How to choose a refrigerator by size

Video: How To Measure For A New Refrigerator | The Home Depot

Content

Steps
Part 1 of 4: Measuring the Width of the Refrigerator Niche
Part 2 of 4: Measuring the Height of the Refrigerator Niche
Part 3 of 4: Measuring Niche Depth
Part 4 of 4: Choosing the Perfect Refrigerator
What do you need

When it comes to buying a new refrigerator, many believe that all you need to do is find the model that fits snugly into the space. Nevertheless, for such a purchase, you need to take into account a number of other additional points, for example, whether there will be room for the door hinges of the refrigerator to open normally, whether the doors will not hit other furnishings and whether the refrigerator will be able to pass through the doorways of your house. Going for such a large purchase, you need to do everything right and not make mistakes.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Measuring the Width of the Refrigerator Niche

1 Move aside the old refrigerator. To correctly take measurements, you will need to move the old refrigerator away and provide yourself with access to the space to be measured. Before moving the refrigerator, do not forget to take everything out of it and call at least one strong assistant.
- Do not leave any shelves in the refrigerator that might fall off while moving it. Take them out and transfer them separately or secure them inside the refrigerator with duct tape.
- Make sure that the doors of the refrigerator do not open when moving it. Tie them up with straps or tape.
- Never put the refrigerator on its side.
2 Measure the width of the refrigerator niche. You might just want to measure the width of your old refrigerator. But it is likely that the old refrigerator was not quite perfect. Therefore, start by measuring the width of the niche where you plan to put your new refrigerator.
3 Use a tape measure for measurements. Place the end of the tape against the wall at the starting point. Stretch the tape measure to the opposite end of the niche. Use a pencil to mark the appropriate mark on the tape measure. Record your measurement on a piece of paper.
4 Recheck the measurement result. Not only can you be mistaken, having taken the measurement results incorrectly, but there is also a possibility that your house has shrunk or the foundation has settled. As a result of such processes, skewing of individual surfaces can form. Therefore, re-measure the width at different levels of your niche.
- If the measurements are different, stop at the smallest result. It is better to leave a little more free space than to face the problem of its lack.
5 Choose a refrigerator model that allows you to leave some free space. It is recommended to leave at least 2.5 cm gaps on the sides of the refrigerator so that you can dust off the refrigerator. Moreover, on the side of the refrigerator door hinges, it is required to leave a gap of at least 5 cm so that the doors can be easily opened and closed.

Part 2 of 4: Measuring the Height of the Refrigerator Niche

1 Move aside the old refrigerator. To correctly take measurements, you will need to move the old refrigerator away and provide yourself with access to the space to be measured. Make sure to remove all food before moving the refrigerator. Also call for the help of at least one strong assistant.
- Do not leave any shelves in the refrigerator that might fall off while moving it. Take them out and transfer them separately or secure them inside the refrigerator with duct tape.
- Make sure that the doors of the refrigerator do not open when moving it. Tie them up with straps or tape.
- Never put the refrigerator on its side. This can cause serious damage.
2 Get an assistant to measure the height of the niche. You may need the help of another person to fix the end of the tape measure at the top of the refrigerator niche so you can reach the floor and take the measure. Perhaps it should be someone taller than yourself. Whenever possible, it is always best to have a helper by your side.
- Alternatively, you can hook the metal hook at the end of the tape measure over the edge of any surface near the top edge of the refrigerator niche. If so, simply stretch the tape measure to the floor to get the first measurement. Then measure the distance from the top edge of the refrigerator niche to the surface where you hooked the tape measure earlier. Subtract the second measurement from the first to find out the height of the space to be measured.
3 Pull out the tape measure about 30 cm. This will give you the opportunity to calmly reach a point above your height.
4 Run the end of the tape measure against the wall or kitchen unit. Have a helper stretch the tape measure to the floor. Have him take a measurement and write down its value on paper next to the measure for the width of the space under the refrigerator.
5 Recheck the measurement result. Not only can you be mistaken, having taken the measurement results incorrectly, but there is also a possibility that your house has shrunk or the foundation has settled. As a result of such processes, skewing of individual surfaces can form. Therefore, re-measure the height at various points in your refrigerator niche.
- If the measurements are different, stop at the smallest result. It is better to leave a little more free space than to face the problem of its lack.
6 Choose a refrigerator model that will allow you to leave a gap of at least 2.5 cm above it. For the refrigerator to function properly, it needs ventilation. Therefore, you should leave a gap of at least 2.5 cm above it.

