Refrigerator Repair?

[cowadle]

4" on each side is nonsense lawyer speak for CYA purposes. You need back ventilation for the compressor heat to escape and you'll be more than fine. You could downsize the unit also and get clearance all around if you (or the wife) is hung up on the 4" thing, but it might look funny if it's got gaps all around. Like a motorcycle parked in a warehouse.

Also, if you're just swapping for a Samsclub mini and you have no ventilation at all, you can replace it every 2-3 years and still come out ahead.Or you could cut out slits and ventilate it yourself. Unless it's rock. I wouldn't want to mess with cutting rocks.
Congrats on the new house!

not sure about this. but if the fridge is new enough the condenser coils are built into the sides of the unit rather on the back like they used to be. so side clearance could be an issue????

 

[TinkerTanker]

not sure about this. but if the fridge is new enough the condenser coils are built into the sides of the unit rather on the back like they used to be. so side clearance could be an issue????

Good question. Most mini fridges have coils in the back. But side mounted coils will still vent through the bottom/back and out of the top with the flow of the condenser air. The feet keep them off the ground so heat can circulate. It's horribly inefficient but again, these are disposable fridges not meant to last more than a couple of years.

 

[TerryMiller]

Good question. Most mini fridges have coils in the back. But side mounted coils will still vent through the bottom/back and out of the top with the flow of the condenser air. The feet keep them off the ground so heat can circulate. It's horribly inefficient but again, these are disposable fridges not meant to last more than a couple of years.

Perhaps with most now-a-days, but we had a mini-fridge that lasted us a number of years at work before we retired. We then gave it to the wife's oldest sister who ended up giving it to her granddaughter when she went off to college. When the granddaughter finished with it, it went back to wife's sister and then back to us. We gave it away about a month ago to a couple that needed a small "back-up" fridge. That one is well over 10 years old.

 

[dennishoddy]

Good question. Most mini fridges have coils in the back. But side mounted coils will still vent through the bottom/back and out of the top with the flow of the condenser air. The feet keep them off the ground so heat can circulate. It's horribly inefficient but again, these are disposable fridges not meant to last more than a couple of years.

Don't know about the current mini fridges, but the one in the shop for beer has been around for almost 15 years for me and was used when I got it. I keep a really small fan behind it in the heat of the summer to keep air moving across the coils. Amazing that they only pull a couple of amps to keep everything close to freezing temps inside.