Thursday, October 6, 2022

More refrigerator woes

Well, it is probably the defrost timer BUT Mrs ERJ suggests that maybe it would be good to have a new refrigerator and (pray to God) a decade or more of trouble-free operation.

Happy wife, happy life.

Any suggestions on brand(s) of refrigerators will be welcomed.

27 comments:

  1. I love everything Samsung EXCEPT their refrigerators are horrible so avoid!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes avoid Samsung. Ours was a nightmare. Replaced within 2 yrs of buying.

      Delete
    2. My wife and I bought a Samsung appliance suite when we moved into our current house. That was eight years back.

      The refrigerator icemaker broke three times in as many years. Samsung did a buyback on it.

      The touch panel buttons on the microwave started crapping out in three years.

      The dishwasher has broken three times in the last eight years, and we've only used it occasionally.

      The only appliance that HASN'T broken is the stove.

      DON'T buy Samsung appliances!!! TV's, smartphones, fine. Appliances, NO!

      So far, our LG refrigerator and washer/drier pair have been working well.

      Delete
    3. Our Samsung fridge lasted 13 years. Never a minute of trouble until it died, pretty much in the middle of the quoted lifespan for large appliances.

      Samsung microwave is still going strong. As are several Samsung computer monitors and two of their TVs.

      Delete
  2. We bought a Frigidaire Gallery a year ago on the same premise (Happy wife, happy life). Works wonderfully. A key feature is no in door service for water and ice. It think that feature is what fouls up Samsung. Get an appliance surge suppresser. (No tax stamp required.) Every machine they make now days has a board in it that is expensive to replace. RogerRoger

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you DO want ice/water in the door, go with a side-by-side, where the icemaker is in the freezer side. A lot of the newer fridges have the icemaker in the in the fridge instead of the freezer because the fridge section is on top and the freezer is down below. In this configuration the icemaker needs to have cold air blown into it from the freezer. THIS is what fails, Samsung has HUGE issues with these, but they're not the only ones. Samsung did a buyback on our fridge because the icemaker couldn't be fixed. We ended up with another Samsung unit, but it was a side-by-side. Haven't had any issues with it at all... so far...

      DEFINITELY have your "modern" appliances plugged into surge suppressors! I mean ALL of them; even the washer/drier! All this stuff is CPU-driven now, and when that motherboard goes, everything stops.

      Delete
    2. I need to mention that this was a French door, freezer drawer on the bottom configuration. I am scrounging for some metal shelf pieces to separate frozen food from the defrosting surface. Cut the freezer burn with a little air gap. RogerRoger

      Delete
  3. We've got a Jenn-Air that's 27 years old and hasn't missed a beat, even after going through all the stops and starts of a thousand PG&E outages. Yes, they're pricey, but I'd say if you can squeeze out the money they're well worth the price you pay.

    ReplyDelete
  4. No help here. We bought ours 30 yrs ago, it was highly rated at the time, energy efficient. No name anywhere on the door or inside/outside. I think it may have been a GE. Never had any problems, still going strong. Just personal opinion, I would also avoid the in door water dispenser. I have no use for them, and it’s just one more fail point. Ours doesn’t have an ice maker either, don’t need one.
    Southern NH

    ReplyDelete
  5. Avoid Samsung and LG

    ReplyDelete
  6. I second the recommendation to avoid Samsung and LG.

    ReplyDelete
  7. a. 30 year old reliability means little for a brand manufactured in 2022

    2. Make sure there is flexibility in the door and shelf arrangement and enough shelves.

    thirdly, listen to the brands to avoid above - that there is good info

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'll second Whirlpool. We bought the first one when the GE fridge we had crapped out after 10 years. That one is sitting in the garage, still going strong at 12 years. The one we bought when we moved into this house five years ago is great. My one complaint is that the water filters were pricey and it wanted them replaced often. So I suggest leaving the bypass plug in place and install a better outboard filter. I seem to remember the repair dude telling me to get whirlpool when he came out to declare my GE dead.

    ReplyDelete
  9. https://annarbor.craigslist.org/app/d/ann-arbor-sub-zero-refrigerator/7532277316.html

    ReplyDelete
  10. Simple design and I second the surge protector to keep that fridge control boards healthy.

    I've pondered buying a heavy duty uninterruptable power supply for both my fridge and freezer.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Just bought a Samsung fridge from Home Depot it just fit inside the dimensions they list but the door won't open as it is next to a wall and needs an extra 3+ inches on that side to function properly, so if you're upgrading make sure you have room to swing the doors. Samsung cust. service was crap saying since I didn't refuse delivery then I'm at the mercy of the local Home depot store manager if they'll accept a return

    ReplyDelete
  12. French doors on top, 2 slide out door, freezer on bottom. Due to moves have had multiple fridges last 10 years and loved the functionality of that model. Higher end for sure but don't remember maker. Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Personally, I hate bottom freezer models. Just like a chest freezer (which I have), the stuff in the bottom tends to stay there until it gets thrown out. I know a side by side is less efficient because the cold air slides out when you open the door. It's something I'm willing to live with because I can mostly see everything in the freezer, thus it's more likely to get used. My two cents.

