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Bottom Freezer Refrigerators
Bottom freezers represent the latest wave
in kitchen refrigerators. While side by side
models offer convenient access to the upper
sections of both the fresh and frozen sections,
botttom freezes recognize that most accesses
are to the fresh food portion. Hence, putting
the fresh food section on top provides more
convenient access to the frequently used
compartment. And by moving the freezer (and
ice maker, if so equipped) to the bottom,
the entire width of the unit is available.
The leading manufacturers of
household bottom
freezer refrigerators are:
Besides the usual variations
(ice maker,
filtered water, gallon door storage,
etc.)
available with most refrigerators,
bottom
freezers also have door style
choices.
- For the bottom freezer, most manufacturers
offer a traditional swing door or a pullout
drawer. The drawer style is typically more
expensive and may be subject to higher wear,
but it has the advantage of allowing you
to access your frozen items from the top.
The traditional swing door is less convenient
to open and often requires you to open it
all the way before you can slide out the
sliding shelves or baskets.
- For the top compartment, some models have
"french doors" --
think of these
as being like side-by-side
doors). Their
advantage is that you don't
have to swing
open a large door to access
the compartment.
Generally, the compartment
itself is not
divided, so the door has to
incorporate a special
mechanism to seal between the doors -- something
that also may be susceptible to wear and
breakage.
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