My parents and their household appliances are aging--this week, they replaced old their washer and dryer. Two major appliances need replacing in the kitchen of their 1960s bungalow. Although the electric range still works, it has probably had its last repair. The refrigerator leaks and is not energy-efficient. The problem is that my parents do not want to remove the original wood cabinetry above the refrigerator, so there is only enough room for a 64-1/2 inch high refrigerator in that space. The width is not a problem. Although energy experts say that most families of three or fewer people do not need a refrigerator larger than 16.5 cubic feet in volume, there aren't many refrigerators on the market in that size. The only fridges I can find that fit the space are a Frigidaire (found in an online appliance warehouse site; call for pricing--and my mother wants to see the fridge in person) and a Sears Kenmore (online and in their catalogue--but my mother wants to see a model in-store.)
Why are all most fridges high and narrow? Wouldn't it make sense to make a shorter, wider fridge? Then cupboards above them would be more accessible. When my children were small, they broke the metal clips holding the plastic bottom guard of my Kitchenaid refrigerator because they stood on it to reach the higher shelves of the refrigerator. Fridges with the freezer section on top need 1/2 inch of space for ventilation between the cupboards and the shelves since hot air rises--why are there no refrigerator/freezers wider than 28 inches that are lower than 65 inches high? Not all of us live in homes with 9 foot main floor ceilings. Also, since the population in North America is aging and our spines tend to compress as we age, it seems that many of us may become an inch or so shorter as we grow older. Refrigerator and upper cabinet shelves that we can reach would be a benefit. What about wheel-chair accessible refrigerators?
Forget about the automatic ice-makers, water dispensers, stainless steel doors and and fancy humidity controls--I'd like to see basic appliances with a wider range of size options--and please make the plastic parts more durable.
