Freezer on top, freezer on bottom, or freezer on the side?

[Nosy]

We have to get a new refrigerator. We currently have freezer on bottom, which I hate. I hate bending over to get stuff out, I hate that very small children can open it. I had side by side before but felt like there wasn't as much space in the freezer, which leaves freezer on top, but I loved having a water dispenser, which seems to occur on the side by side only. What does everyone else love?

[Aeress]

I love my freezer on the bottom. I wanted a french door style with freezer on the bottom but they were pricey.
My new fridge is nice but I wish I had space for the larger things- like a crock pot insert, or big bowl.

I liked the idea of being able to only open the side I needed.

[Denvergirlie]

I love having a freezer on the bottom, so not much help to you.

We pull from the refrig more than the freezer on a given day, so being able to see my "fresh" food without stooping down to check back corners or pull out drawers, is so much more effiencent that having the freezer up top and at eye level.

That being said, I hate side by side's, unless I had another refrig/ freezer combo. The side by side's never seem large enough to handle large platters or even a frozen pizza box without removing everything to place these larger items in.

As for water, no help on that one either. I hate the taste after the water has traveled thru the plastic tubes, so have never bought a refrig again that has this feature, as it's just a waste of space for a feature I refuse to use. I have however seen them in other frig's than just side by sides, so they are out there on the market.
(Unrelated, but for water on demand, we have a Berkey water filter - sure it's a habit to get into in terms of filling, but it produces the best tasting filtered water I've ever had and well worth the cost ($200)).

[Eman'smom]

I love love love our bottom freezer. We had a side by side growing up and a friend has one now and both were awful, you can't store stuff in them. I know someone with the bottome freezer and french doors on top and it does have a water dispenser so they do come that way.

[Coconut Chronicles]

We have a French door with freezer on the bottom and a water dispense (it's a KitchenAid)... we love it. I have never liked side by sides.

[LemonPie]

I too have a french door with a freezer on the bottom and love it. I actually love that my tiny kid CAN'T open it--the drawer is too heavy for her. I don't know if your bottom freezer has a door or a drawer, but that might be the difference?

In any case, I also love the french door setup of the top. It's nice to have the width. My mom has a side-by-side and it's so narrow.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

I hate to break it to you, but when your freezer is on the top, you still have to reach down to get things out of the fridge. And they are usually the easily forgotten things that spoil quickly from innattention, like lettuce or grapes.

I wish I had a bottom freezer. That's what we're looking for, probably the french door kind. Also, it uses less energy, because cold air sinks. Some of the newer models are coming with child locks to prevent child break ins.

[Ola_]

We love our bottom freezer too! The freezer is a drawer like a PPs and it takes a good strong pull to get it open - I doubt little ones could do it. My mom has a swing door for her bottom freezer though and that is very easy to open.

I wouldn't recommend a built-in water dispenser. According to Consumer Reports they are much more likely to break and need repairs due to those features. Plus any issues with the line could mean a big mess and damage to the kitchen. It helps that my teeth are sensitive to cold so it was never on our "want" list though.

[cristeen]

As far as green options, the freezer on the bottom is the most energy efficient. I wouldn't go with the french door, personally, just because the door seal of the french door has the same problem as a side-by-side, namely that there's a whole lot more of it to leak.

And I love my freezer bottom, and I also agree with the pp - if you have a drawer bottom, the kidlets probably won't be able to open it. I really have to pull to get it open, it's so heavy. I also much prefer not to have to crouch down to use the fridge.

I have the Amana and it has a water filter/dispenser built in.

[almadianna]

We have a side by side and hate it. we are getting a freezer on the bottom one with the new trade in offer next month.

[annethcz]

I used to have a freezer on the bottom, and I loved it. It worked great for me. It was perfect when I had little ones. They could open the fridge and only reach the items I had left on the bottom shelf for them.

I am not a fan of side-by-side fridges, they seem like they have too much wasted space.

I currently have a freezer on the top, and now that I'm used to it, it works just fine for me. I have no complaints.

[swd12422]

Every apartment I've lived in had freezer on top. HATED it! I was single, didn't cook much and still didn't have enough room in there. And all I used it for was ice cream, bagels, and frozen dinners! I cannot imagine having one now, between the cooking ahead, the leftovers, and the every day stuff we use.

We now have a side-by-side and while it works okay (we also have a huge upright freezer outside), it's hard to keep things organized in there. It's too narrow for certain things, and it's hard to keep the shelves neat enough so that everything doesn't come tumbling out when you open it. And we only keep our "every day" stuff in there -- still not enough room, and it's a wreck.

My next fridge will be a bottom freezer. We had one when I was growing up, and while it seems easy to lose stuff in the bottom, it seems to hold more.

[staceychev]

Agreeing with everyone here--I'm a total freezer-on-the-bottom convert. I love that my veggies are at waist-height and not at the very bottom of the fridge.

My second choice would be freezer-on-top, because I hate side-by-side. I always feel like there's not enough room in either the fridge or the freezer. I lived with my mom for over a year when we left the city, and her side-by-side drove me crazy!

[karne]

Freezer on the bottom.

They're roomier, and frankly, who wants to be bending over getting stuff out of the fridge? You use the fridge far more than the freezer.

[2cutiekitties]

Don't even consider a side-by-side. USELESS!!! Never again.

From the pp, sounds like my next fridge should have the freezer on the bottom!

[rhiOrion]

I thought about this a lot as we were looking for houses. I've come to the conclusion that they all suck and there is just no perfect fridge.

Freezer on bottom-
With drawer- I have to bend over to get ANYTHING out of the freezer (I can't even imagine that at 8 months pregnant!). And I don't feel like they hold as much.
With a regular door- I'd actually have to squat down to get stuff out.


Freezer on top-
You have to bend down to get to stuff at the bottom of the fridge, and things tend to get forgotten down there. And then I always have crap falling out of the freezer onto my face.


Side-by-side- They aren't wide enough. A pizza has to go in at an angle. I couldn't put a big platter of party food in it.


I think that my dream fridge/freezer would look like this- it would be a side-by-side but each side would be twice as wide as a normal side-by-side (so, more like the width of a regular fridge/freezer). It would be a short squat sort of square shaped fridge/freezer that sits on top of some built in drawers.

[limette]

I've only ever had freezer on top so I can't really answer but Apartment Therapy posed this question a while back and it was pretty much unanimously freezer on bottom.

[staceychev]

Originally Posted by rhiOrion

Freezer on bottom-
With drawer- I have to bend over to get ANYTHING out of the freezer (I can't even imagine that at 8 months pregnant!). And I don't feel like they hold as much.
With a regular door- I'd actually have to squat down to get stuff out.

39 weeks 2 days, here, and the freezer on bottom isn't terrible. But, then again, I don't think I open my freezer more than once a day. Oh, but you know what... I've got the kind where it's a pull-out drawer and the door angles out in addition to pulling out on a track. If it was a door, I agree it'd be horrible.

[Think of Winter]

Wouldn't you also have to bend over to get things out of the fridge if that were on the bottom?

We have a great big Amana fridge on top, freezer drawer on bottom and I love it. We paid about $1100, I think. It had the largest interior space we could find. The side by sides just can't get the same interior volume. Check consumer reports about the advertised size and usable space.

[Sk8ermaiden]

We have a Kenmore french door with freezer on bottom and I LOVE it. It's got scads more freezer room than any other type, and even at 42 weeks pregnant I had no problems getting into it.

LOVE. I will never go back. Side by sides leave you no room for food and freezer on top, there's not enough room in the freezer and you have to bend down for your veggies.