Beverage Centers, Wine Refrigerators and Ice Makers

Undercounter refrigeration covers four different appliances that look alike from the front: beverage centers, wine refrigerators, refrigerator drawers and ice makers. They cool differently, vent differently and need different things behind the cabinet. This page explains how to choose among them and what has to be settled before the cabinets are ordered. For the full appliance sequence, start with how to choose kitchen appliances.

The four types compared

Undercounter units are commonly sold in nominal 15 inch and 24 inch widths. Treat those as categories, not dimensions. The cabinet opening is drawn from the cutout dimensions on the installation sheet of the exact model.

Built-in versus freestanding: where the heat goes

This is the point that causes the most trouble. Every refrigerator moves heat from inside the box to the room, and it has to release that heat somewhere.

• Built-in (undercounter) units pull air in and push it out through a grille at the front, normally in the toe kick. They can sit tight between cabinets with a countertop above.
• Freestanding units release heat from the back or sides and need open air around them. They belong at the end of a run, in a pantry or in a garage, not enclosed.

Two details follow from that. The toe kick in front of a built-in unit cannot be covered by a continuous cabinet toe kick board or a rug pushed against it, because that is the air path. And the cabinet installer needs to know the unit's leveling leg range, since a floor that rises or falls across the room can leave a unit too tall for its opening once the countertop is on. Have the unit on site, or at least its installation sheet in hand, before the cabinets are set.

Wine storage: one zone or two

Wine keeps well when its temperature stays steady, the bottles are out of strong light and the corks stay moist. A wine refrigerator is built for that. A beverage center is built to make drinks cold quickly, which is a different job.

• Single zone. One temperature for the whole cabinet. It suits a household that mostly drinks one kind of wine, or that stores everything at a cellar temperature and chills whites in the main refrigerator before serving. It holds more bottles for its size because there is no divider.
• Dual zone. Two compartments with separate controls, so reds and whites can each sit at serving temperature. You give up some capacity, and each zone is small.

Other features that matter more than the bottle count on the label:

• Racks. Full-extension racks on rollers let you read labels without lifting bottles. Fixed wire racks are harder to use and can scrape labels.
• Glass. Tinted or coated glass limits light reaching the bottles. It matters more if the unit faces a window.
• Vibration. A compressor unit cools strongly and copes with a warm kitchen. A thermoelectric unit has no compressor and is quieter, but it cools less and struggles in a warm or enclosed spot. For a built-in location, a compressor model designed for it is the normal choice.

Ice makers and their drains

There are two kinds of undercounter ice maker, and they install differently.

• Freezer-style ice makers freeze water in a mold and store the cubes below freezing, like the ice maker in a refrigerator. They need a water line but no drain. The ice is cloudy.
• Clear-ice and nugget machines make ice by running water over a cold surface and discard the water that does not freeze. The storage bin is insulated but not refrigerated, so the ice melts slowly and is remade. That melt water and the discarded water have to go somewhere, so these machines need a drain.

The drain comes in two forms. A gravity drain works when a floor drain or a drain connection sits lower than the machine's outlet and close by. Where that is not possible, which is most island and bar locations, the machine needs a drain pump, either built in or added as an accessory, to push the water up and over to the nearest sink drain. How that drain line connects to the plumbing is a code matter your plumber handles under the plumbing permit. See plumbing, mechanical and gas permits.

Clear-ice machines also need regular cleaning to remove mineral scale and keep the water path sanitary. The owner's manual sets the interval.

Noise

These appliances sit in open kitchens and near seating, so sound matters more than it does for a refrigerator against a wall. Compressors cycle, fans run to move air through the toe kick, and a clear-ice machine adds running water and the sound of ice dropping into the bin. Manufacturers do not all publish sound ratings for undercounter units, and those that do may measure differently, so numbers are hard to compare. Listen to a running floor model if you can, and think twice about putting an ice machine in an island that faces the sofa.

Where it goes in the kitchen

The useful rule is to put drinks where guests and children can reach them without crossing the cook's path.

• The outer end of an island, on the seating side or the end nearest the family room. It needs power in the island, which has its own rules. See kitchen islands.
• A beverage station on a short run of cabinets away from the range and sink, often with the coffee maker above and glassware in the upper cabinets.
• A pantry or butler's pantry, where noise and looks matter less and a freestanding unit may be acceptable. See kitchen storage and pantries.
• Not beside the oven or dishwasher if you can avoid it. Heat from the neighbor makes the unit work harder.

Check the door swing against the aisle and against the adjacent dishwasher or drawers. Most undercounter doors can be hinged on either side, but it has to be chosen. Each unit needs a receptacle in a location the installation sheet allows, often in the adjacent cabinet so the unit can slide fully back. What the wiring requires is covered in kitchen electrical code in Washington.

What to check before you buy

1. The words "built-in" or "undercounter" on the spec sheet if the unit will be enclosed, and a front vent.
2. Cutout width, height and depth, including the height range of the leveling legs against your finished counter height.
3. Whether the door sits flush with the cabinet faces or stands proud, and whether it needs side clearance to open fully.
4. Hinge side, and whether it is field reversible.
5. For wine: rack type, zone count and the bottle shape used for the capacity figure.
6. For ice: gravity drain or pump, water line size, filter location and the cleaning procedure.
7. Whether the unit is rated for the room. An unheated garage or a covered patio needs a model rated for those temperatures.
8. Panel-ready or finished door, and how the finish sits with the other appliances. See appliance finishes.

Who should choose which

• A family that wants drinks out of the main refrigerator: a beverage center or a pair of refrigerator drawers at the edge of the kitchen. Drawers are easier for small children and keep the look quiet.
• A household that buys wine to drink within months: a single-zone unit, or simply a rack and the main refrigerator. Dual zone earns its place only if you serve both kinds often.
• Someone building a collection: a larger, dedicated wine unit outside the kitchen work area, where temperature swings and light are lower.
• Frequent entertainers: a clear-ice machine, if the drain can be done cleanly and you accept the cleaning. Otherwise a freezer-style ice maker avoids the drain entirely.

JDI's published planning range for a new appliance suite is $8,000-$25,000 before sales tax, and undercounter refrigeration is normally an addition to that, not part of it. It is a planning range, not a quote. JDI Construction draws each undercounter unit into the cabinet plan from its installation sheet, so the opening, the receptacle, the water line and any drain are settled before rough-in. To plan one into your kitchen, start at kitchen remodeling in Vancouver.