can we see the whole.. including the cabinet above it ... maybe we can come up with some ideas ....

personally.. i wouldnt invest 700 in a very old fridge ...

ken

Sure! Here's a detail shot of the clearance of the cabinetry. Will post a wider shot of the front in a moment.

Wide-shot of front view.

I suppose one option could simply be to stop using the cabinetry above the fridge, as most fridge cases are below 69 inches in height, and it's only the doors at the front that come in taller. Not ideal though, and it may look a bit unbecoming.

I'd be fine with replacing the condenser on the current fridge, but I worry that it will only be an expensive patch solution, since I'd be using a different compressor from the original one, and I can't see it lasting nearly as long as the first one did. Aside from the compressor, the fridge has no other problems.

I faced something similar with my built in Viking fridge - made by Amana. Last year, the freon failed and the fridge stopped cooling. I spent $800 fixing it. Other things went wrong after that and I went though the repair vs replace questioning.

In the process I spoke with 2 repair guys who had worked on the fridge. One explained that anything to do with the condenser is basically "heart surgery" (his words) for a fridge and that life is limited after that.

It was still working (though not well as other things had begun to fail). We decided to replace and did.

The new fridge is 100% better and more energy efficient. The fridge was a built in so it was $$$$ and very complex to get it to fit.

The cabinets above a slide in can be reconfigured into shelves -- horizontal or vertical to accommodate the difference in height.

There are several brands of refrigerators (Jenn Air is one I believe) that people here like a lot.

I wouldn't consider putting $700 into any 15 year old appliance. At 15 years, it has outlived it's useful life. You will just be waiting for the next part to fail.

Thanks, everyone!

I'm going to modify the top shelf of the cabinetry to gain the extra two inches.

Looks like I really don't have much of a choice but to upgrade. Now to find a reliable cabinet-depth French door fridge that isn't noisy or prone to major troubles. Oy.

Thanks again for the input, everyone! Super appreciated!

My friend also needed a new fridge to fit in cabinet, with smaller clearance on top. She got the GE Profile. (Well, a GE, not exactly sure of model.)

When I was looking for fridge last year, I compared heights and hinges on many makes.

If you can accommodate 69 1/4", there are actually quite a number of models that would fit. I do not know if you can wait, but we are coming up on the days of "big sales" (Black Friday). Also I have learned to always check craigslist because many times people are dismantling the house they just moved into and are getting rid of a new or almost new items. Since your space is so tight, if you shop for it online I would not just rely on the height measurement listed on the Internet but I would also check the installation instructions/manual for the fridge to make sure that it would really work in the space. Best of luck.

i had hoped with the new pic.. to see if the cabinet above was flush to the ceiling.. or if it could be moved up ...

i think you are the path to making the right decision.. on replacement ...

ken

100% agree that replacing the compressor isn't wise but for reasons that may suprise you. Appliance repairmen often misdiagnos freezers and fridges. Refrigeration is a trade within itself and to be competent it's nessary to work in a single sub-category such as commercial hvac,residential hvac,commercial refrigeration,residential refrigeration,rv/off grid refrigeration or even more specialized segiments. Ditto for laundry equipment,dishwashers and small appliances. For 3 years I worked with a trade school in aquireing dead units for students to train on. I had 2 men delivering new and picking up old appliances for retail stores. The drivers were trained to get reason for replacement when possible and record on a tag attached to old appliance. More than 75% of fridges,freezers,dehumidifyers and window units were misdiagnosed where breakdown was reason for replacment. So you get the double whammy if the problem is misdiagnosed and the same bozo atempts repairs.
For benifit of those still reading,a few words regarding cabinets surrounding a fridge. The cabinet serves to disipate heat generated by compressor. While fridge is running,lay your palm on sides and top to feel the heat.. At minium you should be able to put your fist between fridge and cabinet,both sides and top. If air circulation is restricted compressor runs longer and hotter which waste's energy and kills the appliance. If the sides and top arn't hot while unit runs,there is either a grid of pipe and fins on back or a small fan cooled one underneath. Both require free air circulation and need brushed off or vacumed before getting covered with lint and dust. So why don't home builders leave more space? Don't know but suspect consumers think it looks bad.
Tomorrow's subject will be "more than you ever wanted to know about your can opener".