My integrated fridge/freezer doors do not line up with the kitchen unit

 

Integrated fridge freezerAt first when you unpack your tall 50/50 fridge/freezer housing and the fridge freezer itself, you get a sinking feeling that something is wrong, as to the untrained eye, it looks like the integrated fridge/freezer is too small for the standard 1970mm tall housing.

As manufacturers of integrated fridge freezers tend to change their sizes slightly and the doors are not always in the same position, there is something that you need to do first to ensure that the appliance doors line up with those of the kitchen unit.

Before you continue…

One very important thing to do first is to look at the hinging on your tall unit housing compared with your appliance. When you ordered your tall fridge/freezer kitchen unit, you may have opted for a left hand hinged version, which is fine, but many integrated fridge/freezers are delivered with their hinges on the right hand side!

Changing the hinges is pretty simple and having only just changed the hinges on my own fridge/freezer some 48 hours ago, here is how to do it firsthand.

(1) The  best thing to do is to get two people to do this. One person to hold the appliance door to stop it from falling whilst the other person unscrews the 2 screws on each of the hinges.

(2) Now that you have the 2 hinges, the hinge that used to be top right will now be bottom left and the hinge that used to be bottom right will now be top left. Screw these hinges back in with the screws that you have. I had a little trouble doing this by hand as the screws kept getting stuck, but with the aid of an electric screw driver, they soon went in fine.

One thing that I did notice was that on the freezer section was that the hinge that was at the bottom had bent slightly downwards from the weight of the appliance. When I put that hinge on the top left of the freezer door, the bend was reversed and now too far up and there was a lot of play in the freezer door moving up and down. I managed to bend this hinge back into position with a few pairs of pliers quite easily though.

Fridge freezer door hinges

How to measure up and adapt

The total height of an integrated 50/50  fridge freezer is around 177cm. The height of each of the tall kitchen unit doors is 98.6cm. If you do the math, 177cm / 2 = 88.5cm for the centre point of your fridge/freezer section. At this point the 98.6cm unit door seems too high to cover an 88.5cm appliance door, but here is the solution.

Door levels for fridge freezer

As you can see from the image below, you need to raise the integrated fridge/freezer up enough, so that the centre of the appliance is in line with the centre of the unit doors. Your fridge/freezer usually has a space of around 6cm between each door, so you have a little wiggle room with your measurements.

Raised integrated fridge freezer

One thing to remember is that your kitchen unit door will cover the base of the tall unit carcase, which is around 2cm, you’ll then need to raise the fridge/freezer high enough so that you can line it up but also factor in  the small support shelf you put in as this will have a thickness of around 2cm, so don’t forget to add these into your calculations. The best way of making the bottom support is to use a tall unit shelf and some plinth for the sides and screw them together.

When everything is connected, there will be a 3-5mm gap between each of the unit doors to prevent them from touching each other upon opening and closing.

 What do I do with the space at the top of the fridge/freezer?

When you measure up and created the shelf support at the bottom of the freezer/freezer, you’ll notice that there is a gap at the top, as shown below.

Top opening integrated fridge freezer

Now you can do 1 of 2 things here.

(1) Create a shelf above the fridge freezer to create a bit of additional storage where you could store empty ice cube trays for example.

(2) Just get a piece of plinth material and cut it to size so that it fills in the remaining gap. See the right hand side of the image above.

You may want to order an additional tall unit shelf and some additional plinth in unit material, so that you can create the necessary shelves to support your fridge freezer.

Securing the fridge/freezer into position

To ensure that your doors stay aligned and nothing gets pulled out of shape, you’ll need to secure your fridge freezer to the unit housing. This is done by:

(1) Use the supplied supporting brackets that fit across the middle of the fridge and attach to the sides of the tall kitchen unit. Then use the supplied plastic clips to hide the metal bracket.

Middle support bracket integrated fridge freezerShare this article

(2) Place screws into the bottom of the feet of the appliance that will screw down into the appliance housing. Your fridge freezer may look a little different but the principle remains the same. There will be a small cap to cover the screws on some appliances to make it look neat and tidy.

Feet support integrated fridge freezer

(3) If you opt to have some plinth material fitted to the top of your tall kitchen unit then you can use any screw holes present in the top framework of your fridge/freezer, and screw it into the bottom of the plinth panel  that you have just created.

Top support integrated fridge freezer

 

I hope that you found this information useful!

