Housing for integrated fridge/freezer

[Bert Coules]

I'm just about to assemble a pack-flat tall kitchen cupboard, designed as a housing for a built-in fridge/freezer. I was surprised to see that the cupboard comes with a hardboard back panel: doesn't a fridge-freezer need a bit (or maybe even a lot) of ventilation at the back?

The back doesn't appear to do anything beyond helping to hold the housing square, and I can find other ways to do that; is there any practical reason why I shouldn't just leave it off?

Incidentally, how exactly does the fridge/freezer fit into the housing? Does it just sit there, unattached except for the door-fronts? The cupboard comes with 6" plastic screw-in feet, which I'm assuming are up to the job of supporting what's going to be quite a hefty weight.

Thanks in advance.

Bert

[Ian Stirling]

It doesn't absolutely require it - it'll just run longer and hotter if you don't ventilate.

Nope.

I found that installing a small mains fan in parallel with the motor to blow across the coils decreased motor run times a fair bit.

[Christian McArdle]

Generally speaking, these housings are multipurpose and can house many different types of freezer/fridge/fridge freezer/ovens etc. The instructions usually have about 20 different variations.

These variations install the shelves/doors/drawers at different heights. Many of the designs include sections that have no appliance, but can be used as cupboard space. The hardboard is usually only used at the back of these non-applianced sections.

However, you should follow the instructions for your particular model of appliance carefully. Mine required one of the shelves to have a large section removed for ventilation purposes. It also specified certain ventilation requirements to the plinths.

Yep. They'd probably hold up an elephant if it stood still.

Christian.

[Bert Coules]

Thanks for that. I see no reason to fit the thing, then. Mind you, given that the cupboard is (inevitably, surely?) going to be fitted against a wall, the extra ventilation won't be much. I might open up the top of the housing with a series of large holes to help things along a bit; I don't really want to fit a fan, though I can see that it would help a good deal. Perhaps I should have thought about some sort of vent-opening to the outside?

I'm still concerned about the strength of those feet, too, to say nothing of the fun and games I'm going to have trying to get the appliance into position...

Bert

[Mike]

An integrated fridge or freezer pumps the heat out a little duct at the front.

[Bert Coules]

Not mine! Just the usual infuriating no-text-worth-speaking-of set of line drawings.

Perhaps I should hold off assembling the cupboard until I've bought the fridge/freezer, or at least until I've got hold of the mounting instructions.

Thanks for the thoughts (and the reassurance as to the strength of the legs).

Bert

[Bert Coules]

Mike,

I didn't know that. So where does this heat dissipate to? Don't the close doors of the cupboard effectively trap it in place?

Bert

[Peter Andrews]

despite it having no back or top the CORGI(!) registered Mtce man insisted that she had vent holes drilled in the front at the top - so I cut a hole for her which is about 0.2% of the ventilation that existed and now he's happy! Whatever happened to common sense?

Peter

Peter

[jenny]

I have separate integrated fridge and freezer (under counter but in housing units), which have a small section cut out of the top of the plinth so that air vents down beneath the door.

Sometimes tall housing units have an inset back to allow space for pipes, wiring etc, so the hardboard back on yours may not go back to the wall anyway.

Again, lots does depend on your appliance, so you really do need to have that with instructions for housing, along with any assembly instructions for the unit.

(In a previous life I was a kitchen designer)

Jenny - Content Editor

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[Bert Coules]

Jenny,

Is that effective? Given that hot air rises, I mean?

Yes, I see that now. I was hoping to have the housing all prepared, so I could persuade (or possibly bribe) the guys who delivered the fridge-freezer to slide it into place for me...

Thanks for the thoughts.

Bert

[Christian McArdle]

Mine doesn't. The heat is expelled in the normal manner. The shelves do not go all the way back, leaving a good 60cm x 7cm "duct" for the rising heat. The plinths must be ventilated. They supplied a vent grille for the purpose, although also stated that you could leave 1cm of gap between the plinth and the unit if preferred.

Christian.

[Mike]

I thought those were called semi-integrated or something like that.

[Christian McArdle]

How so? It sounds like a higher level of integration, as it doesn't require ducts at the front, which could visible with the door open. Having the heat expelled at the top at the back sounds like a much better solution.

Christian.