"Integrating" a free-standing fridge-freezer

Tom B. Stones

We have a ten-year-old Hotpoint fridge-freezer. It's a free-standing job (and still semms to be going strong) but my wife is after an integrated model (i.e. inside a kitchen unit with doors to match those elsewhere in the kitchen, which is being redone by me with units from B+Q).

Considering the fridge's size, and the manual's skimpy detailing of necessary clearance,
it could just about be accommdated in an adapted unit from B+Q (albeit with the need to open the unit's door(s) and then that of the fridge, rather than the lot opening in unison). However...has anyone done this? Or does anyone know if genuine "integrated" fridge-freezers have some sort of special design features which permit them to be safely enclosed. Our own has a grid at the back which gets warm (something like a radiator with v skinny pipes), and I'm wondering if this heat will be trouble if I effectively box the thing in...

Any insight (or tales of woe) would be much appreciated.

Borzoi

Me puts fridge enginer hat on:
The thing at the back that gets hot is the condenser, this is where the heat removed from the inside of the fridge goes, and it in turn disapetes the heat to the surrounding air. If you totally box up the fridge, there will be nowhere for the heat to go, so the fridge will have to work harder untill it just cuts out on the safety. You should be okay if you leave some ventialation grilles - top and bottom.


Fridge hat off:
As for guntering up the door, good luck. I know my sis has an integrated fridge (Neff I think) and they are much more expensive -so if you can find a way to do it let me know:)

KoNiT

I'll borrow the hat for a min.

Ur spot on as regards heat, the fridge requires a vent grill on the kicker panel & plenty of space above.

I did it in my kitchen, but I didn't bother with the door. Its a maple kitchen & the whites, fridge & freezer don't look too bad against it.

My bro, he's a kitchen fitter, wanted me to put a vent in the externa; wall behind the fridge - its a pretty big fridge @ 6' tall with no freezer, & he was worried about the excessive heat.

I thought the vent was OTT as free standing fridges are usually inserted between two units or between a wall and a unit. I;ve a vent on the kicker plate & a 600x100mm gap at the top - ie the small unit above the fridge is stopped short of the wall.

Its been there for a year now & theres no smoke yet....

Tom B. Stones

And hats off to you both.

Very helpful, fellas. Some good food for thought there.

I'm thinking now that I might leave the unit behind the door(s) (the "carcass"?) without a top, in the hope that heat could escape that way. Will be well above eye level, so visually it's no problem. Not so sure that a ventilation grill or simlar on the public face of the unit - even down low - would go down all that well with my wife, however necessary (the ventilation, that is ).

And as much room as poss at the back for the condenser.

Many thanks for the help.

- Tom

KoNiT

here;s the pic of the vent (hopefully!) under the fridge. As you can see the kicker panel is stepped back from the front & the vent isn't visable till your bent down scrubbing the floor.......

Tom B. Stones

KoNiT, many thanks for the follow-up post with the pic. Very kind of you. And very enlightening. It does indeed look discrete there. Apologies for not seeing this sooner. Have been on leave from work...so no online access .

As it happens, in the interim my dear wife has got her way - and a new frigde-freezer, (to-be-)integrated-style. Or, as she puts it: .

Not that I put up a very serious fight.

iMax

If you haven't bought it yet, look out for Celtic distributors on the long mile road. They sell seconds of integrated appliances.

The damage to them is all cosmetic- might be a dent or a scratch in the outer casing, but everything works & comes with warranty.

We got out integrated F/F for €300 there last year - Whirlpool model. Scratch right the way down the side of it, you know the side that sits in a cupboard, that you can't see....

Tom B. Stones

Originally posted by iMax
If you haven't bought it yet...

Bought it.

We got out integrated F/F for €300 there last year - Whirlpool model.

Whirlpool here, too. But €519.

Thanks for the tip, though. I'll bear the place in mind. (Although I'll be expecting to get twenty years out of this one... )

tapest

Hi Tom B.
You've had plenty of replies re vents etc...As regards auto opening of the two doors, cabinet and fridge, there is a small plastic strip that screws to the inside of timber door and side of fridge door with a small self-tapper. After timber door opens 2 inches(?) fridge opens. Also it is possible to "release" the second door without undoing screws. I have seen them on display models. Have a look Power City, DID, Discount Electric showrooms. Probably available from the likes of Panelling Centre or Modern Veneer in town.They seem to do all finicaky hinges etc. But do have a look at displays first. The plastic sliding strip measures about 4x1.5 inches and looks like it can't cost much.
Regards
t