 




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63 thoughts on “My integrated fridge/freezer doors do not line up with the kitchen unit”
  • Graham Danbury says:

    Hi, I have a 177 integrated fridge AEG. Two questions, do I need to remove the back of the unit for the appliance to fit and do.i need to raise the appliance or sit directly on the bottom shelf?

    Thank you

     
    October 3, 2023 at 11:00 am
    • DIY Kitchens says:

      Hi Graham,

      This 3 pieces of wood at the back of the unit are there for transportation purposes only and can be removed to get the unit into place (see here).

      Depending on how your door alignments is, you may need to raise the appliance, as shown here.

      Raise fridge

      If you need any other assistance then our aftersales team will be happy to help on 01977 608 418.

       
      October 4, 2023 at 5:57 am
  • Stephen Gerry says:

    Hello. We have ordered the (IFHDT6) tall 2150 (2300) with legs unit, with the 1425 door option. Fridge freezers tend to be around the 180cm mark, but some are taller, at around 203cm. Would one of these taller fridge freezers fit into the unit? And if so, would we still be looking for a fridge/freezer that is advertised as 70/30?

    Many thanks!

     
    September 7, 2021 at 2:43 pm
    • DIY Kitchens says:

      Hi, IFHDT6 is suitable for a 70/30 split fridge freezer, the internal space is H2114mm x W564mm and the bottom door is 715mm high. You will need to ensure that the doors will line up with this. If you need anymore assistance with this then our sales team will be able to help on 01977 608 418.

       
      September 8, 2021 at 6:04 am
  • John says:

    Do your integrated fridge/freezer housing units come with a shelf to elevate the fridge freezer? If not, what do you recommend?

     
    August 6, 2021 at 7:39 am
    • DIY Kitchens says:

      Hi, yes the fridge/freezer housing does come with a shelf that can be used to lift the fridge.

       
      August 6, 2021 at 1:01 pm
  • J Foley says:

    Hi, I’m buying the 600mm Integrated Fridge/Freezer Housing – 1970mm High code: IFHD2FIHESA
    Is this the housing for a 70:30 fridge/freezer?

    Also, what height would a typical integrated fridge/freezer be for this unit?

     
    August 5, 2021 at 7:59 am
    • DIY Kitchens says:

      This is to suit a 70/30 integrated fridge/freezer yes. Typically, the appliances tend to be between 1700-1800mm high as standard. However, the internal height of the unit is around 1934mm, so the appliance can be slightly bigger.

       
      August 6, 2021 at 1:12 pm
  • Susan says:

    Hello
    Could you let me know please how much taller than the fridge freezer does the cabinet need to be? I am looking at a 1770 tall fridge freezer. Due to the positioning of a steel joist there is restricted ceiling height in that part of the kitchen so may need to use a 1825 unit. Will this be ok?
    Thank you

     
    May 19, 2021 at 5:38 pm
    • DIY Kitchens says:

      Hi, the tallest fridge/freezer housing we offer is 1970mm (2120mm with legs) the internal height will be 1934mm for this unit. We do not offer an 1825mm tall unit anymore unfortunately. We do offer a mid height unit that is 1250mm high (1400mm with legs).

       
      May 20, 2021 at 3:36 pm
  • David Scotland says:

    If I order your Luca Gloss integrated larder unit to use it for a fridge, do you supply a sliding or fixed hinge?

     
    May 16, 2021 at 7:34 pm
    • DIY Kitchens says:

      Hi, the hinges on our units are fixed. The sliding hinge supplied with the integrated fridge, will attach to the door of the unit. When the door of the unit is opened, the fridge door will then open too, on the sliding hinge that was supplied with the fridge.

       
      May 17, 2021 at 4:03 pm
  • orion says:

    Hi, i assume each door is half the size of the unit? example im buying a 2190mm unit so i will need two 1095mm doors

     
    November 5, 2019 at 2:47 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi Orion, our units are 1970mm or 2150mm tall (without legs). The tall integrated fridge/freezer units come with various door configurations and the doors are attached to the units. Here are the options that we have available.

       
      November 5, 2019 at 2:55 pm
  • Laura Sharp says:

    hi
    I would like to replace a tall (177cm) Bosch fridge which has a small freezer section (icebox) at the top with a 60/40 or 70/30 Fridge Freezer.

    Some questions – will I need to purchase new hinges (fixed type) if I go with another manufacturer or are they standard size/fittings?

    Could I keep the current single long door but only attach it to the fridge part so the freezer is opened by hand once the fridge is open?

    If it has metal plates for attaching it to the door can they be removed so it looks nicer? or would that leave holes in the freezer door?

