Do you like your internal (fridge) water dispenser?

14 years ago

I have not found a prior post exclusively devoted to this question -- one in the past got sidetracked into a discussion about Everpure water coolers -- that is not an option for us.

We are looking at CD, french door style fridges. What I'm noticing is that there is (obviously) already less space in a CD, and then the ones with a water/ice dispenser on the door have an unacceptable amount of fridge space taken up by that component. I have found a few with only a water dispenser on the outside which is better -- but the ones I've found so far are either a)Kitchen Aid (will not buy due to recent bad experience with this brand) and b) GE -- but the depth on the one I saw was an inch deeper than other CD models, making it stick out too much beyond my cabinetry.

We have 3 young boys that use our current external water / ice (water more than ice -- I hate the ice dispenser it's so messy) quite a lot. For those of you with an internal dispenser, do you like it? Does it drive you crazy to see the fridge door standing open while the kids get their drink? Seems inefficient to me. Any input appreciated. Right now I'm thinking of a Jenn Air CD FD with internal dispenser.

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yadax3

14 years ago

I like the internal water dispenser on our KA French Door model just fine for DH and I but I doubt it would work very well for young kids. First of all it's a bit higher than a typical in-door dispenser and it isn't as easy to use. You have to hold the container at an angle while pressing the button, which is tiring when filling large pitchers. I think you're right about not wanting kids standing there with the door open filling their glasses.

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wildboar
14 years ago
Fisher and Paykel RF201ADUX - shallow, water only door dispenser that takes up no internal space.

Dimensions
* Width : 35 7/18"
* Depth : 28 3/4"
* Height : 70 1/8"
mimi72
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks wildboar. That one looks nice. Unfortunately my cabinet space is exactly 70" high (there are cabinets above the fridge) -- so this won't work. Bummer!
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We have an internal ice dispenser in our cabin refrigerator. The fridge is a Whirlpool with a top freezer. The dispenser doesn't seem to get in the way, (it's on the ceiling) but if you have a lot of people in your family using it all the time, it may warm up the fridge. I like it though, and the water is always icy cold, which is nice. It's better than having a pitcher of water to take up space... I know what you mean, I dislike the door dispenser water/ice thing too. Ice is either falling on the floor, or crud is building up. The ice warms up from opening the freezer door and then freezes together in chunks, then won't go through the door dispenser! This particular fridge has a very large ice tray/maker in the freezer part which is very easy to pull out to fill a lot of glasses, or to just reach in and grab some cubes. No waiting like in a door dispenser! We needed a lot of ice for summer days and it fit the bill. sorry- I know the ice was not the subject :D I guess I ramble.
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i always hated the stupid water in the door things. the buttons never work well, so you have to snake your hand back behind the glass to push the button, plus if you like a big glass (which i do) you're SOL, cause it won't fit in the little nook. also, those drip trays underneath that are supposed to catch any water drips hold about a quarter oz. of water so they're basically useless and they always get all nasty and gross underneath them when you finally think to clean it. plus, i hate the aesthetic of looking at that box cut into the front of my fridge, and i hate how much space the icemaker part takes up right at chest height, which is premium freezer storage space. (i don't have one of the internal water dispenser units, though, so i can't speak to their functionality. they do seem far more appealing to the dreaded water in the door) oh, and i also hate the filter on the tap solution, since it's ugly and the water flow slows to a trickle when you activate it so you have to stand there for like three full minutes to grab a glass of (tepid) water. i also like my water cold (without the use of ice cubes) so they suck for that reason as well.
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We got the (new) KA built-in with in door ice/water dispenser. We chose it for a number of reasons, but the two biggies--we liked the fact that the ice maker/holder itself is in the door, rather than in the freezer compartment. This frees up some shelving space in the freezer where we prefer having the shelf space, rather than in the door. Second, we liked the shelf/crisper configuration in the fridge compartment. It seemed like it would suit our needs the best. Another plus, is that for a built-in, the price was lower than Viking, SZ, Thermador..... The fridge comes with a built in water filter (Pur), but we also have a house filter on the cold water line going to our kitchen (sink, pot filler, and fridge), so the water dispenser water is "double" filtered.
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In our remodel, we will have external ice and water and a hot water dispenser in the prep sink. Right now we use the Brita and a hot water pot (plugged in 24/7) which keeps water boiling hot but sits on the counter and takes up lots of space. My kids and DH love cold water and miss the dispenser (which is currently broken on my kitchenaid) That was one of their musts for the new kitchen. I LOVE hot water and can't live without it for tea and hot water, hot chocolate. I would rather pull a lever rather than microwave or boil water. SO, for our remodel, my rationale was since i'm getting cold filtered water in the fridge- I would save and get the hot water dispenser in the sink. If the water dispenser in the fridge is that slow..i'll put the Brita in my new and bigger fridge. For me it wasn't a hard decision- it seems overkill to have 2 filtered cold water dispensers. Now I have to look into the energy consumption you are talking about because I am trying to be energy conscience and efficient with this new remodel.
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trepex
14 years ago
But it's only 70 1/8 including the hinge cap. Presumably you're going to have the doors (and therefore the hinges) outside the cabinet space, and so you'll be fine. I don't see any cabinet measurements, but the AJMadison page shows the dimensions and clarifies that the hinge cap height is included in that 70 1/8" dimension.