Part 3 of 4: Measuring Niche Depth

1 Move aside the old refrigerator. To correctly take measurements (and in particular to measure the depth of the niche), you will need to move the old refrigerator and provide yourself with access to the measured space. Before moving the refrigerator, do not forget to take everything out of it and call at least one strong assistant.
- Do not leave any shelves in the refrigerator that might fall off while moving it. Take them out and transfer them separately or secure them inside the refrigerator with duct tape.
- Make sure that the doors of the refrigerator do not open when moving it. Tie them up with straps or tape.
- Never put the refrigerator on its side.
2 Measure from the back of the niche to the front edge of your kitchen countertop. Place the end of the tape measure against the back of the refrigerator niche.Stretch the tape measure to the front edge of the kitchen countertop. Write down the resulting value.
3 Recheck the measurement result. Not only can you be mistaken, having taken the measurement results incorrectly, but there is also a possibility that your house has shrunk or the foundation has settled. As a result of such processes, skewing of individual surfaces can form. Therefore, re-measure the depth at various points in your refrigerator niche.
- If the measurements are different, stop at the smallest result. It is better to leave a little more free space than to face the problem of its lack.
4 Decide if you want the refrigerator to protrude beyond the edge of the kitchen countertop. If you haven't foreseen an extra 2.5 cm to the side of the refrigerator on the hinge side, you will need to slide it forward about 5 cm from the countertop so that the doors can open. You will have a little more freedom in determining the depth, but you need to make sure that the refrigerator doors do not protrude too far into the room.
5 Allow at least 2.5 cm clearance behind the refrigerator. The refrigerator needs ventilation to function properly. Therefore, there must be at least 2.5 cm of free space behind the refrigerator.

Part 4 of 4: Choosing the Perfect Refrigerator

1 Check the height and width of the smallest doorways in your home. Adequate space for a refrigerator in the kitchen will be useless if the refrigerator does not fit through a door. Find out which way you will be bringing the refrigerator home. Match the dimensions of the doorways to the dimensions of the refrigerator to make sure it will fit through.
2 Check the size of the refrigerator doors. In many cases, manufacturers do not indicate the parameters of refrigerator doors. While in the store, open the door of the fridge you like 90 degrees and measure the distance from its back wall to the end of the open door. At home, take a tape measure and see how far the refrigerator doors open in your kitchen. Start measuring from the back of the refrigerator niche, at least 2.5 cm away from it, and measure the distance in depth taking into account the depth of the refrigerator with the doors open.
- If you need to slide the refrigerator past the edge of the countertop to allow the door hinges to open, you will also need to adjust the rest of the measurements to estimate the space occupied by the refrigerator. Start measuring from a point 5 cm protruding from the edge of the table top. Measure the depth of the refrigerator itself from it into the niche. This will find the point where the back of the refrigerator will be located. From this point in the outward direction, measure the depth of the refrigerator taking into account the open door. This will tell you how far the doors of your refrigerator will open.
- After learning how far the doors open, ask yourself how acceptable this is for you. Is there enough space for the doors to open fully and not bump against the countertop? Perhaps an open refrigerator door is blocking the entrance to the kitchen and making the surrounding space too cramped?
- If it turns out that the doors open too far, consider alternative refrigerator models. French or American-style double-leaf refrigerators will no longer open so much deep into the kitchen.
3 Find a refrigerator model that is large enough. The amount of refrigerator you need will depend on the size of your family and your eating habits. For each adult, a minimum of 100–150 liters of usable space in the refrigerator is required.
- On average, a family that does not eat at home on a regular basis usually needs a refrigerator with a volume of 300–450 liters.
- A family that constantly cooks food at home needs a refrigerator with a volume of at least 500 liters.
- A family of four requires a refrigerator with a minimum capacity of 550 liters.
- When making your choice, consider the type of space you need. Consider whether frozen convenience foods dominate your menu, or do you prefer fresh foods? Find the type of refrigerator that suits your eating habits.