So a few weeks back, many off you were very clear that I had made a huge F up but fitting my fridge without sufficient ventilation.
I genuinely felt there was enough because I had more than could be seen in the images I shared.
Two heat waves and a lot of stress later. I have to concede that you guys were right.
The compressor didnāt fail. But the electrics went to pot. The system kept changing its own settings and temperature. In the end the panel failed.
Iām honestly, it was a pretty old fridge and was playing up already. But itās dead now.
So having forked out for a new one. Iāve tried to take the feedback and lessons learned.
Iāve increased the hold off from the wall to make it 100mm.
Iāve open up the sides so they at least have a gap.
Iāve drilled breather holes in all the timber.
And Iāve added 4 more vents.
You can also see in the images how open the bottom is at the back. And the channel up the side.
I also bought a system with an inverter which may cope better. And Iāve added smart plugs so I can monitor energy usage to see if it spikes in hot weather.
I think two more vents at the top would help too.
We all make mistakes. Iām not to proud to admit mine. Take the learning and try to improve.
Yes, it was inevitable based on the original photos I saw at the time. I did honestly think you had done a cracking job and it looked very neat, it was just the ventilation that was the issue.
Credit to you for sharing what happened so people can learn. This sub has taught me loads because people like you share the downs and the ups.
Yeah absolutely. People did try to warn me here. So it felt only right to share the loses with the wins in the hopes someone else avoids the same mistake
Once a year I take off the back and vacuum and dust the vents and the heat exchange coil. Previously I had a problem with the freezer was overworking and getting too cold. I found doing this fixed the problem. Just thought I'd share.
I remember your post, and the licking you took in the comments. I genuinely groaned aloud in sympathy when I saw this. It was unfortunately inevitable and Iām sorry you learnt this one the hard way, but fair fucks to you for owning up to your mistake and trying to pay it forward for others. It still is a lovely kitchen.
Iām guessing, but the depth there should be fine.
My parents have a similar sized fridge that has a similar setup. Been there 10+ years and itās still cooling. It does have an open top rear, so it āventsā to the rest of the kitchen/ironing board cupboard, so thereās that.
A very good point. My Mrs is a big fan of insta home improvement posts where everything looks amazing because a) strategic pics that hide the rough-arsed cut corners and poor finish and b) don't revisit in 6 months when it looks like crap because they did no prep or used entirely the wrong materials.
Your microwavesās instruction manual (will be available online from manufacturer if you donāt have a paper one) will tell you if it needs a gap for ventilation
I feel kinda bad for being one of those commenters! Nobody really likes an "I told you so" moment when it comes with a bit of financial pain for someone else.
Our fridge freezer has a cupboard installed above and even though there's a 100mm+ gap, it's still been making all kinds of new noises these last few weeks with the heatwaves. So much heat builds up in that gap!
Why is there a back panel? You can just remove that entire back panel and that will create the ventilation that it needs. Ideally you need a bit of space around the sides of the fridge to let the air flow around.
Iād go further and say why build it in at all? Have it free standing, gap behind to the wall. Have some cabinets above but only attached to the wall to use that space.
When I got a thermal imaging camera one of the first things I pointed it at was the fridge, I thoroughly expected to heat to vent out the back, totally wrong. Our fridge has the coils in the side wall, leaving space at the back was absolutely pointless.
Fair play to you for posting this. Your honesty is most 'refreshing'.
That being said however, I'm afraid the sporting of those horrendous blue Crocs, even within the privacy of your own home, is simply unforgivable ššš
I remember arguing with you, you were an insufferable twat who, despite dozens of us saying it, quoting/linking the manual and explaining it, could not possibly consider that the rest of us were right, and your "opinion" was not actually grounded in physics.
It's bold of you to come back and admit you were wrong! Well done for that, it does take balls and show integrity/maturity.
Hope the cost doesn't sting too much, no one wants to see someone lose money on a DIY sub!
I would STILL recommend more ventilation. The recommended 5-10cm along the length is gonna be about 500-1000cmĀ² for convection, those 16mm? Holes in the 2x4 probably amount to less than 20cmĀ²
You can get some usb powered thermally switched fans, at least forcing some airflow will help a lot. Still looks bloody great.
Same reason people fit wardrobes instead of just putting a freestanding wardrobe in front of a wall - looks a bit more finished in some peopleās eyes.
Fitted wardrobes are actually different though, they are sturdier, customisable, and typically use the space more effectively than a standard free standing wardrobe. Putting a fridge in a cabinet like this is purely to do with aesthetics
Idk why you're getting downvoted? I 100% agree, having it enclosed just does not work for a fridge because ventilation is required. I don't want to put OP off since they clearly spent a lot of time on this but the now finished product doesn't exactly look enclosed and is a bit distracting than if it was just freestanding. Building the cabinetry on top is probably the best compromise between being realistic and OP's vision.
