French Door Fridges – an Appliances Online Buying Guide

February 10th, 2016

Appliance Talk Buying Guide Fridges & Freezers

Do you need some extra storage space to keep your family and guests well-fed? Do you ever wish that your food, drink, ice and chilled water were easier to access? Do you want to add a bit of additional style and sophistication to your kitchen?

In other words… have you considered a French Door Fridge?

What exactly IS a French Door Fridge?

A French Door fridge is a type of refrigerator with a bottom-mounted freezer, and either three or four doors.

Samsung SRF680CDLS 680L French Door Fridge

The fridge section on top opens with double doors, while the freezer either uses its own set of double doors, a single door, or a deep sliding drawer.

Why “French Door” fridge?

This fridge style is believed to have been inspired by the glass double-doors and windows found in classic French architecture, perfect for taking in the panoramic views of the majestic countryside and/or revolutionary mobs.

We can’t say for certain whether these 3 & 4 door fridges were specifically modelled after the design of these doors and windows, or if their resemblance is entirely accidental. Regardless, the name has stuck over the years.

What are the benefits of a French Door fridge?

LG GF-B620SL 620L French Door Fridge

How can a French Door fridge help you and your kitchen? Let us count the ways…

• More space – Behind a French Door fridge’s double doors are nice wide shelves, providing plenty of storage space. This allows you to store more food without turning filling the fridge into a complicated game of food Tetris… or if something goes wrong, Jenga!
• Fresh food at eye level – Just like other bottom mount fridges, French Door designs have their refrigerator section on top, so you can easily access your fresh food without having to crouch or bend down. As many households use far more fresh food than frozen, this can come in very handy, especially if your back isn’t the best.
• Convenient long-term storage – The freezer sections of many French Door designs are arranged into several deep drawers, allowing you to view their contents with just a quick glance downward. This is ideal for if you like to freeze food in bulk, and defrost it when it’s required.
• Ice and water options – Several French Door fridge designs include ice and water dispensers built into the door, allowing you and your loved ones to enjoy fresh chilled water or ice cubes at a moment’s notice. There are models available that connect to your kitchen’s plumbing to ensure a continuous supply of ice and water, as well as models that use a manually-refilled tank for a quicker and simpler installation.
• Perfect for entertaining – Prepared a large platter of party snacks but don’t want to leave it out until your guests arrive? A French Door fridge’s wide shelves are just the right size for storing these platters, allowing you to whip them out when the time comes.
• Easy access door options – sometimes known as a Door In Door or Handy Hatch, this miniature doorway built into the fridge door opens straight up onto your fridge’s door bins (I hope you like doors). Not only does this let you and your guests quickly grab a drink or a snack with ease, but it helps to limit the amount of cold air that escapes the fridge when you’re fetching these little items.
• Looks super-schmick! – Did we mention that French Door fridges are inspired by classic French architecture? As well as fine wine and pungent cheese, France is known for its culture of style, meaning a French door fridge can be a sophisticated addition to your kitchen’s décor.

What should I keep in mind when looking for a French Door fridge?

Some appliances aren’t for everybody – a vacuum cleaner isn’t the best choice for cleaning a house with nothing but tiles and floorboards, just a steam mop wouldn’t be optimal for cleaning a fully-carpeted home.

Westinghouse WHE7670SA 762L French Door Fridge

Similarly, a French Door fridge may not be suitable for every kitchen. Here’s why:

