Is Your Refrigerator On Its Last Legs?

I've always wondered why we have a huge spike in refrigerator sales in summer months compared to cooler times of the year.  The spike seems to makes sense, as we all know the temperature is much warmer in July or August than in January or December.  Yet - refrigerators are inside - they aren't trying to work in your backyard in 90 degree heat!  So it shouldn't matter what the outside temperature is as long as your kitchen is that same 68 or whatever-temperature-you-prefer degrees.  Refrigerators should sell the same year-round, the way washers and dryers do, right?

Well, it turns out that your fridge is indeed working harder in the summer.  Kitchens are harder to cool than the rest of the house due to the heat generated by your appliances (like your fridge, for example.)  Humidity rises significantly.  We may not be aware, as the humidity is usually lower inside than out, but it's still much higher than in winter months.  Ambient heat, moisture, and condensation buildup - they all do add to a refrigerator's workload.  

Your older fridge might have been limping along for months, until that uptick in temperature and humidity is just enough to push the compressor past its literal breaking point.

This link expands on the above, if you're interested in a deeper dive into this phenomenon.

https://appliancerepairshymon.ca/why-refrigerators-break-down-more-often-in-summer/

So, moving on.  Let's say it's time for you to replace your refrigerator, whether by choice or necessity.

What should you be thinking about?

The most important question I will ask you is "how much space do you have to work with?"  And by space, we mean the amount of height under your overhead cabinet, the width allowed between cabinets, and even the depth your kitchen will allow (I'll explain why that's important below.)  And, please, please, don't tell me your refrigerator is "average size"; that doesn't help!  While ranges, dishwashers, vent hoods, and even laundry for the most part conforms to standard sizes, manufacturers make many refrigerator styles and in many sizes.  

Once we know how much space you have to work with, then it's time to narrow down the choices.  I'm going to go over each style (meaning where the freezer section is located), starting with the smallest and most economical and working my way up the "food chain".

(Real quick here:  When I say a fridge is 33 or 36 inches wide, they are really just a hair under that width.  They are designed to fit certain width categories.)

(One more thought: There are always a handful of outlier size models, but for the sake of not being too too long-winded I'll stick with the choices 99% of our customers will be facing.

First, the top-freezer model that many of us grew up with:

These are by far the most economical units.  They range in width from 28-33" (no full-width 36" units are currently in production), and in height from 64-68".  Most models still come in the older black and white colors in addition to the ubiquitous stainless steel.  

We can usually reverse the swing of the doors, which can be useful if your fridge happens to be on the left side of a wall (normally you want the doors to swing away from your prep area to allow cooking to flow more easily.)  Most do not come with icemakers, but one can usually be added on for $129-$149.  Price is generally between $600-$1000.

These are still great sellers in apartments, smaller homes, households on a limited budget or who see their kitchen as simply a "work area" and not, as is so often the case in today's open floor plans, the focal point of the house.  They also make great second, or "garage", refrigerators.

Next, we have the single door bottom freezer.

This is a small category these days, as the split-door "French Door" units have largely replaced the single-door.  Excepting a small handful of specialty units, these units are available between 30 and 33" inches wide, and 66-69" high.   They almost always have an internal icemaker in the freezer that utilizes a standard 1/4" waterline attached to the rear of the fridge. No manufacturer currently builds a single-door bottom freezer with an external ice/water dispenser (if you want a dispenser, then you'll have to step up to a French door model.) 

The price jumps significantly over top-freezers, generally in the $1299-$1999 range.  As I mentioned above, the popularity of the French door units the past fifteen-twenty years has impacted the sales of this category, and you will not find a lot of model choices from each brand.

Next we have the side-by-side models (freezer on the left, fridge on the right).

Once upon a time, in the seventies through the nineties, these units were the cutting edge of upscale kitchen fashion.  The invention of a convenient through-the-door ice and water dispenser, lots of shelves to assist organizing your food, and generally larger capacity units (33-36" wide, and 66-70" high) made this style very popular as households began focusing more attention on their kitchen.  