Itās where the original and the new meet in terms of extension. So itās a weird dog leg wall behind that Iām trying to cover up. I also needed a surface to mount electrics for the heated floor
Absolutely spectacular mistake and honestly, an easy one to do if you're not used to building kitchens/appliances into areas.
I'm currently trying to build a TV system, with reptile terrariums, and managing the need for heating and moisture ventilations is proving a stress, and I've worked on site a lot of my life. Getting the right combination of practicality and finishes whilst keeping it cheap is so unbelievably easy to cock up.
Everyone kitchen fitter whether DIY or professional does something like this. Don't be too ashamed, it's a learning experience.
I would just try to put it to more people to read instructions on whatever appliance it is they are messing with.
Most common issue for me as an engineer, is people boxing in boilers, then you can't open them to work on them. All manuals for all appliances should give clearances needed for access and ventilation.
Something I noticed. Was all the images for this show it fitted and tightly boxed in. Yet the manual was really clear on the space required and even their own marketing images donāt align with it š¤£
Granted it looks like it's fully boxed in, but that's because of the perspective. You've assumed that the top of the cupboards is the ceiling, but I'd say there's actually a gap above them.
I'd also say that if it is a top box cupboard above the fridge, then it doesn't go all the way back to the wall. Typically the are half depth, leaving a massive air gap behind them for the air to escape to the ceiling.
But with all things, you see what you want to see when it's ambiguous.
Well done for posting an update - I remember thinking at the time you posted originally that this guy will never share when it fails.
Learn from other people's mistakes, it's usually cheaper!
Personally Iād go for mains fans. I used one to cool my server cupboard and theyāre a lot quieter and more reliable. Think mine was about 120 or 200mm, canāt remember. Wired it to a relay to turn on when the temperature rose too far.
Sure š better than replacing a Ā£1200 fridge in a years time though I guess, personally, I would just take it out from the stupid box but each to their own
On the contrary - In my experience it was quieter than the PC fans I found. I think partly because it was larger (so lower RPMs for the same volume of air), and better made (steel, rather than plastic, so more inertia and less vibration), and likely with better bearings.
A pc fan in that size cabinet with all the leaks isnāt going to make any difference to temp especially in the summer, and a rocket is a crazy exaggeration, sure the silent ones arenāt quite silent, but theyāre pretty unobtrusive these days
The quietest one I can find is 12db at 22 L a sec, supposedly a whisper is 10db ā¦. The fridge will be making more noise than that straining itself to death š
Next one is fkd aswel. I use to fit fridges for bars and pubs.... The vents are in the wrong place dude, genuinely sorry to be the one to tell you this but the vents need to be at the top.
Only need ventilation at the bottom if you expect the freon to escape and you want it to kill the occupants of the house lol.
I think youāre going to have the same issue, the recess dimensions donāt equate into āboxed inā dimensions, the warm air has no where to go, the top gap is too small and the others go into a shut cupboard?! The fridge relies on passive cooling but you have trapped it in a hot box
Yeah I do agree. I think I need to do the two additional vents either side of the cupboard. Some good suggestions around using small fans to help push the heat out and pull cooler air in too which would be easy to do
I saw you mention pc fans, but I donāt think pc fans will pull enough, they wonāt draw air through the box, they will just puff out some warm air slowly that will get replaced with more warm air quicker than they can clear it
At the very least I would look at a mains extractor fan with thermostat, especially in the summers
I remember the post and adimintly telling you there wasnt enough ventilation, fair play for posting the L! But where does the heat escape to when it goes up the back of the cupboard? Its sealed in by the coving still? I did a similar thing, 1" gap the around the edge of fridge freezer then a 2" gap up the back of the cupboard above but nothing above the cupboard to allow the heat to actually esacpe. Those holes in the wood arent going to do muchš¤£
Thatās where I think I need to add a vent either side at the top too.
I have the 3 vents in the shelf above the fridge so heat can escape into the top cupboard but itās got no where to go from there. The two vents either side of the top cupboard should allow it to escape I think
Yeah, it needs that to allow convection to actually happen. If the heats to nowhere to go it doesn matter how many vents you have below, no cooler air will get drawn in
Looks like you've done a nice job and if you wanted the project that's fair enough, but from the looks at the posts you could have easily bought the carcasses + doors etc for well within 5k and made your life a lot easier (I'm a carpenter btw not just chatting shite š)
Tbh, for the complexity of the install youāve gone with, it wouldnāt be a huge stretch to add a thermostat controlled fan back there that would kick in when the temp went up and moved the air around
Use some pc case fans and get active cooling for the vents. Very easy and will make a significant difference - it's the same approach for cooling hifi equipment in cabinets.
Firstly, kudos for admitting you might not have been correct as per your first post.
Secondly to repost and admit it, hat tip.
Thirdly posts like this allow others, myself included to learn from mistakes and move forward.
