Fridge help

[boiler717]

Our fridge overheated last week — came home to a burning smell and smoke all through the house. Never saw flames but had the fire department out and they turned off the electrical to the fridge.
We have a repair company coming out next week, but I realize the repair may be unlikely. The fridge is a custom sized, built-in sub zero fridge with panels. There are no commercially available fridges in this size available. I would love to not do a kitchen Reno, but unsure of what to do. Any tips or suggestions on what to ask when the repair man comes out to ensure we can replace the fridge? If they are not able to fix, do you have any creative suggestions on how to avoid

[litasail]

How old is your SubZero? They are designed to last forever, so hopefully they will be able to repair it.

[k3am]

Are you sure it's custom sized? Or is it just unique to SubZero / luxury brands? We have a 42" on order, which isn't as common as smaller sizes.

I would expect that if worst comes to worst and it needs to be replaced, you can order another same size Sub Zero that's panel ready and just have the same cabinet fronts put on. Or just do a normal Sub Zero fridge that's not panel ready. Pricy, but not as expensive as a renovation.

[devonpow]

Our 25 year old subzero died the other year and we had a hard time finding a replacement (the wait for a subzero was over 12 months). We ended up getting a BlueStar - the dimensions online we’re something like a quarter of an inch off but the appliance guy told us they are actually the exact same dimensions as subzeros (don’t ask - it was weird). Anyway we were super nervous but the Blue Star fit exactly in the custom cabinetry and we have been very happy so far. I would go to an appliance store that carries both brands and see what they say

[boiler717]

It’s less than 15 years old but yes I’m sure they don’t make the size anymore — it’s 27” wide and really tall.

[dr.girlfriend]

Can you replace with something smaller and trim out the excess space somehow? I have one of those pull-out cabinets next to my fridge that is the depth of my fridge and it holds SO much. On the other side of the fridge (open to the kitchen) we put in a 6" shallow cabinet that also holds a ton of canned food, etc. You could build in a wine rack or cookbook holder with the excess space above, that kind of thing.

[ellipses84]

You can get the closest size possible but slightly smaller and get some custom millwork panels to put around it. This would be like 1-18 inches of paneling and if it were any larger of a gap you could fit in an actual cabinet if you wanted to. Some people put in slide out storage that can fit skinny things like brooms or spices in side gaps. You might be able to find a fridge that allows a custom panel that can be larger than the door, and you can make the faux door large enough to fill in the gap, like at the top.

If you have a photo, I can give you more specific suggestions.