Bottom Freezer Refrigerators - French door or Single door?

17 years ago

We know we want a bottom freezer, but we are not sure if we want a french door or single door. Are there any distinct advantages of one over the other?

Any recommendations of either type?

Thanks!

Featured Answer

wa8b

17 years ago

Unless you have limited space in front of the fridge, a single door will usually be more convenient. Think about it. With a single door, you only need one hand to open the fridge. With a FD model, you need two hands. With a single door fridge, when you walk up to the refrigerator with something in one hand, you can open the door with the other. With a FD model, unless you know which side the item will go in, you've got to set the item down , then use both hands to open the fridge completely.

You also lose storage space in the door on FD models. Instead of one wide shelf all the way across the door, you get two shorter shelves. The space in the middle is lost.

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Comments (8)

staceyinmaine
17 years ago
Well- here's one I just discovered. With a French Door, it is much more akward if one edge is against a wall or counter.

Our current fridge is a basic top-freezer, full-width door, and it's no problem that it's against the wall: the door opens 90 degrees and that's plenty to access the interior.

With a French door, you really want to be able to open both doors more than 90 degrees.

Unfortunately, we didn;t realize that until after we bought an un-returnable floor model!

I think we'll get used to it and it will be OK, but we'll probably have to remove the door to get the drawer out for cleaning :(

Other than that, it seems SO smart to have the freezer on the bottom, WHY did it take us all so long to figure that out?

I do think that the doors on a 36" wide model are better as French doors. The single door is just too enormous.
merimom
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks, stacey! Good point about being able to open the doors all the way.

We are thinking about getting a counter-depth frig, so I definitely want a 36-wide to make up for the loss in depth. Anyone out there with a 36-wide single door frig? (I suppose this would include top freezers too) Is the door too big and heavy? Too much strain on the hinge?

As far as French door refrigerators go, I am also wondering about having your door in the way of your countertop landing area. We will have a pantry cabinet, then refrigerator, then countertop. I wonder if it will be awkward to have the french door in the way. I guess the same would be true with a side-by-side, but I have never had one of those either. I am just so used to opening the frig with my left arm, grabbing what I want with my right and putting it on the countertop to my right.

Those with french door frigs, do you always open both doors? I dont know if I like the idea of having to use both arms to open the frig. It's not that I'm THAT lazy, but it just feels odd.

Any further input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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msventoux
17 years ago
I have a french door fridge and I love it. I usually only open one side at a time unless I'm dealing with a platter or something large.

However, I live alone and am pretty good about putting things back in the same place so I don't have to go hunting for them later. On occasions when I've had guests for any amount of time it drove me nuts that they didn't always put things back where they belonged and then I would have to open both sides to find what I needed. I can see where that would be a problem if you live with others, unless you're really good at training them to always put things back in the same place. It's not a big deal to open both doors at the same time, it's just a little annoying doing it because something is misplaced.
merimom
Original Author
17 years ago
Thanks, msventoux...I was just thinking that...If you have a spot for everything it would be best. Not sure if that would always happen at my house. At least having the frig on top and freezer on the bottom will keep my kids out of there until the get taller. ;-)
rhome410
17 years ago
A French door won't need as much aisle clearance to open. Either would have trouble right next to a wall, as either would need more than 90 degrees to open fully. With a French door, I think it works best to have a landing spot across the aisle from the fridge, instead of right next to it.

But I think location in your layout should dictate which style you get. If you will move in only one direction with the food, get a one-door that swings out of your way, since the French door would have one door that would block. If, however, your fridge will be kind of centrally located between two food destinations, for example, you go one way to the stove, and the other way to the table, the French door could be the best choice, so that you don't have a large door blocking one of your paths out of the fridge. Hope that makes sense.
bluekitobsessed
17 years ago
I definitely vote for FDs. I usually open only one door at a time. I also believe -- and this is JMO, not science -- that because you are opening a smaller door, less cold air escapes and thus FDs are more energy efficient than single doors.
cubby325
last year
I had a single door 36" wide, and it was fine. Single door is much more convenient. I have a french door now because I needed ice and water through the door for a family member. After 30 years with a single door, I would gladly go back to it. If I sell this house, the counter depth 36" Bosch french door (only a month old) will stay with the house.