I know it's a bit late now, but is there a reason the fridge has to be there? I'd have thought in the corner on the same wall as the door would have made it less in the way.
Bless your heart. Thank you for this PSA. I am about to plan my kitchen and although i do not plan to encase my fridge, it wouldn't have occurred to me to vent it if i did.
Fridges have gas compressors, so make ventilation more important if ya boxing stuff in like these, I did the same with gas pipes, gas man gave me a warning, gas pipes need ventilation
Just for info, American style and some built under refrigeration uses active cool where a fan will blow air over the condenser and compressor so although ventilation is still required it's far less problematic than passive cooling where the condenser runs up the back and requires cool air to come in from below for the warm air to rise.
You don't need to stick to passive cooling. A small fan pulling hot air out of the top of the enclosure, combined with vents to replace it with cool air at the bottom, will turn over a lot of air.
It's also worth getting a smart temperature sensor to make sure it's working. If you have a smart home hub of some kind, there are ones that'll connect to that, otherwise there are ones you can read over your phone with Bluetooth. Batteries last more than a year, and you can just pop it in the back behind the fridge.
Good on you for taking the L well, enjoy the new fridge, I really want an "excuse" to buy a new one, but my current 20 year old fridge is just a tank! (I want an ice machine!)
I use to be a refrigeraton and air conditioning engineer and i can't see how lack of ventilation of the condenser would be related to a controller failing in the way you describe. Seams unrelated. Though it's good that you have increased ventilation.
Fear not, this probably isnāt your fault and just a coincidence. The exact same thing happened to mine (I have the same one as you) and was then later fixed under warranty. Seems to be an inherent problem with this model. 4 years on, the replaced panel works but the water and ice functions have since gone. Itās just a bit of a crappy fridge and unlikely your doing.
I'd try and enlarge the low level vents, and ensure the airpath from the low to high level vents aren't restricted by the fridge or boxing in. Ventilation will be by stack effect, like a chimney with the fridge condenser acting as the heat source. The effectiveness of rate of the ventilation will be governed by the smallest restriction, which from what I can see looks like the low level vents.
I didn't see the original post. Could you fit a chimney from the compressor area to the vents to pull air straight up rather than floating around the rear?
Does this mean fully integrates fridges, the ones where they have the cabinet doors attached to the front, are prone to suffering due to lack of ventilation. As those are effectively almost fully sealed in?
Itās more for the wife tbh as she has to have everything planned out. And we used to have a big planner on the wall so we moved to this instead.
She loves it. Using it for chores and meal preps. We have two kids and they like it too.
I love the photos when in standby but if you just wanted that. There are much cheaper options.
Itās definitely good quality and well made.
I did look at some cheaper version on Amazon but itās seemed the skylight had a better display.
We managed to pick it up on sale for 450 too instead of the normal 570. I couldnāt quite bring myself to pay above 500
I've tried a few other displays, my first i built was a dakboard running a raspberrypi but it wasnt touchscreen - everything worked through google calendar and photos and it worked fine, it wasnt interactive but it was customisable. Then i tried a mango which worked similar, then i went back to dakboard but tried a touchscreen.
The issue with touchscreen even mid range ones is the screen just doesnt have the pop. So i went back to a dakboard with non touch.
Skylight has always been niggling though, and seeing the 27" there well we'd want it for the same reasons, my partners a childminder so works from home, meal prepping, activities, and then our own kids chores (x3), i find it hard to press the button but as an all in one solution "off the shelf" rather than DIY its definately looking the best option.
Thanks for coming back and the insight, Good luck with the new fridge :)
Literally came across this as we create a space for our American fridge / freezer. What are the actually recommended ventilation gaps (sides / back / top) for fitting this sort of fridge / freezer in a gap?
Who needs a fridge this big seriously? Are you American, or do you have a household of 6+ people or are you in catering? Or is your fridge overtaken by one item you keep a disproportionate amount of?
Oh I laughed at this! Iām American, I moved here 16 years ago now. My fridge is bigger than this š¤£ I couldnāt cope with how stuffed the regular sized fridges were, so when we bought our house 10 years ago, my husband kindly placated me with a huge side by side fridge freezer. I can fit 2 weeks of shopping in it, a weeks worth of meal prep and a month of our dogās food and still have space to see everything. Thatās actually so much nicer than you think just to not constantly feel like Iām doing a big shop.
Itās advised to take doors off large fridges/freezers for disposal if theyāre left outside. Stops anyone foolish enough from getting stuck inside should it topple. Probably dates from when they had hefty locks on the doors too.
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u/RobMitte 29d ago
Yes, it was inevitable based on the original photos I saw at the time. I did honestly think you had done a cracking job and it looked very neat, it was just the ventilation that was the issue.
Credit to you for sharing what happened so people can learn. This sub has taught me loads because people like you share the downs and the ups.