Hi Ozb!
How important is it to follow minimumm clearance requirements for fridges for adequate ventilation?
My fridge cavity is 800mm wide, but the fridge I want to buy is 790mm.
I contacted Fisher and Paykel and they said minimum clearance around the sides is 20mm, so I am 30mm too narrow according to them.
What has been your experience with following this requirement? Do you know any way to work around this?
I have found that the side clearance is unimportant
Agree. Ventilation is at the back. Fridge overhead cupboards are nearly always designed not to go full depth back to the wall to allow any hot air to vent out.
The issue arises should you need to make a warranty claim.
Not worth the risk because of this👆
You seem to be exactly in the same spot I was, my fridge cavity was 800mm to, but happened to chance on this one Hitachi 525L R-B570PT7GBK. Its 750mm wide. Works fine so far..
Careful of skirting taking up the lower edges of the cavity too, depending on how it's been done
There is a reason for the space required. There is probably a small margin of error in there allowing you to be a bit less than the spec
I wouldn’t want to purchase something based on dimensions that close and risk it not fitting. the cabinet may not be square or the fridge dimensions may not be exactly as described.
With only 5mm gap either side make certain that the Opening is perfectly square, otherwise that 5mm gap could be a lot tighter at the top or bottom of the Fridge.
Yes, make sure to measure the width at both the front and the back of the cavity (and both at the bottom and the top) to make sure the fridge would fit. Got caught out once. I was lucky that it only just fit (literally touching the sides at the back)
Anyway, in terms of ventilation, it's not a probably as long as there's enough space at the back and above the fridge (or there is a ventilation space behind the cupboard above the fridge)
Do make sure you can open the doors though
It depends, is the cavity next to a wall on either side by any chance? If it does not have a wall on either side, then I would probably go for it. Just need to put the fridge a little further forward so that the doors can open fully.
Ventilation isn't an issue for the sides. The hinge/door position however is.
You'll probably find that the clearance measurement determines the size of cool inlet air required to be sucked in past the fridge body and blown from the back across the compressor unit at the bottom of the fridge. Restricting the size could cause the airflow to be reduced, meaning the compressor will work harder at hotter temperatures and therefore less efficiently. This will use more electricity and cost more to run. You might get away with it if it is running in a cool room or in the cooler southern states, versus tropical climates. Usually you won't find anything going wrong, it is just that the fridge is less efficient than it could be and runs much longer than it should. Over time when dust accumulates on the coils, it could start to work really hard. If possible cut some vent holes in the back of the cabinet to the sides or behind surrounding cupboards to provide an additional source of fresh air, and regularly keep the coils clean.
How much space do you need for the top?
I have found that the side clearance is unimportant for ventilation and is more for door opening. I have my cabinet built for full door clearance, ie. Cabinet does not go past hinges, and this has not been an issue. Never had fridge failure.
I did follow the bottom and top dimensions however, my next build, I'm removing the top clearance and instead placing a ventilation fan (rigged up 3x140 PC fans chuted into a PVC pipe and out the roof like a toilet stink pipe).