Insulation between fridge freezer and dishwasher

Gavin83

Hi all. I’ve just recently moved into a new house and we’ve now got a fridge freezer and plan to order a dishwasher shortly. However there’s currently a gap of around 5 inches between where I’d want the two to sit, and area that’s meant for tea towel storage. However I’ve no real plans for this gap. If I was to fill it with insulation (plus the bit below it) would this be sufficient to allow them to sit this close to each other?

I’m also planning on leaving a gap of a few inches between the end cabinet and the fridge freezer. Picture below and thanks everyone!

Also before anyone mentions it I’m aware the lack of connections for the dishwasher are also a problem. This’ll be dealt with!

Bendy_House

You don't need insulation - it's absolutely fine the way it is.

Important question - is that space wide enough for a bottle of wine? Ok, ok, ok, keep it as a towel airing rack...

That's the sink to the left of that D/W space? In which case you will most likely have all the plumbing you need right there, under the sink - just bring the supply and waste pipes from the D/W through to the sink unit.

Depending on how good a match you can find, you could even buy a made-to-measure door for that space if you prefer, so that all the trays and stuff will be hidden. Lots of companies make these. It wouldn't be so good should you wish to keep current-use towels in there, tho', as they wouldn't dry out.

Yes, F's and F/Fs do give out heat, but that's at the back, and will be ventilated away safely, and with no consequence to the units beside it.

coffeehound

Seems a shame to lose a handy cubby hole for trays just to fill with insulation.  Wouldn't have thought a d/w would significantly affect the f/f with installation as is

Section62

Gavin83 said:

However there’s currently a gap of around 5 inches between where I’d want the two to sit, and area that’s meant for tea towel storage. However I’ve no real plans for this gap.

If you get rid of what's currently there you would need to spend money putting something else (e.g. a leg) to support the front edge of the worktop.  And whatever you put there is unlikely to look any more attractive than the current arrangement.

You could remove the towel hanger, and have some shelves put in instead...

But as there's no need for insulation between appliances there's no particular need for you to do anything unless the hole bugs you enough to make you want to go to the expense/effort to change it.

Gavin83

Thanks for the replies. I was always under the impression you needed to leave a bigger gap between the fridge freezer and other appliances but it seems not.

While I said I had no plans for that gap I wasn’t planning on removing it either as that’s more hassle than it’s worth. I do like the idea of turning it into a wine rack though, and yes it is big enough!

In answer to the other question yes that’s a sink to the left. The plug for the dishwasher is actually housed under the sink (you can see the cable for it in the picture) which I assume they’ve done due to the depth. I’ll have a poke around and look at connecting everything under there instead of modifying the water supply at the back.

It’s all semi temporary anyway, we’ve plans to renovate the kitchen at some point.

Bendy_House

If you let us have a good photo(s) of the under-sink area, we can likely advise on the best/simplest way to plumb in the D/W.

That switch on the wall above the worktop, that controls the D/W socket? Good. They most likely moved the socket from its old position, as it prevented whatever was there from going right back tight against the wall. What was in that space before?

casper_gutman

We've got our oven immediately adjacent to our fridge freezer (well, there are two kitchen unit side panels in between, but otherwise right next door). This doesn't cause any apparent problems, though it presumably leads to the fridge having to work a little harder than it otherwise would.

In your kitchen with the two panels plus the air gap in the unit, plus an additional air gap next to the freestanding fridge, there's no way any noticeable warmth from the dishwasher will ever reach the fridge. Don't worry about this - it isn't an issue!

Gavin83

I’ve included some photos of the under-sink area below. Excuse the mess, we’ve just moved in and that’s how the previous owners left it. There is also a leak on the waste from the sink which I haven’t had time to look at yet.

You can also see the dishwasher socket in these photos. There’s already a fused switch above the worktop. When we viewed the house that space was empty as it is now, just filled with stuff. I would assume they had a dishwasher in there at some point though. I could always move the socket back, just need to measure up and work out whether it’s worth bothering.

I’m thinking of taking out the straight pipe near the bottom (under the sink waste) and fitting the dishwasher waste there, and then probably running a spur off of the cold water supply under the sink. Thoughts?

coffeehound

Wonder what that vertical leg at the back is for?  Is it open at the top?  

Bendy_House

First thing, that needs a darned good clean!

Next, undo the two 'green' connectors and that U-bend should come off. Clean, examine and make good the O-rings and other seals. Lube it lightly with - ideally - silicone grease (if you have any), vaseline if you don't, and a smear of washing up liquid if you don't even have that. Do up hand-tight only.

What are the wires arrowed in red, or are they plug control cables?

And where does the blue arrowed piped go to?

I'd personally leave the socket there as it was moved for a reason, as I said probably to release a bit of extra space behind whatever appliance was in that space.

You have isolators on the water pipes which means you can shut them off at will and add a valve to supply the D/W. Depending on where that 'blue' pipe goes, you may be able to add your D/W hose there, but we need to know what it's doing at the mo'.

NSG666

You might use one of these for the dishwasher outlet. Where does the white pipe go to up the back of the sink?

McAlpine Appliance Trap White 40mm | Traps | Screwfix.com