'American' fridge freezers

[essexeagle]

You shouldn't let the 'plumbed in' thing bother you. It's hardly plumbing! Mine came with a very small diameter flexible hose that was at least 12' long that can be run anywhere you want. This connects to a water filter at the back of the fridge and taps into a cold water supply pipe adaptor the same as a washing machine would. Easy!

 

[CheeseRolls]

I have a Siemens side by side unit with the ice and water dispenser. This one has bags of space, but wasn't cheap. As others have said the plumbing is not that tricky essentially it is just water in, there is no disposal. Getting the thing in the house, can be more of a challenge.

Pros -
Holds masses of food in the fridge and freezer.
Easy to clean and food does seem to stay fresh longer.
Everyone uses the water and ice, which are convenient and cold.
The dog loves it and always appears to scrounge an ice cube.
Quite and relatively cheap to run.

Cons -
The water filter prices are extortionate. I have stopped buying the official filters and switched to a third party Ebay supplier. These are still around £30 and should be changed every 6 months or so.
There is only a small drip tray to catch water, which needs to be cleaned regularly. This is not a major chore.

The Siemens unit I own, seems to be almost identical to one sold by Panasonic. I couldn't find any evidence, but I am pretty sure they are the same, bar a few minor cosmetic changes. The Panasonic shop in Brighton has these on display if you want to take a look. This is in the old Gamleys store in Imperial Arcade.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

I've had a Bosch one for about 3 years now - plumbed in so ice [crushed or chunks] and chilled water on tap [literally] - ice is great for drinks [and the occasional sports injuries]. The ice making unit does take up some freezer space but we also have a chest freezer in the garage so not an issue.

My only complaint is that the plastic shelf runners and drawers are made out of a form of plastic that seems to go brittle over time - we had three replaced during warranty and now another one has gone [poor / cheap materials?]

 

[El Presidente]

I drink water most of the time, have a Samsung and it's one of the best purchases I've ever made.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

MIGHT AS WELL GO THE WHOLE HOG AND BUY ONE OF THOSE RETRO AMERICAN MOBILE HOMES ,YOU KNOW THOSE SILVER LOOKING CIGAR SHAPE THINGS from the 50'S
regards
DR

 

[Muhammad - I’m hard - Bruce Lee]

I drink water most of the time, have a Samsung and it's one of the best purchases I've ever made.

Check the model, if it's an RS20 or 21, they are subject to a safety recall due to faulty de-frost element / sensors

 

[Bozza]

You shouldn't let the 'plumbed in' thing bother you. It's hardly plumbing! Mine came with a very small diameter flexible hose that was at least 12' long that can be run anywhere you want. This connects to a water filter at the back of the fridge and taps into a cold water supply pipe adaptor the same as a washing machine would. Easy!

It's not the plumbing itself I have a concern with it's that where it will probably go. In the house we're buying, the current fridge freezer is situated the far side to all watery things in the kitchen, and there's a door between the fridge freezer and water in both directions. I have no idea what would be required to get (neat/hidden) plumbing to it.

I've since discovered some that do not need to be plumbed in - you manually fill them periodically. That seems an easier way to go.

 

[London Irish]

Is the worry though that you yourself end up American-sized

 

[CheeseRolls]

It's not the plumbing itself I have a concern with it's that where it will probably go. In the house we're buying, the current fridge freezer is situated the far side to all watery things in the kitchen, and there's a door between the fridge freezer and water in both directions. I have no idea what would be required to get (neat/hidden) plumbing to it.

I've since discovered some that do not need to be plumbed in - you manually fill them periodically. That seems an easier way to go.

Sounds like you are getting this round your neck, due to having too many other things to worry about. It is probably a simple plumbing job, possibly a pipe down through the ceiling. I doubt it will be that expensive or messy, especially if you are going to stick a sodding big American fridge in front of it.

 

[dazzer6666]

Decided to get one when we had our kitchen done. Plenty big enough for 4 of us, freezer section is fine and ice/water 'on tap' is brilliant. Earlier post about cost of filters is valid - about £30 every 6 months (although water/ice still works if filter is out of date, presumably just 'unfiltered' !). Can recommend Samsung, ours is a bit like this. We did have an issue with the drip tray on the freezer door starting to corrode - complained to Samsung and after a bit of discussion they sent an engineer round to replace the door. He said it wasn't uncommon, and was due to the original installers not taking off the protective covering correctly. Plumbing wasn't an issue as we were changing the kitchen anyway, but it could easily be plumbed from any cold water supply pipe nearby using one of those 'puncture valve' thingies.

http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/...ican-style/RS7567BHCSP/EU?subsubtype=h-series

 

[mikeyjh]

I drink water most of the time, have a Samsung and it's one of the best purchases I've ever made.

Likewise, not had a moments problem in 3 years and all the space a normal family could need. Another reminder to check dimensions before you buy, in terms of getting it in to place. We had t take the doors off the thing......

 

[Ex-Staffs Gull]

It's not the plumbing itself I have a concern with it's that where it will probably go. In the house we're buying, the current fridge freezer is situated the far side to all watery things in the kitchen, and there's a door between the fridge freezer and water in both directions. I have no idea what would be required to get (neat/hidden) plumbing to it.

I've since discovered some that do not need to be plumbed in - you manually fill them periodically. That seems an easier way to go.

Had exactly the same issue and the plumbing was a pain. Saying that, it amazes me how quickly we seem to get through 4 liters of water and seem to be forever filing it up. Iced water is nice on tap though.

 

[LadySeagull]

One word of advice I will give is make sure the one you choose will actually go through door openings/round corners when it's being put in.

We made that mistake, measured the alleyway and back gate but didn't take account of the slight turn needed to get an item like this through - and it didn't go through! All credit to Boots Kitchen Appliances who let me choose an alternative without any extra delivery cost or anything even though they had to take the first choice FF away and come back another day!

We had enough room once the 'getting round the corner' issue was overcome so we chose these separate side by side fridge & freezer (another vote for Samsung, these are great!):

http://www.appliancecity.co.uk/sams...I9uVz0a0r3xmNp2IQXRo062bl48PL6zHLZFWr2DvD_BwE

Don't forget to clear your cookies and go via Quidco.com to get cashback on any online purchases or you are handing them commission that you could be earning. For example that link is to Appliance City and on Quidco you get 4% cashback just for using their search engine to get to that website.

Plus if you choose a Smeg, Quidco.com has an extra '5% off Smeg + 4% cashback '. That's on top of any website offer. If you aren't a Quidco convert yet, do explore it.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Is it really worth all the expense just for cold water??

 

[Fef]

As for space inside .... Enough for a family of 3 with 3 dogs.

Blimey - it must be big if you can get all that in it !

I'll get me coat.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Blimey - it must be big if you can get all that in it !

I'll get me coat.

Don't bother with the coat; that was class.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

It's not the plumbing itself I have a concern with it's that where it will probably go. In the house we're buying, the current fridge freezer is situated the far side to all watery things in the kitchen, and there's a door between the fridge freezer and water in both directions. I have no idea what would be required to get (neat/hidden) plumbing to it.

I've since discovered some that do not need to be plumbed in - you manually fill them periodically. That seems an easier way to go.

I obviously have no idea of your specific layout - but what's above or behind the preferred wall? Might just be a feed from the bathroom could be simpler than you first realised.

Or maybe not ....