Short answer
An indoor-rated fridge will fail outdoors, usually in its second summer and just after the appliance warranty ends. An outdoor-rated unit needs ventilation at the base and rear, about 50 mm of rear clearance, and shade if it is to work efficiently.
Why indoor fridges fail outdoors
The appliance is rated for an indoor ambient range. Outdoors it faces wider temperature swings, humidity cycling and often direct sun. The compressor runs harder and the control electronics see conditions they were not designed for.
It fails late enough to feel like bad luck and early enough to be out of warranty. That timing is why this mistake keeps happening.
What ventilation actually means
Heat leaves through the base and the rear. A bay with a solid floor and a 20 mm rear gap circulates nothing, and the appliance works in its own heat.
The bay needs a vented base and a rear clearance. About 50 mm at the rear is the minimum most outdoor-rated appliances specify; some ask for more at the top as well.
Shade matters more than insulation
A fridge in full afternoon sun at 38 degrees ambient is fighting the day. Under a roof or pergola it behaves like a fridge. Exposed, it runs continuously and never quite gets cold.
A roof over the run does more for the appliance than any amount of insulation around the bay.
Sizing the bay
Undercounter fridges come in 600 and 900 classes. A 900 bay takes the 900 class without side gaps; a 600 class unit in a 900 bay works but wastes width.
Give us the model and we size the bay to it rather than to the grid. It is the one place in the range where we will happily depart from a standard width.
Sizing the bay to the appliance
Send the model number first
The bay is built to the appliance, not to the nearest standard width. Height, width, depth and the vent clearances all come from the manual.
Leave the ventilation the manual asks for
Outdoor-rated fridges still need air. The bay is open at the back and vented at the front, and the clearances are the manufacturer's, not ours.
Keep the socket in the next bay
A socket behind the fridge cannot be reached without pulling the appliance out. Put it in the adjacent module at the back.
Plan the condensate route
Condensate has to leave the bay. On a castor run it goes under the base, which is one more reason the run does not sit flat on the ground.
Expect 900 mm of run
The fridge cabinet is 900 × 656 × 900 mm. A 600 mm appliance in it leaves 300 mm that has to be designed, not left as a gap.
Questions we get about this
Will a normal fridge work outside?
No. An indoor-rated appliance is not built for outdoor ambient swings or humidity and the compressor will fail, usually in the second summer just after the appliance warranty ends.
How much clearance does the bay give?
50 mm at the rear and a vented base, built in. If your appliance asks for more, tell us the model and we size to it.
Does the bay need power nearby?
Yes — a weatherproof outlet within reach of the appliance lead. We do not do electrical work; give your electrician the bay dimensions before first fix.
Before you order anything
Send the grill model and the run length. You get the aperture, the module list and one itemised price back in writing — freight shown separately, valid 15 days.