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I thought it sounded like a no brainer, too, but this week we ordered a 29 5/8 inch fridge for a 30 inch opening; the delivery guys came yesterday and said it wouldn't fit. Our old fridge is 28" wide.
We remeasured while they were here, and we had 30 inch clearance everywhere except the floor. For some reason the baseboard/toe kick on the cabinets to the right of the opening was a little longer than the cabinet/counter edge. My husband said, no problem, he would shave it off; we're replacing the baseboards anyway.
Then the guys said they could probably squeeze it in, but we'd have a problem opening the fridge and that the door would hit the wall that's on the other side of the fridge.
We said that if that were the case we would order the fridge with the hinge on the opposite side (it comes both ways). Then they came up with a reason that wouldn't work either....I forget what it was.
We acquiesced to their expertise, but now I'm just wondering if we should have pressed a little to have them actually put the fridge in the space just to make sure. We were reluctant to press them, though, since we live on the 2nd floor of a walk-up...
So, I guess the real question is, would most people ask to see the fridge in the space, given the difficulty of getting the fridge up the stairs, or would you take their word for it?
I didn't want to be a jerk about it, so I didn't ask them to bring it up. But, at the same time, I searched quite a bit for a fridge and this was the only one I found that "seemed" to fit our space constraints and met all other aesthetic requirements.
So as I picture it, if looking at the fridge space, a wall is on the left and a cabinet is on the right?
If so, then I can only imagine a right-side-hinged top-bottom fridge would work. A left-hinged one would have the doors hit the wall before it fully opens.
Is the fridge you ordered field reversible for the hinges? Some can by simply unscrewing a few bolts for the hinges.
^^^Yes, that's right -- the opening has a wall on the left and cabinets/counters on the right. Also, the fridge it bottom fridge/top freezer
I don't think you can change out the orientation of the doors on the new fridge; you have to order it either with left or right hinges.
Our old 28" fridge has doors that are changeable. Originally it was placed in the space right-hinged/left handled,but we changed it to left-hinged/right handled. Even though the door couldn't swing back all the way with that orientation, it opened enough so that we could easily access everything. For us, it just felt strange to have the handles on the left next to the wall. It also made it awkward to load in groceries that way.
So that's why we ordered the new fridge with a left hinge. Now I'm wondering if that extra inch or so width would make it just too difficult with the wall there...I don't know. Again, it's just difficult to really know without actually seeing the fridge in the space.
But I think you're right - if we ordered it right-hinged, I can't see why it wouldn't work.
Even though the door couldn't swing back all the way with that orientation ...
Nearly all left-hinged fridges will be that way in that space; essentially, you will have to allow for at least the door's thickness on the left for it to open at least 90 degrees ... and that's more than the 2" of a 28" fridge, let alone the 3/8" of a 29-5/8"
So the only real choices will be either dealing with the awkwardness of a right-hinged fridge (up to 30" in width) or a smaller/narrower left-hinged fridge with the limitations of being able to fully open the doors.
All fridges are ordered in whole numbers. Usually in 2" increments starting at 28". Whatever the whole number is, the actual width will be a quarter inch smaller. A 30" fridge will be 29 3/4" wide. There are a few exceptions to these industry size standards. For example, a 33" fridge is common.
Height will range from about 66" to 72" tall. Taller then that becomes a built-in model which will go as high as 84" tall. Wider then 36" becomes a built-in model and built-in models become very very expensive.
The biggest mistake I see people do is measure their opening but forget the baseboard molding intrudes into that space. If the fridge is against the wall of course. No need to worry about the door opening and intruding into space on the sides as all modern fridges have zero clearance door hinges.
You kept saying "they they" when referring to the appliance people. Sounds like something those clowns at the big orange would do. They know about as much about appliances as you and I know about brain surgery.
No need to worry about the door opening and intruding into space on the sides as all modern fridges have zero clearance door hinges.
This is correct. And the only thing that keeps the door from opening to a true 90degrees is the handle.
Remember, appliance delivery guys are hired for brawn, not brains.
Just wanted to give you all a quick update....we decided to make a second attempt at getting the new refrigerator delivered.
This time, the delivery folks who came had a "can do" attitude, and, yes the refrigerator fits in the space. Granted, it is a pretty tight fit, but the fridge is fully functional -- even with the hinge on the left -- and I certainly do have the "built-in" look that I was trying for.
When my husband gets a little less frantic at work, he's going to do a little sanding, shaving, whatever he can do, to, hopefully, give us an extra 1/2 inch space on the sides. Yes, even a half inch will make a difference here. We may even recess from the back to adjust for the extra inches in depth.
But we do LOVE the new fridge and it is far superior to the one we had before and certainly worth the extra effort to make it look just right.
Thanks to you all for your input...ultimately, it helped me to decide go ahead and give that fridge a try.
Oh, and desertsun, to answer your question, we actually were not working with HD this time. We ordered from ABT....
Would you order a fridge that's 29 5/8 inch wide for a 30 inch opening?
Sounds like a very tight fit. I would get a smaller fridge if I were you. When I bought my fridge I measured about 20 times...not only the space where it was to go but every possible path to bring it through the house to make delivery easier. I also measured the space with kitchen and cabinet doors open to ensure that they would still open easily with the fridge in place. I measured width at the top, middle and bottom and used the smallest measurement. I measured height in 2 places. On the day it was delivered it took the guys about 10 minutes start to finish to get it in the door and set up and I've never had a size-related problem with it.
Just measure. Measure a LOT.
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