Counter Depth

Why Buy a Counter-Depth Refrigerator?Most appliances have common widths, such as 24" for a dishwasher, and 30" for a standard range. They also have fairly common depths of 24" - 26" inch so they fit fairly snug in 24" - 25" deep cabinets. Refrigerators have a tendency to stick out several inches more, and that's OK since they have storage in the doors, and need room for the doors to open wide and clear the adjacent countertops.However, over the years we've seen a tendency for refrigerators to get even deeper to handle the bigger capacity consumers have requested. For example, it's not uncommon for refrigerator brands to top out at a whopping 27 cu.ft. for a 36" wide freestanding refrigerator. Here's a giant 27.8 cu.ft. refrigerator from GE that is not only 35 1/2 inches wide, it also has a 34 3/4 inch depth (not including handles). That refrigerator will stick out about 10" beyond most cabinets. In many kitchens this is not a problem. Indeed, this 27.8 cu.ft. GE refrigerator is a popular model. But, if you have a galley kitchen, with cabinets on both side of a narrow aisle, you may not even be able to open the refrigerator and freezer doors all the way! Counter-depth refrigerators to the rescue. Unlike the full-depth refrigerators, counter-depth refrigerators are typically only 27"-28" deep. Of course, since they are slimmer than their bigger full-depth models they have less capacity. If kitchen space is an issue, it's definitely worth the trade-off. (I

Trustworthy Appliance AdviceUniversal Appliance and Kitchen Center Sales AdvisorsA friend recently purchased an older home in a retirement community, and I'd offered to help him with his appliance selections. In spite of my many years in the appliance industry, my friend wanted to go his own way. He researched refrigerators on Consumer Reports®, and chose to shop at one of the big box home improvement chains (you know, their sales associates wear orange or blue aprons).My friend stuck with the exact model that CR ranked #1, and he found it On Sale at the big box store. Later, when I visited him in his new place, he proudly showed me his new kitchen appliances.It was a small galley kitchen with the door from the garage going directly into the kitchen. His new fridge was right next to the door. Since he had purchased a full-depth refrigerator instead of a counter-depth refrigerator, the refrigerator prevented the door from the garage from opening fully. You had to turn sideways to enter from the garage. Similarly, there wasn't quite enough space for the refrigerator door to open all the way,While I was viewing his new kitchen and dutifully admiring his modest remodeling, I suddenly heard a buzzing sound coming from his refrigerator. It lasted a short time and then went quiet. "What was that, I said?" He replied, "It does that every once in a while." I thought for minute and said, "It sounds like the ice maker." He said, "I don't have

New French Door Refrigerator From Jenn-AirUAKC has great selection of Jenn-Air AppliancesJenn-Air has been a leader in French Door Refrigerators since they introduced the industry's first counter-depth refrigerator decades ago. Now, they've launched this exclusive smart French Door Refrigerator with state-of-the-art technology including wi-fi connectivity. Add to this, Jenn-Air's famous cooking products, Jenn-Air's other U.S. made refrigerators, wine cellars, and ice-makers and you've got the very best in super-premium and luxury appliances for the kitchen.Here are the features and specifications of this amazing new state-of-the-art refrigerator:72” Counter-Depth French Door Refrigerator with Obsidian InteriorEuro-Style Stainless HandleModel: JFFCC72EFS(also available with Pro-Style handle)This freestanding refrigerator is a premium expression of design and performance. It features our industry-exclusive Obsidian interior and WiFi connectivity through an app for iOS and Android devices. And the Twin Fresh™ Climate Control System delivers premium temperature management with additional features like a Pure Freeze™ mode which can maintain a -6°F freezer temperature.Features: Obsidian Interior WiFi Connectivity Twin Fresh™ Climate Control System Pure Freeze™ Mode Interior LED Theater Lighting 72-Inch Height Adjustable Door Bins with Metal Accents Adjustable, Clear Glass Shelves Automatic Ice Maker Counter Depth Design Electronic Temperature-Controlled Pantry Drawer Energy Saver Favorite Fill Fold-Away Glass Shelf FreshFlow™ Air Filter Gallon Door Storage Bins Glide-Out Freezer Drawer with Premium Glide System Herb Tender™ Container Humidiseal™ Crisper Drawers In-Door-Ice Storage Bin Integrated Electronic Controls with LED Display Integrated Cubed/Crushed Ice and Water Dispenser Max Cool Max Ice Measured Fill Pull-Out Platter Removable EveryDrop™ Filter by Whirlpool Water Sabbath Mode Soft,

