Full 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

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

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

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