Plumbing behind fridge - affect the depth?
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Could anyone tell me how they get on with a plumbed fridge when most I have seen tend to be around 740mm deep. Does this mean it will stick out 90mm or do the fridges have a niche cut out of the back to accommodate the tap?
Also, the dimensions state that the cabinet depth of the fridge is about 600mm, so does this mean it should not be recessed more than this (I assume the rest is the door and handle depth)? And if so, then wouldn't it stick out even more (almost 15cm)?
Would be great to hear from someone who has one of these type of fridges and what the answer is.
First_Timer_Ray I would have your tap move from behind the fridge otherwise it will stick out to far and look strange.
I normally suggest that the power point should be above the fridge but the tap should be in the cabinet beside the fridge. This way you can turn it on and off without pulling the fridge out should there be a leak and it doesn't push the fridge out any further.
This is really great advice, thankyou CEK. How does the plumbing get through to the back of the fridge? Through a hole in the cabinet wall? And then I presume the fridge only needs to be forward a small amount for the pipe?
Hang on.... my fridge is next to our pantry (not cabinets) so I wonder how I'd get the plumbing through that wall which I think is a proper plaster wall.... bummer. Any other suggestions?? It does have overhead cabinets so maybe I can get the tap put in the overhead cabinet above the fridge (along with the powerpoint??) and run down a hole from there? What do you reckon?
Power point will be above the fridge cavity so we can have the fridge set back leaving the front as flush as possible to the rest of the cabinetry.
Here's a pic of the set up we had in our previous home behind our double door fridge/freezer.
Sorry don't have one of the new house, but it is very similar.
The fridge water hose connects in just to the left of the filter housing.
The line heading into the side of the cupboard goes through to an additional filtered water tap we had mounted at the kitchen sink.
Our fridge's original filter is actually housed inside the fridge, but is quite small and only lasts 6 months between changes and is very expensive to replace.
We opted for an exterior version, which is much larger, more efficient filtering, lasts longer and is cheaper to replace. Also it doubles as the benchtop water tap filter.
We measured the depth of the cavity and ours is 920mm deep, but it would have been OK shallower, there is plenty of room behind the fridge.
I normally suggest that the power point should be above the fridge but the tap should be in the cabinet beside the fridge. This way you can turn it on and off without pulling the fridge out should there be a leak and it doesn't push the fridge out any further.
This is really great advice, thankyou CEK. How does the plumbing get through to the back of the fridge? Through a hole in the cabinet wall? And then I presume the fridge only needs to be forward a small amount for the pipe?
Hang on.... my fridge is next to our pantry (not cabinets) so I wonder how I'd get the plumbing through that wall which I think is a proper plaster wall.... bummer. Any other suggestions?? It does have overhead cabinets so maybe I can get the tap put in the overhead cabinet above the fridge (along with the powerpoint??) and run down a hole from there? What do you reckon?
Its still very very easy to do through a plaster board wall!
The water pipe is very small and doesn't require a big hole. Yes you could also easily put it in the overhead, just depends on if there is a void behind the fridge overhead cabinet. Get your plumber in to look at your situation, he will tell you the best way to do it.
CEK - it would be almost impossible to move the tap to the side as our cavity is only 910mm (width of plaster, not including the skirtings which reduces the width to 900mm) and would impact dramatically on the number of fridges that would fit (reducing it to 855mm wide). I would rather the fridge stick out a bit than not fit at all.
It still doesn't answer my question about the dimensions of the fridge - cabinet depth of 600mm - does that mean it SHOULD stick out the rest of the depth?
How far SHOULD a fridge stick out?
Exactly the same principle for a dishwasher or rangehood ( most ).
This not only lets you able to push the fridge nearly right back against the rear wall of the recess but lets you access either the filter or tap etc for maintenance without having to pull the fridge out to do so.
The pipe the plumber uses is something like a 1/4" annealed copper enabling it to bend easily without kinking.
The hole in the cupboard next to it shouldn't be any more than 20mm.
The front of the cupboard doors next to or above the fridge should be flush with the back of the fridge doors. That allows them to open all the way without binding on the cupboard doors or panels.
If you only have cupboard depth of 600mm then that is something that should have been discussed with the kitchen designer at the planning stage. and your fridge is just going to stick out 150-200mm, not a good look.
Stewie
If you only have cupboard depth of 600mm then that is something that should have been discussed with the kitchen designer at the planning stage. and your fridge is just going to stick out 150-200mm, not a good look.
Stewie
Stewie
I think maybe you are misunderstanding. Our fridge cavity is 705mm deep, but the tap reduces the available depth to 650mm.
The specs on the fridge states that the "fridge cabinet depth is 600mm" but the "total depth is 740mm". I am assuming that means the body of the fridge is 600mm deep, and the rest (140mm) is made up of the door depth and the handle depth? If that is the case, you mention that the back of the fridge doors should be flush with the surrounding (which in our case is plastered walls), so does that mean the fridge is supposed to stick out 140mm?
If the doors don't need to be external to the cabinets, it will protrude 90mm based on our home.
I guess either way I would just get used to it... It has to look better than the little old white fridge that we have now.
Though cannot be seen now, our water outlet is behind the small cabinets above the fridge, so it takes no space at all.
We also selected a fridge that has filter inside the unit, within the ice-maker box.
Without seeing you fridge specs I would assume 600mm is the fridge carcass depth and the 140mm is the thickness of the door and handle giving a total of 740mm
Roger, that tap-in-wall thing is brilliant. Why don't we have them?
I suppose I could, but seeing as all the plumbing is done I would prefer if we could just connect it up without changing what's already there.
I can't believe we've been in out "new" house over 5 years now.
I'm just surprised how behind Australia is in many building practices. Installing one of these recessed boxes behind the fridge is the standard in the US.
I believe its backward and wrong putting the tap behind the fridge!
It should always go in a cabinet beside or above the fridge with easy access should you ever need to turn the water off in a hurry! Dishwashers are the same, the tap should always go in the sink cabinet. The flexible piping they use on fridges and dishwashers can easily blow off or develop a leak and you want to be able to turn the water off without having to pull the fridge completely out. A lot of fridges once fully loaded up can be a pain to pull out especially when the front legs are wound down do disengage the front wheels!
Any decent plumber would put the tap in a cabinet!
Any plumber will install a tap as CEK and I have said previously in the cabinet beside the dishwasher or fridge simply so that it is easy to tun off in an emergency and to make sure the full depth of the recess for the appliance is able to be used.
Note : kitchen sinks and vanity bowls are hard plumbed in ( mostly ) but dishwashers just have a small tap with the hose connected to it.
Fridges are pretty much the same.
And for the record I don't believe we are behind the rest of the world when it comes to building practices at all except for maybe insulation and solar.
Our plumbing and electrical standards are way higher than Europe and the US.
Stewie
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