Selecting a New RefrigeratorBasic ConfigurationsThere are four basic refrigerator configurations that comprise the full-size home refrigerator category.Top Freezer style refrigerator/freezers are a bit of a dinosaur for most homes, but they are still found in apartments and in kitchens where space is really limited. They're at the bottom of the scale in price and features. Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center (UAKC) can provide quotes for apartment managers, builders, and other multi-family needs. Bottom Freezer refrigerators, while not the most popular refrigerator configuration, are still preferred by some. A more modern version of the Bottom Freezer refrigerator is the French Door Refrigerator - a Bottom Freezer fridge with split doors above the freezer. French Door refrigerators have become very popular over the last 20 years as customers have opted for the convenience of a freezer on the bottom and full width refrigerator space on the top accessible by split doors. Recent variations of the French Door refrigerator configuration include multiple compartments and doors. Side-by-Side refrigerators have freezer space accessible through a door on the left side and refrigerator space on the other.Refrigerator depths and heightWithin the 4 refrigerator configurations, there are the different refrigerator depths that will affect how your refrigerator appears in the kitchen space.Full-Depth refrigerators can have a depth of 30 or more inches causing them to stick out from standard 24 inch cabinets and adjacent 25 1/2 inch countertops. Counter-Depth refrigerators while

Should you buy a trash compactor?Trash compactors first became popular in the 70's. Today, trash compactors are part of the lineup for most appliance manufacturers. The pros of buying a trash compactor include: 1) the convenience of having fewer trips taking the trash out, and 2) the benefit of a smaller footprint at our waste disposal sites by compressing your trash 5 times. However, there is the thought that recycle bins are more environmentally helpful. It's worth pointing out that these solutions are not mutually exclusive. In fact, if you typically recycle, you might consider using a compactor exclusively for recyclables. How trash compactors work.Trash compactors have a powerful motor that will compress trash as much as 5:1 when activated, compressing loose contents into a small package. Typically, compactors will fit in a standard depth 24" deep cabinet, and at 34 1/2" tall will fit nicely under a standard 36" countertop. The most common width is 15". Most compactors also have a deodorizer or charcoal filter. Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center can help. UAKC sells all the major trash compactor brands, as well as the premium and luxury brands, from the popularly priced Whirlpool brand to a luxury Viking brand compactor and everything in between. One super-premium brand, Jenn-Air has just launched a new compactor. Below are the details on Jenn-Air's new compactor:Efficiently reduce your trash by up to 80% with the Jenn-Air® Trash Compactor. It's equipped with Anti-Jam and Tilt Sensors for smooth operation on large waste products. Features:5:1

2 Main Decisions When Buying A New RefrigeratorTime to get a new refrigerator? Here are two fundamental decisions you might think about before you go shopping.1. Door ConfigurationsRefrigerators come with their doors configured in three fundamental ways.Top-Mount RefrigeratorsThe simplest refrigerator door setup is a two-door refrigerator with the freezer on the top. Otherwise known as Top Mount refrigerators, these refrigerators seem to have been around forever. They're commonly inexpensive entry level refrigerators, and often used in apartments.Bottom-Mount RefrigeratorsRefrigerators with the freezer on the bottom include models that have bottom doors that swing open, or more often, bottom freezer doors that slide out. Many people like the convenience of a wide refrigerator compartment on the top and freezer storage below.French-Door RefrigeratorsIn the 1990's, Amana introduced Bottom-Mount Refrigerators with a split refrigerator door referred to as French-Door Refrigerators. As they became popular, other brands introduced their own versions. In the late 1990's, Jenn-Air (a sister company of Amana), launched cabinet-depth French Door refrigerators.Today there are many versions of refrigerators with a top refrigerator split door configuration and bottom doors and drawers that serve various purposes.Side-by-Side RefrigeratorsDespite the popularity of various configurations of French-Door Refrigerators, the Side-by-Side Refrigerator still holds on to a large share of new refrigerator sales. Buyers say that they like having frozen foods readily available without having to search through a deep freezer bin to find things.2. Refrigerator type by depthYou will also need to choose not only the overall size of your refrigerator in terms of cu.ft., but