    Thank You

    Laura

     
    February 4, 2019 at 3:00 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi Laura, integrated fridge/freezers come with their own fixing kits that allow it to be attached to the doors of the unit. You would need 2 doors on the unit to open the 2 doors on the integrated appliance, as there are no handles on the front of the appliance. It would look very unsightly opening an integrated appliance door by hand as well.

       
      February 4, 2019 at 3:36 pm
      • Laura says:

        Hi, thanks for replying. The current door is long and matches ones next to it. I think it will look unsightly if it is cut in half. Replacing with two new doors is not an option as the colour won’t match. I don’t mind opening the freezer door by hand once the fridge is open but do want to remove any brackets off the freezer door so it is plain white. I might try this for a while and see how it goes. If it doesn’t work out I can get the door changed to two at a later date. Thanks again.

         
        February 6, 2019 at 9:47 am
  • Rachel Hirschfield says:

    I need to replace a intergrated fridge freezer. It’s 177.3 tall. Found 2 replacements but 1 is 177.2 and the other is 177.8. Does it matter it’s not the same. The width and depth is the same.
    The cupboard space has room for 177.8.

     
    January 25, 2019 at 9:25 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi Rachel, the height is the only limiting factor. If you have space for one that is 177.8 tall and the gap you have is 177.8 tall then it is going to be a very tight fit.

       
      January 28, 2019 at 7:51 pm
  • Simon says:

    Hi. I need to buy an integrated fridge/freezer , bu the old appliance isnt there so i don’t know if i need a 70/30 or 60/40.
    The unit door for where the freezer door would be is 72cm ( level with the height of the kitchen units).
    The fridge unit door is 122cm, but there is a shelf inside near the top like in the pictures on this website. So therefore , the ‘real’ door height of the unit for the fridge is actually 118cm.

    Please can you help me? Thanks!

     
    November 28, 2018 at 12:02 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi Simon, it seems it would be a 70/30 split door unit, based on those sizes.

       
      November 28, 2018 at 2:15 pm
  • Mark Eccles says:

    Evening, Im just installing my kitchen and don’t seem to be able to get the back of my 50/50 fridge unit I was expecting temp support for transport but out appears to be a fully fitted back which is difficult to get out now that he units are installed. is there an easy way to remove the back?

     
    February 21, 2018 at 6:45 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, the bar across the middle at the back is dowelled into position. Get a jigsaw and saw it in half and then pull the two halves out of the unit. I would only do this part last, once your tall unit is in position and attached to any units next to it. These supporting panels are used during transit and keep the unit rigid and square.

       
      February 22, 2018 at 7:13 am
  • tracy says:

    Hi, I am currently looking to purchase a F/F to fit into the standard housing you sell. One of the models has a width of 54cm which would leave a gap down each side of the appliance once mounted in the housing. Would this be a problem or do I need to source an appliance that is a perfect fit width ways?

     
    September 26, 2017 at 2:09 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, the appliance would still work as the internal dimensions are 564mm wide, so the installer would just pack out the sides.

       
      September 26, 2017 at 3:15 pm
  • Gary says:

    Hi do you sell slimline units for a fridge freezer.

     
    September 17, 2017 at 10:40 pm
    • DIY Kitchens says:

      Hi Gary, thanks for getting in touch.

      We can provide a range of integrated units for a large variety of fridge-freezers. These appliances tend to come in standard sizes and our units are manufactured around these, to fit.

      For standard fridge-freezers, we provide units that are 600mm wide x 560mm deep x 1970/2150mm high.

      I hope this helps.

       
      September 18, 2017 at 10:03 am
  • Colin says:

    Is it okay to place an oven housing next to a fridge freezer housing. Are there any issues re insulation?

     
    August 12, 2017 at 9:20 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, it is physically possible but not advisable as the heat generated by the oven would cause the fridge/freezer to work twice as hard to keep cool.

       
      August 13, 2017 at 8:22 pm
  • Simon says:

    We want to put our integrated fridge freezer next to a partition brick wall. The wall would run parallel to the side of the cab, extending a few inches beyond the front of the doors. This means the door will strike the wall edge if opened too far. Can the extent that the doors open be restricted in any way? For example a hinge adjustment so that they only open to 90 degrees?

     
    February 24, 2017 at 11:16 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      You can put the FF up against a wall, however, to get the salad crisper and drawers out, the doors do need to bypass 90 degrees. so it will work but you will be restricted when opening the door. If you use a range with handleless doors then these will also clash and prevent the door from opening fully.

