Kitchen nightmare on Halloween

[flowerweaver]

Our 16 y.o. refrigerator has been on the blink, and losing food when you are a 3 hour round trip to a grocery store is no fun.

So we caught an online sale on a fancy new one and dubbed it our birthdays/anniversary/Christmas gift. Since we are too far from the nearest big box store we don't qualify for delivery. The value of ordering it online from out of state was delivery was available and free.

We already knew we were going to have to remove some cabinetry to make it fit and we've been looking for an excuse to take out these 60 y.o. poorly constructed ones. But last night the long awaited appliance arrived only to discover that there was NO possible way it would fit through any of our doors--oops! Neither of us thought of measuring this old ranch house for that. It doesn't appear you can take the doors off these newfangled electronic ones.

This is a HUGE problem because our walls are very solid masonry and good carpenters are hard to come by in a ghost town. So we had them leave it in our carport. Looks like widening the door will displace our dishwasher and require the phone company to move their box. Perhaps we should just turn our carport into a detached kitchen! I have the task of trying to find someone to do this work ASAP. Wish me luck!

 

[Nyboy]

I did the same thing !! Guy looked at my door and said before we take it off truck did you measure if it would fit in the door. They had to take the doors off fridge and house door off hinges to get it in. Good luck I feel for you.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Ouch! That one hurts. Like Nyboy said you're not the only one that's done stuff like that.

Have you tried contacting the manufacturer to see if there is a way to take that refrigerator door off? If that would make it fit through the door, I'd make that phone call. Even if they have to send someone out to do it for you, that should be cheaper than demolishing your house.

 

[baymule]

I have a behemoth like that. I hate moving it and the new house already has a refrigerator in it, so guess what's going in the moving sale?

Even if you have to hire an appliance person to put it in the house, I think it would be better than taking your house apart. And when it dies, it won't matter that you destroy it getting it out of the house.

 

[flowerweaver]

Thanks--I'm certainly relieved to know I'm not the only one that has made this mistake! I'm going to contact the manufacturer this morning. I've also called the most reputable carpenter in town and he's coming to look at the situation early next week. He says he has a break in his schedule and might be able to squeeze it in. The kitchen door needs replacing anyway after one of my rescues nearly chewed the frame off years ago.

It would be a four hour round trip for an appliance person to come out. People just don't want to come way out here. That's the downside of bucolic country living!

 

[flowerweaver]

OK, I contacted the manufacturer through live chat and they helped me download the instructions for removing all the doors. Now the fun begins--aaakk!

 

[bobm]

OK, I contacted the manufacturer through live chat and they helped me download the instructions for removing all the doors. Now the fun begins--aaakk!

The door hinges are on the top of the refrigerator and ( depending on the manufacturer) you will need a socket , a phillip's screw driver, or an allen wrench. Remove these screws and lift the door up to remove it from the refrigerator frame . the front grill frame will either just pull out or you may need a phillip's screw driver. Remove the racks and drawers so that they don't fall out when you move the refrigerator. Easy !!! Use an appliance dolly to move it into the kitchen.

 

[flowerweaver]

@bobm I've just finished reading the instructions and unfortunately it's not that simple. There are all kinds of electrical harnesses, switches, and plumbing collets that have to be disassembled and then reassembled within four doors. So far Sears is willing to come out Thursday for a reasonable price, certainly more reasonable than a door remodel. Fingers crossed I can find someone able to do it sooner.

 

[Nyboy]

In the south didn't old homes have kitchens in a outbuilding to keep house cooler in summer? Sorry I know no help.

 

[flowerweaver]

We joked last night about just turning our carport into a detached kitchen! You are correct, they were called dog run cabins, with the bedrooms on one side and the living room on the other. The dining room was a breezeway in between (thus, a dog run) and over the whole thing a sleeping loft. The kitchen was in a separate building not only to keep the house cooler in the summer, but it was safer when cooking with a real fire that might be unattended at times.