Today all but a handful of models still have a dispenser.  Prices can range from $999 to $1999, and many can still be found in black or white (stainless steel is still the rage!!).

So why did this style lose favor?

The biggest complaint:  the width of the compartments, or lack thereof - especially the freezer side.  On a full-width 36" wide unit, the shelves in the freezer are 12-13" wide.  If you have a smaller kitchen, with the older standard 33" wide opening (very common in New England, my own house included) that freezer width can shrink to a claustrophobic 10" wide!  Frozen pizzas, oversized Thanksgiving turkeys - these became iconic examples of "what can't I fit in my freezer?"  

Your options:  Either buy a second fridge or stand-alone freezer for the basement. Or... you can switch to a French Door model!

Enter the French door unit.

It was the early 00s when Amana introduced a 36" wide French Door unit. (Actually, Sears was able to flex its then-considerable muscles and contracted a one-year exclusivity head-start under their old Kenmore label!) It featured over 25 cubic feet of space, a built-in icemaker, gallon storage, and a third drawer in the fridge for snacks and trays.  The layout of the unit's interior, combined with the symmetrical style of the unit's front, made the French Door an instant hit with consumers, and within a few years other manufacturers responded with French Door units of their own.  

Since then we've seen refinements.  Ice and water dispensers are now available on a lot of the models (Be aware that due to the logistics of trying to freeze ice in the 37 degree refrigerator compartment vs. the 0 degree freezer, these units do store less ice than side-by-sides.)  A fourth drawer can be found on certain models to increase storage flexibility and storage.  Also, these units keep getting larger in volume; some manufacturers make units with as much as 31 cubic feet of space - all staying within the "contemporary kitchen" 36" opening.

Of course, bigger means bigger! As capactity grows, so does the depths of these units. Some of these 28-31 cubic foot models can suddenly turn into behemoths when delivered, as some models can extend as far as 37" from the rear wall.  This is why I mentioned at the top to check your depth limitations!!

The depth of a full-size fridge has also created more of a market for shallower, or "counter-depth" models.  This shallower style has been around since the 90's, if not earlier, but traditionally was marketed for its aesthetic value - by protruding into the kitchen as far the fridge would give a sleeker look to the kitchen.  In recent years we have been selling more of this category, sometimes for the design aesthetic, but sometimes simply because full-depth units don't always look right in a particular kitchen!

A couple of thoughts on the counter-depth category: (there are a handful of side-by-sides available, but the CD market is primarily French door these days.) 

1. Counter depth is really "counter plus the door" depth!  The unit's case will line up at about 24" deep - the same size as a normal cabinet.  The fridge door will extend out another approximately 5". You'll still get that more upscale look, however, as the "reveal" beyond the cabinet is only the door, not the unit's side!
2. You will pay a little more, although not as much more as in the past, compared to a similar full depth model.
3. Most of these units require 36" in width (a handful are 33" wide, but that's definitely a "niche" market.)  Also, unlike full-depth fridges which are designed so that the hinge and door "clear" the overhead cabinet, you will have to take the height of the hinge cap into account if you have a full-depth, 24" standard overhead cabinet (If you have a 12" shallower cabinet, no need to worry!).  Therefore, you will want to double-check your available height - some of these models will rise just above the standard 69-70" high opening!

I know this can be a lot, especially if you're a first-time refrigerator buyer.  If you're confused or have questions, fear not!  You can discuss your individual needs and preferences with any of the sales pros you'll find in any of our showrooms (addresses and phone numbers on the front page of our site.) You can also email me directly at dlunden@hotmail.com

P.S. (in case you were wondering, I've used this email since the 90s when a quote to a customer from David@Mannystv.com was delivered to her junk mail, and I couldn't explain to her how to retrieve my email... or that I was telling the truth and had indeed sent her the quote.  Long story short - I lost that customer!  True story.)