       
      February 25, 2017 at 10:04 am
      • Simon says:

        Thanks for the prompt reply. Good point about the drawers. The wall position is such that the door can open to about 110 degrees. But the door can still then hit the wall edge and will get damaged. Is there a way to adjust the cabinet hinges so that the doors don’t open fully please? Can this be set to a specific angle? Some FFs seem to offer this adjustment but think most don’t.

         
        February 25, 2017 at 2:30 pm
      • Diy Kitchens says:

        Hi, the doors can’t be altered to open to less than 110 degrees:-(

         
        February 27, 2017 at 1:06 pm
  • Emma Burton says:

    Do you sell a housing unit for a full length fridge/freezer? We’ve opted for one of each instead of a 50/50 split. Thanks

     
    January 25, 2017 at 2:01 pm
  • S. Hopper says:

    Would having just one cabinet door to cover the fridge and freezer be a bad idea? It would mean that every time I opened the fridge, I would also be opening the freezer. It would mean that the configuration of the fridge freezer could be changed in the future.

     
    December 12, 2016 at 6:51 am
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, it would not look right having one door:-(

       
      December 13, 2016 at 3:43 pm
  • Chris says:

    Hi

    Is a larder unit the same as a housing?Can they hold the weight of a fridge freezer?

     
    December 3, 2016 at 12:07 am
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Both units are constructed the same apart from a larder unit comes with a fixed shelf and 5 adjustable ones. For appliance housings, such as Fridge freezers, the back panel needs to be removed so the appliance fits within the unit.

       
      December 5, 2016 at 10:20 am
  • AJ says:

    Hi, great article. Due to a failure under warranty, my FF is being replaced but here is the issue… Currently it’s a 50/50 split. Ideally as I have the choice of any integrated model, I want a slightly taller unit (by 165mm) but it is a 70/30 split.
    How does one fit a 70/30 in an already made 50/50 split or does this require a total redesign of the doors?
    There is plenty of height for the entire FF in the cubbyhole as there is a large bit of space at the top we use as a shelf currently but I assume current doors will not go onto the now shorter freezer section?

     
    November 24, 2016 at 11:55 am
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, The 70/30 will require a different set of doors to fit the appliance.

       
      November 24, 2016 at 1:06 pm
  • Karl says:

    Hi,

    In the process of fitting a 70/30 fridge freezer into a tall cabinet. We have an issue in that the slider for the fridge door, needs to attach to the carcass door, but not at a point where the carcass door is thick enough to take screws. The fridge slider bracket that attaches to carcass door, is only as wide as the inner part of the carcass door.

    Looking at the pictures above, the fridge has a wider bracket than ours and can therefore screw in the thicker part of the carcass door. Suggestions on how to attach the slider? I think I need to somehow either widen the slider bracket, which may cause other fitment issues, or glue another piece of wood to the inside of the carcass door. Which I could then screw the slider to…

    Thanks

     
    September 11, 2016 at 7:50 am
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      The most popular doors sold in UK are shaker doors which have an 80mm to 105mm rail around the centre panel. The sliders for the fridge have multiple fixing positions to attach to the rail ( which is the thickest part of the door) There should be adjustment for the slider to be fitted closer to the edge of the door.

       
      September 13, 2016 at 10:16 am
  • savaon says:

    Hello, i can’t find any different sliders, only made from plastic, it’s not good for my freezer, b’cause many times has been broken, i’m tired to fit it again and again, can i buy smth more better? Any advise… Using at the moment Integrated Fridge & Freezer Door Mounting Bracket Fixing Slide Kit, as you can see on ebay.
    Thank you

     
    August 25, 2016 at 1:55 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, we are not aware of any different mounting brackets for Fridge/Freezers as they come with the appliance from the manufacturer. You could try contacting the manufacturer of the appliance to see if they can offer any alternatives.

       
      August 25, 2016 at 2:07 pm
  • jo says:

    Hi I have just bought lec 50 50 intergrated fridge freezer I also have to 50 50 doors from wicks where o bought my kitchen don’t seem to be abe to fit the doors as freezer door to tall if I block up the unit it is far to tall any suggestions pls

     
    May 27, 2016 at 7:53 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, if you have an integrated fridge freezer then once you place it into the integrated fridge/freezer housing, you’ll be able to raise the freezer in the unit and attach the doors to the unit, then to the doors of the fridge freezer. The image above gives an example of an elevated fridge/freezer. Just ensure that it is a 50/50 you have an not a 70/30. The doors should fit if they are the right size.

