Complete overhaul of kitchen. We have 12’ of baseboard hot water heat. We are having a toe kick to re-route the pipe for the cabinets so they will be tight with the wall, but what can we do to to the pipe so we can get the fridge tight to the wall? We are taking the whole kitchen down to the studs, installing a new floor.
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2It seems to me that running baseboard heat behind the fridge is a waste of heating effort - you're putting heat right where the fridge is dumping all its heat from inside. Rerouting the heater in front of the fridge would be counter productive, as well, as you'd be pumping heat into the fridge every time you open the door. Consider a shorter baseboard heater that doesn't overlap the fridge or moving the fridge to a different wall.– FreeManCommented Nov 2, 2021 at 12:21
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2I would remove that section of baseboard heat and bypass it.– SteveShCommented Nov 2, 2021 at 12:26
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"Flush" does not mean "tight to", despite what light fixture marketing departments seem to think.– isherwoodCommented Nov 2, 2021 at 12:54
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1 Answer
Re-route the pipe under the floor and add more capacity in the toe-kicks on either side to compensate for the length that would have been behind the fridge, if needed.
Or put radiant tubing into the floor and/or walls (but preferably not the wall right behind the fridge), since you are re-doing the floor and walls.
Respect the refrigerator manufacturer's required space behind (and beside) the fridge. It's not commonly 0" or 0 cm. So "tight" might really mean an inch or two out from the wall, or you risk problems with the fridge operation and lifetime.
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Both good ideas but I like the under floor one. Radiant heat is simple and pleasant , people love walking on a warm kitchen floor, and it uses naturally available floor space instead of taking up wall space. Toe kicks are noisy and complicated and are great for solving odd configuration problems that you really shouldn't have when you are doing a total gut job. You should design to not need toe kick heaters.– jay613Commented Nov 2, 2021 at 13:01