      Delete
  13. I'll second (or third) the "no" on Samsung, specifically, they stop making parts very shortly after they stop making a particular model so parts may not be available; Whirlpool, RE: "built in America" - pay attention to which model, it may be assembledtwo fridges at once, you'll get a better price and have a spare; best plan is buy the backup 2-4 years after the primary so component or design failure doesn't kill both simultaneously; The "spare" can be 2/3 - 3/4 the size of the "main" and doesn't need icemaker, etc. UPS - test the initial watt draw on startup (called "locked rotor current," the Amana in my old house drew 1260 watts startup, 141 run) to make sure the UPS you get can handle it easily, if it can't you'll kill the motor in 3-4 years. Better yet, Install a whole house surge suppressor, put on in the meter box outside so it's as close as possible to the main incoming cables, I'm pleased with the Siemens unit, the 140 is spendy (~$235, Acme Tools) but has good numbers and historically effective, and if you have a Square D distribution panel, they make a drop-in suppressor that occupies 2 slots just like a 240 breaker assembly, again, closest to incoming cables is better, and a big suppressor outside deals with "external incoming" and one in the distribution panel will handle anything that occurs inside on the house wiring. Suppressors are designed to be sacrificial so check their status frequently.

    Would love to see long term "full ife cycle costs" on appliances, but AFAIK, only Consumer Reports does any of that and very little of it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Our GE Profile is still going strong after 13 years, but it does have its idiosyncrasies. All functions work well though. Second the French doors on top, Freezer slide-out on bottom, it's worked well for us. We got the water/ice door service and it has never given trouble. Our filter is outboard though. I think all fridge filter replacements are just a high-priced ripoff with high aggravation factor.

    ReplyDelete
  15. We have a 24 ft3 Maytag for thirteen years. Works well except the ice dispenser is broken and no repair parts are available apparently. I was looking at watt draws and found a chart that lists Kenmore as the lowest watt draw.

    ReplyDelete
  16. My neighbor repairs and services home appliances for a living. He told me a couple of years ago Never a Samsung ( Samsung for TV only) ! Also no LG. Now, as to my personal preference. We last bought a Side by side ( Whirlpool). Having said that my wife has discovered she doesnt like the way the drawers are laid out AND we both agree the drawers are :" tight" and hard to open and close. We sometimes travel and when we do when possible we rent a house rather than stay at a hotel. A recent home had a Maytag refrigerator with French Doors. OMG !! They are Expensive !! However, my wife has informed me if we come into any extra money at all we will be getting one !!! Easy to open and you could SEE everything in the fridge. ( Our current fridge and many others seem crowded and hard to see what is inside by comparison.). Anyway, stay away from Samsung and good luck . YRMV

    ReplyDelete
  17. Definitely agree with French Door... when my #$*_#*$&^! LG French Door died the wife replace it with a GE side by side and has been cursing lack of space ever since. NEVER by an appliance from a company that tends to specialize in consumer electronics

    ReplyDelete
  18. You the same dude that rewired your pump house, single phased the pump motor, and had your kitchen lights blinking on and off?

    I don’t know who makes a fridge that can handle that mischief!

    If it wasn’t you that did this, never mind.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Buy the refrigerator with the features you want ... Not the one that will fit your current space.
    I had to lose a 2 door above fridge cabinet (16h x 12d) because of the 1" extra height compared to the replaced unit. Avoid exterior displays and touch panels as they are added complexity.
    My 26 cu.ft. Side by Side (2002 Kenmore), was the largest offered that year. (69h x 36w x 30d)
    If they had one larger I would have bought it.
    EnergyStar rated 618 kWh/Yr to operate.
    6.5A max instantaneous load.
    One simple panel inside with the temperature displays and adjustment switches.
    Good shelf flexibility. More shelves are adjustable than fixed on both sides and on the doors.
    It has been a very reliable appliance for me. Regular coil cleaning is key I believe. I use compressed air from the back to a 16 gal W/D vac in the front.
    Next time I will avoid the thru door water and ice maker as 1.6 cu. ft. of valuable on door freezer space is wasted. Also the Ice flap seal will leak cold air with constant use and mechanical wear.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Be sure that you get every feature that you want. Manufacturers are cutting things out willy-nilly due to the famous supply chain issues. Want temperature set in degrees rather than the old-fashioned 1-9 settings? Be sure it's in the one that's delivered, not only the one that's on display. Ask me how I know this one. and no, they wouldn't take the Whirlpool POS back. I may have to sabotage it after a decent interval so I can get something better.

    And I never should have listened to Mrs. Freeholder when she lobbied for a smaller unit "because the kids have moved out." Now I have to fight to get larger items in the thing.

    Second the advice for a surge protector. With the coming issues we all expect the grid to have, they are mandatory on everything here at The Freehold. That or a UPS.

    ReplyDelete

Readers who are willing to comment make this a better blog. Civil dialog is a valuable thing.