       
      May 31, 2016 at 8:13 am
  • Craig Moore says:

    Hi,
    I would like to replace an integrated fridge freezer – I have found a company to fit it but they want me to buy the new appliance first – I am worried about getting the right size to fit in – I measure it at 70 ins by 21.5 ins – is there a standard size fridge freezer that my measurements equate to??? If so could you recommend a few options?
    Thanks

     
    May 9, 2016 at 1:14 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      The sizes you have quoted will fit, you just need to decide if its a 50/50 or a 70/30 split fridge freezer that you want. Any of the integrated fridge/freezers that you choose will fit but you may find that the doors do not always line up, but, this article will explain what you need to do.

       
      May 10, 2016 at 8:45 am
      • Craig Moore says:

        thank you

         
        May 10, 2016 at 10:52 am
  • Jacqui says:

    Hello – I am hoping to fit a one wall kitchen into my small flat.
    Using the Luca Handleless units I’d like to incorporate an integrated fridge and integrate the washing machine (slim depth) behind the 597mm wide integrated appliance doors.
    The fridge will sit between a pan drawer base unit and kitchen sink unit and the washing machine on the other side of the sink unit at the end of the run.
    Can you tell me what else I’d need for this purpose – will I need end panels for instance for the fridge housing – am I missing anything?

     
    March 1, 2016 at 12:36 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, the only end panel you will require is for the end of the run.

       
      March 1, 2016 at 2:06 pm
  • Catherine says:

    Hi,
    Will a 185cm high integrated fridge freezer (similar to the AEG – SCT71900S0 and Electrolux – ENN3153AOW available on your website) fit in the 1970mm high fridge/freezer housing unit or do we need an integrated fridge freezer with a standard height (177cm).
    Best regards.

     
    February 25, 2016 at 4:26 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, the 185cm fridge/freezer will fit in. It just means you may not have to elevate it at the bottom, like you have to do with the slightly smaller integrated fridge freezers (as shown in 2 of the pictures above.)

       
      February 26, 2016 at 8:22 am
  • Pete says:

    Thanks for the reply,
    I understand that you wont see the holes, I just think it would be better sending the doors separate, no holes, no wasted hinges , having just fitted my doors to the F/F: yes you guessed it, the holes are right where I need to put some screws.
    Regards
    Pete

     
    October 30, 2015 at 5:33 pm
  • Angela says:

    For my handless Luca gloss base units, I am hoping to use a 900*900 corner unit with a carousel and internally curved doors. Since these doors open from the middle out and I cannot see a corner post in site in the one displayed in your showroom, I presume a corner post is not needed for either these curved bases or their corresponding corner wall units?

    Also, since I have opted for a handless kitchen, does that mean I do not have to worry so much about fillers?

     
    September 13, 2015 at 10:15 pm
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      Hi, you are correct, with a 900 x 900 corner unit (and corner wall unit), a corner post is not needed as this unit bridges the 2 kitchen runs and utilises all the corner space, negating the need for a corner post.

      With regards to fillers, these are required in any kitchen where you cannot fill all the space from left to right in a kitchen run and there is no unit available less than 100mm to use. i.e. you have 7cms left in a kitchen run, cut down a piece of plinth and erect it vertically, so that it butts up to the wall and then end of the last kitchen unit.

       
      September 13, 2015 at 11:01 pm
  • Ray says:

    ) A friend of mine told me that if I have an integrated fridge/freezer, then I need an air vent in the plinth at the bottom. Is that true? And, if so, do you sell the vents? Thanks

     
    August 3, 2015 at 8:48 am
    • Diy Kitchens says:

      An appliance plinth vent was an item that was used frequently a few years ago but as appliances have improved and become more energy efficient they were not required as often. Usually if a vent is required it is supplied with the appliance. They can be purchased separately but we do not sell them. Please check with the instructions of the appliance being purchased.

       
      August 3, 2015 at 8:49 am
      • Pete says:

        Hi
        is there a reason why my F/F unit comes with the doors attached to it with its hinges. Surely these hinges are not required and just attach the unit doors to the F/F doors and use the hinges on the F/F. I just seem to be left with 2 holes in the door where the hinges used to be for no reason, or am I doing something wrong?
        Regards
        Pete

         
        October 27, 2015 at 6:36 pm
      • Diy Kitchens says:

        Hi, most tall integrated fridge freezers have sliders that attach to the tall unit doors, so these unit doors are needed to open the appliance . If it turned out that you needed to clad the doors onto your fridge freezer then these unit doors would stick onto the front of the appliance and you would never see the holes.

         
        October 28, 2015 at 6:46 am
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