Integrated Refrigeration

25/06/2010

In response to the needs of the consumer, the kitchen designer, architect and interior designer, there has been a shift in domestic refrigeration design with the growth of integrated and built in refrigeration options.

Fortunately there are now a number of brands available in Australia, providing a choice on how to address this design issue.

Each brand has approached the challenge in a different way. Some are new entrants to the refrigeration market, using the base of a cooking brand to launch into refrigeration. Some manufacture there own products, while others badge engineer a product produced by another manufacturer to complete a brand line up.

At the time of writing Sub-Zero, Liebherr, Fischer & Paykel, Siemens, Miele and Gaggenau and GE, all have either built-in, or integrated refrigeration products on the market.

The informed consumer will have spent time researching each and discovering how they address the design aspects of built-in or integration.

Broadly there are two design choices. The first, those built-in to a cupboard, requiring surrounding air space, particularly at the rear. Many of these have a sliding mechanism connecting the fridge door to the cabinet door. The second, where the refrigerator is the cabinet and buts hard against surrounding cabinetry and the wall at the rear, requiring no surrounding air space. In this case matching cabinet doors are hung from the refrigerator door.

Sub-Zero has a rich heritage in both integrated and built-in refrigeration. The first to design and develop built-in refrigeration back in 1945, they have their manufacturing base in Madison Wisconsin USA.

How have Sub-Zero addressed this design issue differently to other brands?

· A Sub-Zero integrated or built-in refrigerator can be set against surrounding cabinets and requires no air space at the rear. Ventilation is either through the base kicker (integrated range), or at the front above the doors (built-in).

· Sub-Zero integrated refrigerators have high level of flexibility in matching shadow lines, either by raising or lowering the height of the lower drawer panel to match kicker heights or increasing the height of the door panel to match upper cabinet shadow lines.

· Uniquely a Sub-Zero Built-in side by side refrigerator/freezer can be flush fitted into surrounding cabinets with either matching cabinet doors or factory supplied stainless steel ones. Termed an Overlay model.

· Once installed any future servicing can be achieved from the front without the need to pull out the refrigerator. This ensures no risk of damage to surrounding cabinets or flooring.

· A simple hinge stop is provided with each fridge to restrict the door opening to 90deg if set against a return wall.

· Fridge door hinges are engineered to hold a door panel weight of 18kg for integrated units and 23kg for Built-in overlay models

· Sub-Zero integrated and built-in provides a huge choice of models for greater design flexibility. Right or left hand hinged, two handle styles. In all 57 different models (including RH & LH)

· Sub-Zero Accessories allow a high degree of customization. Handles for refrigerator and other cabinet doors, factory stainless steel panels with handles, dual installation kits to facilitate two or more units side by side. Even a dual wide grille to span two built-in units placed side by side.

· All combination refrigerator freezers have twin compressors to keep dry freezer air from the refrigerator section and have many other features designed to ensure long life food preservation. An air purification system in the Built-in range removes ethylene gas from ethylene producing food so protecting ethylene sensitive foods

· And finally a complete range of built-in or integrated Wine Preservation units that match the height of the refrigerators.

Back to news