Introduction
Your old refrigerator is broken, now you have two options. Search for “refrigerator repair near me” and hire a reputed technician to fix it for you or look for a new refrigerator if the old one is too old. However, finding the right refrigerator with modern features that fits nicely in your kitchen is easier than it sounds. Let’s check out how you can measure your space and how you can use those measurements to get the right-sized fridge.
The Explanation
- Standard refrigerator sizes – the standard refrigerator sizes differ vastly depending on the type of refrigerator you get. They are usually 23 to 39 inches wide, 61 to 71 inches tall, and 24 to 34 inches deep. With the refrigerator door fully ajar, that depth can increase to over 45 inches.
When it comes to volume, refrigerator sizes are measured in cubic feet instead of gallons. Standard refrigerators can vary in volume depending on the form factor. They can be anywhere between 10 to 30 cubic feet in size.
- Top-Freezer Refrigerators – Top-Freezer refrigerators are the most common and place the freezer at the top to keep it at eye level. The fresh food compartment is usually placed right below. These refrigerators can range anywhere from 23 to 36 inches in width, 24 to 33 inches in depth, and 65 to 69 inches in height. Their volume can vary from 10 to 20 cubic feet. They are perfect for small families with a small kitchen and have a freezer unit of 4 to 5 cubic feet.
- Side-by-side Refrigerators – Side-by-side refrigerators are vastly different from top freezers. They feature two vertical doors with a large fresh food section on one side and a smaller freezer section on the other side. A typical side-by-side refrigerator measures around 30 to 36 inches in width, 67 to 70 inches in height, and 29 to 35 inches in depth. Total volume is also higher at around 22 to 30 cubic feet with around 14 to 20 cubic feet dedicated to the refrigerator section.
- Bottom-Freezer Refrigerators – Bottom-Freezer refrigerators are for those people who use their fresh produce more often and keep those items at eye level. The less-used frozen items go in the bottom freezer. This kind of fridge can be around 27 to 30 inches wide, over 65 inches in height, and have a depth of more than 30 inches. With the door ajar, the depth can reach as far as 50 inches. Usually, they have a volume of around 15 to 25 cubic feet with one-third of the capacity reserved for the freezer section.
- French door refrigerators – A French door refrigerator is a cross between a bottom freezer fridge and a side-by-side refrigerator. It may also have more than one freezer compartment at the bottom. Usually, these are the largest refrigerators on the market with a height of around 65 to 75 inches, a width of around 29 to 36 inches, and a depth of 29 to 35 inches. They usually have a capacity of around 2 to 32 cubic feet.
- Measure for width – Now it’s time to note down the measurements in your kitchen to figure out what kind of refrigerator will fit in your home. Get a measuring tape, a pencil, and paper and start recording the measurements. For the width, you need to measure from the wall to the counter, from the cabinet to the counter, cabinet to cabinet, or any other such side around the refrigerator space.
If you want to have the refrigerator beside a wall, you need to leave a gap of around 2.5 inches or more so that the refrigerator door can open smoothly without hitting the wall.
- Measure for height – If you’re going to have cabinets above the fridge, you also need to measure that height. Tape the tape and record the measurement from the floor to the bottom of the cabinets. You also need to account for a little bit of clearance under the cabinets. You don’t need to measure the height of your refrigerator if it isn’t going to have anything above it.
- Measure for depth – To determine the depth of the refrigerator that can be accommodated in the kitchen you need to measure from the edge of the countertop to the wall. After you measure the depth, you need to figure out a few more measurements. Depth of the fridge with the doors closed and fully open and even depth along with the handles and open drawers.
You also need to leave at least 2 inches of space at the back of the fridge to allow for proper ventilation so that the coils can operate efficiently. If you have an island kitchen you also need to measure the space in front of the refrigerator so that you can open the doors and drawers without them getting dinged.
- Calculate refrigerator capacity – The refrigerator capacity listed by the manufacturer usually tells you about the space inside the refrigerator. That gives you a rough idea of the amount of food that can fit inside the fridge. However, you need to calculate the refrigerator’s actual volume to make it fit in the kitchen.
To do that you need to multiply the height, width, and depth of the refrigerator. After that, you need to divide that figure by 1728 since one cubic foot equals that many inches. For instance, if a refrigerator is 24 inches wide, 70 inches tall, and 24 inches deep. Its actual volume would be 23.4 cubic feet.
Finally, you need to measure the path of the delivery from the nearest entrance of your property to the kitchen. Make sure that stairs are wide enough, and doors are both tall and wide for the fridge with some extra wiggle room.
Conclusion
Now that you know about the dimensions of standard-sized refrigerators and how you can fit them in your kitchen, shopping for a new refrigerator is going to be a less challenging task. Otherwise, you can get your old refrigerator fixed by a reputed technician near you by searching for “refrigerator repair near me”.