Kitchen Remodel Before and After Photos by Ever and Anon Photography Here's a before and after kitchen that caught my eye. It was recently featured in Country Living Magazine. The home owner, Kaylor Little has a furniture repair/refinishing business Fisherman's Wife Furniture, and manufactures some pieces herself. Ms. Little conceived this new kitchen and did much of the work herself. I'd call the kitchen Basic Builder Standard -1990's. It's a simple, compact U-shaped kitchen with builder grade everything. It really caught my eye in the before/after photos that the owner appeared to have changed out everything, but left the layout untouched. However, the original cabinets were not changed out, but were painted white. The accent color, a robin egg blue, is carried from the kitchen's blue subway tile backsplash to the adjacent room. Very simple, very nice, and a very needed touch of color. Countertops were replaced from a standard builder laminate to DIY made butcher block. Photos by Ever and Anon Photography Light fixtures were updated to a retro diner look, and all appliances were upgraded from white to stainless steel. The range was upgraded to a double oven range, and the new refrigerator is a counter-depth French Door model with ice and water dispenser through the door. This DIY owner rightfully gives herself a big pat on the back for choosing a counter-depth refrigerator for more aisle space in the kitchen. She also enclosed the refrigerator to give it a built-in look, added some crown moulding, and replaced

Getting Appliances that Fit Your Space Measure Twice - Install Once   When buying new appliances it's a good idea to double check dimensions and openings. Width, height, and depth are just the beginning. Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center (UAKC) can help you get appliances that fit in your space. Here are a few tips to get started: Refrigerators In the case of a refrigerator, consider also how much clearance you will need for air circulation. Will the doors open fully without banging into a wall or cabinet? Even if the refrigerator door will open 90 degrees with an adjacent wall, make certain the refrigerator door swings out wide enough to enable you to open the crisper drawers. Some 72" tall counter depth refrigerators could have a clearance issue with upper cabinets. Not only does the refrigerator case need to slide in the space, but the hinges need to clear if the upper cabinets extend forward to the front of the refrigerator Dishwashers In tight spaces, avoid putting dishwashers with handles near a corner. You'll quickly find that adjacent cabinet drawers cannot open because they are blocked by the dishwasher handle. The same problem could occur with other appliances so make sure that there is sufficient clearance when appliance doors and cabinet doors open into each. Cooking Appliances Ranges and cooktops should not be placed at the end of a cabinet run. Placing cooking surfaces against an adjacent wall is a fire hazard. A wall oven next to a refrigerator

Choosing a New Side by Side Refrigerator While French door refrigerators seem to be all the rage these days, side by side refrigerator still hold a significant share of refrigerator industry sales. Reasons for customers preferring side by side refrigerators include the better access to the freezer compartments (i.e. no digging to find the ice cream), less critical space used for ice storage, and overall better organization and visibility. Whatever your reason, if a side by side is your choice here are three fundamental choices you need to make. Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center can help you choose the configuration that works best for you. Built-In A built-in side by side will fit flush inside your cabinet space, and could even be "integrated" with matching cabinet panels and hidden hinges. Depending on the brand, size, and features this refrigerator could cost $10,000 or more. Counter depth A counter depth side by side refrigerator is going to fit nearly flush with the countertops (25") not counting the door. While they're not built-in, they're attractive looking, and blend into the surrounding cabinets nicely. Full depth A full or standard depth refrigerator will protrude from the kitchen cabinets. This style refrigerator offers more capacity, but can often be 35" deep or more. Consumers often complain about having to navigate around the refrigerator. As you can see, there are tradeoffs among the 3 basic refrigerator configurations. In addition, you'll need to decide among models featuring dispensers and non-dispenser models. You may also have a

What are cabinet depth or counter depth refrigerators?Appliance manufacturers may build similar freestanding refrigerators in both a full-depth version and a cabinet or counter-depth model. Most of the major brands such as Frigidaire, GE, Bosch, and Whirlpool offer cabinet depth models. Premium brands such as KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, GE Profile, and Electrolux also offer a wide selection of cabinet-depth refrigerators. Of course, all of them are available for you at Universal Appliance and Kitchen Center (UAKC), Southern California's premier appliance showrooms. However, these refrigerators with a shallower depth will have less capacity and cost more than their full-depth counterparts. Why then have cabinet-depth refrigerators become so popular? First let's examine what we mean when we describe a refrigerator as being cabinet depth. Cabinet depth refrigerators are refrigerators that have roughly the same depth as cabinets. Cabinets are normally 24 inches deep or a bit more if the cabinet door is not inset, and countertops are likely to extend an inch beyond the cabinet. Therefore, cabinet or counter-depth refrigerators are designed to fit within the surrounding cabinets so that they do not not protrude into the kitchen much beyond that 24"-25". In practice, counter-depth refrigerators are likely to measure around 24" deep not counting the doors, and about 27" including the door, but not the handle. They look good and fit well into a standard space, only sticking out a bit. In contrast, their big full-depth counterparts could easily extend into the kitchen aisle another 6 or