Should You Buy a Refrigerator With External Water Dispenser?
Refrigerators come in a wide range of different designs with each one having different features to offer. All of these varied designs usually serve a practical function, but some options are purely for aesthetics.
One significant feature of the modern kitchen fridge today is the built-in water and ice dispenser. Many consumers find this functionality invaluable, but it does come with a few issues that you should know about.
Now the question is, is it worth it to buy a refrigerator with an external water or ice dispenser? To answer that, we need to take a look at its different advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
Many homeowners prefer a refrigerator with external water or ice dispenser in their home kitchens as this comes with several benefits that a typical fridge can’t provide, including:
1. It provides convenience
This kitchen appliance offers easy access to clean drinking water and ice cubes. With this, you quickly fill up drinking glasses with cold water and serve it for your house guests on days when it is extremely hot and humid.
Additionally, since you can conveniently get drinking water, it may encourage you and your family to stay hydrated throughout the day, helping promote a healthy lifestyle in your household.
2. It can enhance your water quality
Some refrigerators with external water dispensers come with a built-in water filter, which makes your drinking water cleaner and safer for you and your family. Aside from being clean, filtered water is generally regarded to feature a better flavor compared to non-filtered water.
3. It can help you save energy costs
Since you wouldn’t need to open the refrigerator anymore to get a pitcher of water or a tray of ice cubes, you will be able to decrease your electricity consumption and expenditure in the long run.
You can then use those savings towards other household essentials, such as your regular home maintenance, food supplies, and other necessities.
Disadvantages
Like any other household appliance or furniture, having a refrigerator with an external water or ice dispenser can come with several disadvantages. In an attempt to upgrade a particular feature, some features may potentially be compromised.
To better explain, here are some of its significant advantages:
1. It requires plumbing installation
Refrigerators with external water dispensers require plumbing installation to make them work seamlessly. As you may know, plumbing wors can be expensive, especially if you hadn’t included it in your budget when you bought the kitchen appliance.
Another disadvantage with this is plumbing is permanent, meaning it will leave holes on your wall or floor when you decide to change the layout of your kitchen.
2. It reduces fridge space
The water or ice dispenser and the filter would consume a significant amount of space in your fridge, leaving you with relatively small storage space for other items. For instance, It can easily take up the space needed for additional racks or shelves that you could have used for your food and drinks.
3. It can’t fit single-sized water bottles
Unfortunately, most refrigerators with external water or ice dispensers can’t fit single-sized water bottles because their compartments or shelves are mostly designed with a low height. You might need this space anyway because you’d be able to get your water from the dispenser, but then again, you won’t be able to fit other beverages besides water, such as wine and soda bottles.
Conclusion
Refrigerators with external water or ice dispensers can bring plenty of convenience in your household and help save on costs in your energy billings in the long run. However, it also comes with several disadvantages, including the need for plumbing work that can be expensive. Aside from that, the water dispenser and filter can eat up space in your fridge, leaving you with relatively less room for your other goods.
When it comes down to it, the choice is ultimately yours to make. Assess which is your priority—convenience or storage space?
If you want to read more fridge-related advice or LG lmxs28626s reviews, check out our other blog posts. We help consumers be smart with their purchases by answering their inquiries, such as “how much does a fridge cost to run?”