• Do you have enough space? – Not every home was designed with French Door fridges in mind, so there might not be enough room available to fit one. Make sure to measure your kitchen before buying a French Door fridge, taking the extra space required for ventilation into account. You may also want to compare the fridge’s depth to that of your kitchen counters to see if it’s likely to stick out from your benches and cabinetry – look for a “counter depth” model for a French door fridge with an intentionally shallow design for easier placement.
• Will you need plumbing? – A French Door fridge’s water and/or ice dispenser may need to be connected to your kitchen’s plumbing. Keep this in mind when working out if you have enough room for one of these fridges, as you may need to leave a little extra room for the piping if easy access to water isn’t immediately available.
• Are you prepared to refill water tanks and/or change filters? – If you opt for a French Door fridge with a manual-fill water dispenser, take into account the extra effort required to top up its water tank whenever it’s empty – usually not much, but it’s still one extra hassle. And both plumbed and unplumbed fridges with dispensers utilise water filters, which will need to be cleaned and/or replaced after they’ve seen a bit of action.
• How much door storage do you need? – Keep in mind that for some French Door fridges, the ice/water dispenser will occupy a chunk of space on the inside of the fridge door. Some models feature quite large tanks, filters and ice making machinery, which can leave you with less door storage space available on that side of the fridge.

What’s the difference between a French door fridge and a Side By Side or Pigeon Pair fridge?

The short answer is that French Door fridges place their fridge and freezer sections on top of one another, while Side By Side and Pigeon Pair fridges split their fridge and freezer space vertically, between the left and right hand sides.

Here’s the longer answer:

Pigeon Pair fridges are even bigger than French Door designs, consisting of a full-size dedicated fridge and full-size dedicated freezer set up alongside one another. This setup can hold a LOT of food, but it also requires a lot of your home’s floorspace.

LG GC-L197HPNL 563L Side by Side Fridge

French Door and Side By Side fridges tend to come in similar sizes, with their biggest difference being the way they use space. French Door fridges place their fridge and freezer sections on top of one another, while Side by Side fridges place them alongside one another (hence the name) so each section is equally easy to access, with minimal crouching or bending over. However, the fridge and freezer sections of a Side By Side fridge are sometimes a bit narrower than those of a French door fridge, which can make storing larger items something of a challenge.

Organising a French Door fridge delivery and installation

Because French Door fridges tend to be on the large side, sometimes require some specialised installation, you may be having second thoughts about buying one online. We get it – it’s a big decision!

Here’s what Appliances Online can do to help:

• Essential information – Appliances Online provides all the info required to make a smart decision when shopping for French Door fridges. With access to measurements, full manufacturer specs, and summaries of unique features (in both written and video format in many cases), you’ll be able to quickly compare and different models, brands and customer reviews of French Door fridges with ease.
• Best price – Because a French door fridge tends to be a premium choice, it’s important to make sure you get a good deal on your purchase. Appliance Online’s Best Price Guarantee means that we’ll match advertised competitor prices for identical in-stock items that include delivery, allowing you to get the best available offer while still enjoying our Legendary Service. Speaking of which…
• Free delivery, connection and removal – If you live in a metro area, Appliance Online can delivery your French Door fridge for free as part of our Legendary Service. What’s more, our team will also be able to perform a basic connection of your fridge (i.e. move it into your kitchen and plug it in) and take your old fridge away to be recycled, saving you the trouble.
• Professional installation available – Bought a fridge that needs connection to plumbing? Need a professional to look after that for you? We can help. Appliances Online’s team of installation experts, Handy Crew, can take care of your fridge’s connection when it gets delivered, allowing you to start enjoying its convenience as son as possible (installation fees apply).
• 14 Day Free Returns – Still not sure if you’re ready to make a major purchase like a French Door fridge sight-unseen? Are you worried you won’t like it, and will end up stuck with an oversized fridge that you can’t return? We get it, and we want to make sure you end up with the perfect fridge for your unique home. Appliance Online’s 14-Day Free Returns will allow you to test out a new French Door fridge, and if you decide within the first two weeks of delivery/installation that it’s not for you, you can return or exchange it for something else. It doesn’t matter if there’s nothing wrong with the fridge and you’ve just changed your mind – we’ll take it back anyway.

Need more French Door fridge information?

If you have any further questions about French Door fridges, or any other appliances for the kitchen, the laundry or elsewhere in the home, Appliances Online can help.

Explore our website to view our extensive selection from the world’s best brands, and if you need more help, contact our expert team at support@appliancesonline.com.au today – we’re available 24/7!