Partner wants to replace a built-in undercounter larder fridge. Couple of Qs:
Due to the extra expense and loss of fridge space of a built-in, I'd like to consider a freestanding fridge. Is the lack of ventilation a legitimate concern? It'd be pretty wedged in the space, with about 2cm between fridge top and counter. Vents in the worktop not an option.
Failing this (aesthetics may well be a concern i haven't discussed!) any recommendations for an undercounter fridge? £350 tops.
In article , RJH writes
I had a similar setup here but the gap was more like 40mm. I'd say 20mm was sub optimal but in your place I would give it a punt (also a hater of built-ins).
Watch out for inaccurate spec heights, check in a store before buying.
You may gain another 10mm by taking off the adjustable feet but then of course, levelling will be more complicated.
some fridges need vents in the workstop, others do not. Ours is a Neff bought 3 years ago when its 20 year old predecessor died.
Surely for a built-under the door will cover any gap between fridge and worktop so vents through the worktop are essential. How was the previous BU ventilated?
Robert
I'd certainly expect this to be true for a standard fridge.
They usually vent out the front, so you need a vent in the plinth under the fridge. And with that, you also get some loss of capacity.
Jon
That vent in the plinth would be the inlet vent but where is the outlet vent? For my built in FridgeFreezer the manufacturer required a plinth vent and also a large exit vent at the top.
Robert
Hmmm, interesting. Picking a randomly expensive built-in like the Miele K9122, it says in their manual here:
"Ventilation into and out of the appliance is through the appliance plinth. The plinth must not be covered or blocked in any way. The cross-sectional area for ventilation in the plinth must be dusted on a regular basis."
Maybe non-£800 fridges work the same? I picked Miele because that's what we have, but then we did go mad with the new kitchen.
Jon
You don't need vents in the worktop. My wife would divorce me if I chopped into her worktop. Half an inch gap each side is fine. There is no inlet and no vent. Don't pay 350.
The front plinth area is split into two, inlet and outlet, with a fan as it can't rely on convection.
The fan adds a significant failure risk over convection cooled condensers, both from fan failure and dust clogging.
Which is what this one was supposed to do. Except the installer left the plinth as it was, without vents.
On reflection, and as discussed elsewhere, I'm not sure how it ever worked even if installed properly.
I reckon that the Miele actually has forced air movement - I can't see how natural airflow would work. One of the diagrams shows a foam block splitting the grille area to separate the air streams in and out.
Chris
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