Hi Everyone - I was having the same issue with our kitchenaid beverage center - and it was driving me nuts. Made no sense that canned drinks on the top were so warm - and I wanted to fix this. We bought our house with this fridge included in the deal (all appliances included). I am generally fairly handy - so I went to the internet to find a solution. Which led me to this website (discussion) through google. I paid particular attention to what sharrongrant58 said above - as it seemed to make the most sense. WITHOUT buying any additional parts, I did the following. I realized that it is obvious that the machine is designed to shut off once the interior temperature reaches what you have the thermostat set at. My fridge has the single knob thermostat at the bottom - and displays three separate temperatures for digitally inside for the lower middle and upper shelves. On a good day I would get 39 - 53 - 63. With the 39 being the concerning temperature. With the same readings above - if I put in a small digital thermometer in the fridge - sat it on a can on the top shelf just to see the reality, I would get maybe 45 degrees. Friggin too warm for beer. And the beer tasted too warm. So - knowing that the fridge compressor is shutting off too soon, led me to realize that the thermostat bulb is thinking the fridge is cold enough, and shuts off as per design. This meant to me - we got to move that thermostat bulb. So - I found a service manual on this fridge on line - here is the link.. Kitchenaid beverage center service manual Following the service manual - I tore it apart from the inside. Using the manual makes it real easy - and makes sense - read it first about the disassembly. It mainly helps in showing how to take out the shelves and removing the back panel in order to access the temperature bulb. You will have to unclip two different white wire connectors. It also shows pictures of the main temperature bulb, and pictures of what it looks like when the back panel is removed. All you are looking to do is get access to this temperature bulb - nothing else, so don't keep tearing it apart. What you are looking for once you get back there is a long black tube heading up from the bottom of the unit on the right hand side which is partially wrapped in grey foam. This is the temperature bulb. It continues up, then wraps in a double circle around a white connector and wires kind of hanging around it. Once you have located this - it is time to "move" it. Now, this is a copper tube that can easily pinch, or break - which is full of gas which fluctuates in order to send a signal to the thermostat to shut off or on. You don't want to crimp or damage this. So, when doing what I am about to describe - do it carefully. I had no idea where sharrongrant58 service man moved this tube - so it was a shot in the dark for me that worked! I gently unwrapped it from around the wires it was enclosed in (easy). I carefully redirected/ extended the end of the tube towards the center of the fridge to the left of of where it originally was. Basically i have it extended out (not wrapped in a double circle) up as high as possible to allow the back cover to go back on - and extending to the left mostly unwrapped, with a half circle still left in the tube so it basically sits in the center of the fridge as high as possible. I wish I took pictures - but my wording is pretty accurate. So - the tubing is coming from the bottom right of the fridge - all the way up as it was originally, but now continuing up as high as possible to allow the cover back on - and just uncircling the end from the wires - and redirecting the end to a new location (towards the fridge rear center) - and leaving a half circle in the very end (a 180 degree turn in the tube) - and having it as high as possible to allow the back cover to go back on like a "7" design. Again, as high as possible to allow cover to go back on. I then put the fridge all back together as per the service manual (did some quick cleaning as the fridge is probably at least 8 years old) - and then put it back in place. You will definitely need a flashlight for this job - or a light directed inside the fridge - as it is pretty dark back there. So - with further research - I knew that people were getting their fridge too cold once they did modifications. - - So, I backed off the knob thermostat from 100 percent to 50 percent. Plugged it in - put all of my cans and bottles back in, and waited. Watched the temperature over a 8 hour period, and adjusted the knob thermostat based on that. I now have it set to around 60 percent dialed, and getting displayed temperatures of on average 32 - 48 - 58... I could go colder, but I don't want things exploding/freezing inside. My digital thermometer sitting on same can/same locations now registers 36. It could be colder at rear of fridge - that is why I am careful. Keeping in mind that the 32 - 48 - 58 will fluctuates two to three degrees either way, the temperature won't be constant - no fridge is.. I was about to turf this fridge - and now it was fixed in 1.5 hours, after a year of being ticked at it - and trying to figure out a fix. Hope the above helps someone..... Thanks sharrongrant58!

I think it depends on how you're going to really use the space. We're putting a BC on the island, adjacent to an undercounter ice maker. We plan to use the island as a prep area, but also a counter-height bar to serve drinks from to guests on the seating side. It's a KitchenAid model that stores wine on the bottom and other drinks toward the top. Since we bought a 36" built in fridge, it will help maximize the counterdepth space in there by moving all drinks to the BC, rather than wasting it on beer, cokes, etc. Do you have a need to store other types of items at the butler's pantry? How will you use this space? Here is a link that might be useful: Our bungalow and kitchen remodel blog

Thank you dyhgarden - I think you're right about the tray. It will help everything to not float as much. If I do the open shelves, do you think about finding shelves that match the wine rack, or should I do another kind of shelving. Also your question about will I use the chalkboard is a good one! I don't think I would use it for list making, but I would use it as a changing "thought of the day" kind of thing. I can't decide if that is something I like or not. Angel 18432, my original intent was to paint the wall with chalkboard paint, but I was afraid it would be too dark. The wall I saw the wine rack on is a very dark gray, so maybe I need to think about painting it all with chalkboard paint.

It’s a simple fix. And your electrician is just being silly. And your contractor obstinate. Who did the design work for your kitchen? They should have had the appliance specs so that electrical outlet would be on the plan’s with no weaseling from fools about it can’t be done. It absolutely CAN be done. And it’s not even hard. You have a whole cabinet adjacent to the fridge in which the outlet can be located.