side-by-side (freezer compartment on the left, fridge on the right), and I much preferred it to our current fridge: freezer drawer below and two-door fridge above. I much preferred having multiple shelves in the freezer, like the fridge, instead of just piling things on top of each other in the drawer. Made it much easier to organize and find stuff
Also, the icemaker was better and produced and stored more ice than the little one that fits inside the upper fridge door of the new one.
Thanks, all for the replies, and FYI… I did find out that the feet are actually rollers, and they are barely adjustable, so…if it helps anyone else, the dimension from the floor to the top of the fridge is what you want to measure. Also, be aware that some fridges have the top of the door hinge protruding above the surface of the top of the fridge. This can range from flush to a few inches. Last, many fridges have a “false front” (shall we say) that protrudes above the top of the fridge (in the front of the fridge) and tapers off or drops off to the true “top” surface of the fridge. in short, all I am saying is make sure you know what you’re measuring!
I was burned by this recently. I carefully measured the space the old fridge was in (ample) and failed to measure the width of the doors it had been carried through. The new fridge could not be installed. Even with the front door off, it was half an inch wider than my doorway.
I will tell you from personal experience - do not create an opening that is the exact size of a refrigerator and then expect it to fit!
I learned the hard way that the dimensions stated are nominal - the actual dimensions may be larger, in this case due to the expansion of the insulating foam in the sides of the fridge.
I had to shave around 1/4" of the countertop and upper cabinet to fit the fridge in it’s (perfect) spot.
