Hello :-)
We are currently planning a completely new kitchen in our house and are already quite far along with various kitchen retailers and consultants. Our own ideas can mostly be implemented, but some are unsure about the desired refrigerator or point out that it definitely needs a 5-10cm (2-4 inch) clearance from the tall cabinets.
Refrigerator: "Haier HTF-710DP7 CUBE"
(important features: no water connection needed, water dispenser is nice-to-have but not essential, flexible cooling options—we already have large freezers in the basement, so it's great that part of this fridge can be used as regular refrigeration—french doors, frost-free, different zones and various features it offers, home-connect not required)
We plan to line up an entire wall with tall cabinets and place the refrigerator in the middle. It will protrude slightly due to the doors but will be directly adjacent to the cabinets or decorative strips on the sides. To the right, there will be a raised oven with a built-in microwave above.
We thought the issue of intake and exhaust air would be "solved" by circulation at the top (which is open) and at the bottom (fridge feet, no plinth in front). On the sides, perhaps just strips for covering, leaving enough airspace behind them up to the back wall.
The consultants’ advice was that this setup is possible, but the air circulation might not be sufficient and after about 1.5 years, the compressor could fail. Therefore, a 5cm (2 inch) clearance all around was recommended.
After weeks of waiting, Haier support finally replied but simply stated that there must be 10cm (4 inch) of clearance all around! On their product pages, however, you can see various refrigerators fully integrated with no gaps. This is probably a PR and aesthetic issue, but there is no mention anywhere of these clearance requirements.
What do you professionals think? Is all this correct—should we forget it? Is it nonsense—just go ahead? Or a compromise? If 10cm (4 inch) clearance is really necessary, it won’t look good between the cabinets, and cleaning will be even more annoying.
Thanks
We are currently planning a completely new kitchen in our house and are already quite far along with various kitchen retailers and consultants. Our own ideas can mostly be implemented, but some are unsure about the desired refrigerator or point out that it definitely needs a 5-10cm (2-4 inch) clearance from the tall cabinets.
Refrigerator: "Haier HTF-710DP7 CUBE"
(important features: no water connection needed, water dispenser is nice-to-have but not essential, flexible cooling options—we already have large freezers in the basement, so it's great that part of this fridge can be used as regular refrigeration—french doors, frost-free, different zones and various features it offers, home-connect not required)
We plan to line up an entire wall with tall cabinets and place the refrigerator in the middle. It will protrude slightly due to the doors but will be directly adjacent to the cabinets or decorative strips on the sides. To the right, there will be a raised oven with a built-in microwave above.
We thought the issue of intake and exhaust air would be "solved" by circulation at the top (which is open) and at the bottom (fridge feet, no plinth in front). On the sides, perhaps just strips for covering, leaving enough airspace behind them up to the back wall.
The consultants’ advice was that this setup is possible, but the air circulation might not be sufficient and after about 1.5 years, the compressor could fail. Therefore, a 5cm (2 inch) clearance all around was recommended.
After weeks of waiting, Haier support finally replied but simply stated that there must be 10cm (4 inch) of clearance all around! On their product pages, however, you can see various refrigerators fully integrated with no gaps. This is probably a PR and aesthetic issue, but there is no mention anywhere of these clearance requirements.
What do you professionals think? Is all this correct—should we forget it? Is it nonsense—just go ahead? Or a compromise? If 10cm (4 inch) clearance is really necessary, it won’t look good between the cabinets, and cleaning will be even more annoying.
Thanks
Brakus71 schrieb:
What do you professionals say about this... is everything correct, or forget it? Is it nonsense, just do it? A middle ground? If there really needs to be a 10cm (4 inches) gap, it obviously looks terrible between the cabinets and cleaning will be even more annoying.I’m not a professional, but I have a similar model myself.
The one you mentioned is currently available for about 1100 EUR (approx. $1,200) at the four-letter retailer. Still, I recommend you also check out the HB18FGSAAA.
Originally, we also wanted to order the one you mentioned (yes, definitely French door), but we ended up going for the drawer version of the freezer compartment and haven’t regretted it for a second. Brilliant! Direct access, larger, also illuminated... and by the way, even cheaper.
Regarding your actual question:
Our appliance isn’t fully built-in or boxed in, but on the sides I left only about 5cm (2 inches) clearance and personally see no problem boxing it in as long as the distances are maintained and “normal ventilation” (ventilation grille or similar) is provided.
Our kitchen installer advised us the day before yesterday against integrating our Samsung side-by-side refrigerator into the main kitchen cabinets. In 100% of cases, it looks awkward because the unit has to protrude to open the doors. Alternatively, if you have a free wall, you could build a drywall enclosure to integrate it. That looks fairly acceptable, but if something goes wrong with the fridge and the next one doesn’t fit exactly, you’d have to break open the wall. However, that would still be less expensive than changing the kitchen units. Therefore, our Samsung will probably be used as a discreet beer cooler in the pantry, and we will stick with (built-in) standard sizes.
Have you ever considered simply integrating two refrigerators? The freezer compartment of the mentioned unit isn’t great anyway and, thanks to a separate freezer in the basement, is only used for essentials like ice cubes or some herbs.
This way, you would have significantly more cooling capacity, with the downside being the lack of extra-wide compartments. The cost is about the same, and in my opinion, it looks much better (though that’s a matter of personal taste). The strong preference for side-by-side or French door refrigerators unfortunately leads to kitchens being designed around these bulky units that can’t be integrated. In my view, this lowers the overall quality of the kitchen.
Aside from that, having a countertop space next to or directly opposite a refrigerator makes sense, because you don’t just look inside fridges—you also fill them after shopping or take out extra items when cooking. Having an oven directly next to the refrigerator in a kitchen line is possible but definitely not ideal, by the way.
This way, you would have significantly more cooling capacity, with the downside being the lack of extra-wide compartments. The cost is about the same, and in my opinion, it looks much better (though that’s a matter of personal taste). The strong preference for side-by-side or French door refrigerators unfortunately leads to kitchens being designed around these bulky units that can’t be integrated. In my view, this lowers the overall quality of the kitchen.
Aside from that, having a countertop space next to or directly opposite a refrigerator makes sense, because you don’t just look inside fridges—you also fill them after shopping or take out extra items when cooking. Having an oven directly next to the refrigerator in a kitchen line is possible but definitely not ideal, by the way.
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