The fridge's installation specs should tell you, GC, and DH what's required...with no arguments needed. :-)

Thanks rhome410. That makes plenty of sense...however, I don't have the fridge yet due to storage issues and he is going to begin building soon. I googled the installation specifications but couldn't find them. Does anyone have anything to offer on the situation? There are so many photos of finished kitchens on the blog like this. I'd really appreciate any input.

I just tried to search Kenmore and found nothing BUT I didn't try searching for minimum wall clearance. Someone at Sears should be able to tell you.

Can you vent out the back wall of refrigerator? We went with a SubZero because of this same concern. But that was in 2004. There must be other options by now. (My SubZero is nothing special other than how it's vented. LOL!)

So sorry, I see now that Sears doesn't seem to offer a user manual online. I think, though, you're really going to have to contact Sears to find out the guidelines for this fridge...Or maybe post the model number and hope others have the same one and can look it up for you from their manual.

You should probably at least be able to find out who makes the Kenmore model you purchased and then go to the manufacturer website for specs. Maybe that would work. I decided to stick with the specs for my Samsung even though that meant building the cabinet deeper than I wanted and bringing the adjoining cabinets and counter out deeper so the refrig didn't look quite so monstrous. It requires I think 2" in the back so you are smart to check.

how about asking on the appliance forum? they're really into it...

Just to give you an idea, NOT for your refrigerator...my refrigerator (a GE Profile FD, CD) requires 1/8" on the sides, 1" on the top, and 1/2" in the back for air clearance. The look you want is easily accomplished with these air clearances.

In general, CD refrigerators (if that's what you're getting) are designed to need very little air clearance.

I think your DH & GC are remembering the older refrigerators that needed several inches...refrigerators today are designed differently.

That said, I strongly encourage you to pick out your refrigerator and ask a Sears rep for the information you need.

BTW...since you have your email turned off in your profile, you probably are not getting these responses emailed to you, despite the fact that you checked the "Check here if you would like copies of follow-ups to your message emailed to you" box when you started this thread. You need to do both...check the box and turn on your email in your profile.

Beth,
It's very common for the refrigerator to not require more than about 1" of clearances on top and back, but check your model's requirements to avoid emotional arguments like previous posts recommend.

But, if you want, you might play the "age" card. Things have changed and the refrigerators are more efficient these days with more insulation around them to keep stuff inside cool. With older refrigerators, if you didn't provide enough ventilation, the heat generated would simply seep right back into the coolspace inside. But, with more insulation of today's refrigerators, it takes much longer for the exhaust heat to seep back inside, hence you don't need as much ventilation as the older models.

I put our unit in a wall cavity with top cabinets with 1" top clearances even though the specifications called for 1/2" clearance.

Don't compromise on this - they do make them so you don't need unsightly wide gaps for ventilation. They use less energy and don't require near as much heat exchange as the older models. Plus, they are quieter when you can minimize these gaps.

Here is another example (not our kitchen, but our refrigerator) of how they minimize these spaces in a freestanding refrigerator.

-DH of gsc

In addition to what others have said, maybe you can find photos on manufacturers' websites of fridges installed in cabinets to show them? As a matter of fact, I just checked the JennAir site and there was a oil rubbed bronze fridge on the home page that is in a cabinet! I'd be surprised if that Kenmore fridge isn't made by the same company.

In fact, if you look at their "Kitchens That Inspire" tab and look through the Kitchen Gallery, you'll see many French door fridges in tight-fitting cabinets.

Here is a link that might be useful: jenn air site

You could also do a shallower upper cabinet on the upper but mount it flush with the face of the fridge, leaving airspace behind it.

You could do a wider opening for the fridge but trim out the front edge so that it was closer. I recently installed a 36" wide fridge in a roughly 40" opening but trimmed out the front edge to a closer tolerance. That way, it gave the fridge more "breathing room" than required by the specs.

The difference between the conventional fridge and the counterdepth model by the same manufacturer was quite different, something like 1/4" on the sides of the CD and 1" on the sides of the full depth. The CD seems to be designed for tighter tolerances all around.

You are right - Sears doesn't mention that in their installation instructions. I'd call them.

Dudes are probably forgetting that the moldings on the side partly disguise some circulation space - about 2 inches worth overall. Most refs don't seem to need a lot of space at the top.

The claim for larger circulation space is that the ref will last longer. Considering the way most of this stuff is made these days, I'm not sure that's a persuasive argument unless you live in a warm climate and don't use air conditioning. That is not meant to ding Sears in any way, but is my general feelings about the increasing complexity and computerization of appliances.

I don't know what model you're getting, but my new Kenmore CD fridge requires 1/4" clearance at the top. The instructions state, "If you're installing in a cabinet, use the front levelling feet to bring the fridge 1/4" from the bottom of the cabinet above the fridge." That's all that's specified in the installation instructions. It has 1/2" or so pieces that stick out the back so you can't push it too close to the wall. I'm pretty sure it vents out the bottom front through the grill that's attached there.

Of course, that's my fridge, but like others said, if you can post a model #, someone might have the same one.