Question about American fridge freezer and space around sides

[Honey1975]

We’ve just bought one and had it delivered this week. The instructions say to allow a gap around the sides of 2.5cm and the back 5cm. Where we have put it there is enough gap on the left but the right goes almost right up to the worktop and cupboard. There is nothing above so big gap to the ceiling.

DH said when the men installed it they said it was fine that there was hardly any gap on the right hand side as with this machine it all goes on at the base (whatever it is the gap is needed for).
I’m not sure, does anyone know? We could pull it out further to give it the full clearance all round but there would be a massive gap at the back and it would stick out well past the worktop.

The gaps are to allow air to circulate around the coil that gets rid of the heat. That's usually on the back or underneath the fridge. Since warmer air rises the gap at the top is the most important. You have nothing above it blocking the air rising from the coil, so it should really be fine.

I have to smile when I see people here refer to the side by side configuration as American. We just call them side by sides and they're very unpopular here. The narrow freezer compartment doesn't work for frozen pizza boxes or 20 pound Thanksgiving turkeys, so the only place I ever see them are in office lunch rooms.

Good luck with the new American fridge.

MissConduct the alternative here is freezers below the fridge with a tall shallow space, with drawers that don't fit anything. My freezer drawers are 14" x 13" x 6"(!!) and the only way I can fit a (small) frozen pizza is at an angle in a completely empty drawer. A turkey of any size is difficult, we always buy fresh, if we get a frozen one it has to be defrosted immediately. We tried to just ditch the drawers completely but then the space is difficult to use.

I can't wait to move, there is space for a side by side fridge in our new kitchen - so excited!