http://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/RF201ADUX.html
mimi72
Original Author
14 years ago
Hmmm...I see your point. I guess it depends on how long the hinges are. On my current fridge the hinges are 6.75" long but vary in height from 0.5" to 1". My upper cab cut-out is 70" high. The fridge's cabinet space is 24" deep. It might work. Perhaps a bigger issue is that this unit doesn't seem to get very good reviews, at least on the ajmadison site. I will search this forum to see if there is better experience. I was leaning toward a Jenn Air because folks on this forum seem to give good reviews to their Jenn Air CD FD fridges. Actually, there is also an LG model that would work for me, but I'm a bit scared off of LG due to people's experiences here.
wildboar
14 years ago
Take a closer look at the reviews though. You've got the one guy who is upset because he can't use it for football practice or karate kid moves and says it "dents and scratches easily." I don't know about you, but I am not doing anything to scratch my fridge.

The other person is too dense to realize the shelves are fully adjustable and gives it a bad review based on that.
katienic
14 years ago
We have a new FD CD Jenn-air with internal water dispenser.
I like it, my DH doesn't. It seems to take a long time to fill a glass of water compared to our old freestanding office cooler type dispenser.

I find the water taste is great, there was no plastic-y taste even from the beginning.

Just tonight we discovered that the water flow all of a sudden seemed to be stronger and it just happened that DH had flipped the arm so no ice would be made. I'll have to check it again in the morning to see if there is a relationship between the water flow/ ice maker engaged or not.
marciag
14 years ago
I had an older bottom-freezer Amana Fridge with an internal water dispenser and then got a GE profile FD with an external dispenser (no ice dispenser). I have to say I like the external dispenser much more. Even though the water flow is slower on the GE, it is just more convenient to have the water on the outside. I have 3 kids and the fridge door is opened much less frequently.
mls99
14 years ago
I have a JennAir CD FD with water on the inside. I don't think it's as convenient as the door-dispensers, but not so inconvenient that I resent it. Plus I prefer the look of the flat door with no dispenser. I'm very happy with the reliability. Good luck.
adla
14 years ago
I have a JennAir CD bottom freezer with interior water dispenser. I agree with the poster who said it's not as easy as the external water. You have to push the button just so and then hold it down while you hold the glass at an angle to prevent splashing-- you definitely need two hands. Also, I think it's a waste of electricity to have the door open so long and so often. That said, the water tastes great and it doesn't take up any space.

Do you like your internal (fridge) water dispenser?

yadax3

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Do you like your internal (fridge) water dispenser?

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