Crappy Refrigerators

[jyl]

Grrr. Does anyone think refrigerators don't last as long as they should, or as they used to?

Our refrigerator is a Frigidaire, 11 years old, it is now leaking coolant (stinking up the house, temp has climbed from 31F to 45F in 24 hours) and the repair guy is coming to look but warns it will likely be an expensive repair.

Not a lot of moving parts in these. Shouldn't they last longer?

Thinking of buying a commercial True T23 as replacement. Am okay w/ the noise and energy consumption, don't need a freezer as I have one in the basement. Would like 23 cu ft of cooler vs the measly 14 cu ft now. Will have to get out the sawzall and cut away some drywall and cabinetry above the refrigerator, since the True is considerably taller. I guess this could force me to start the kitchen remodel earlier than was otherwise hoping to.

[red-beard]

I just had my GE washer die after 6.5 years. The shaft on the drum broke, which is not a "normal" break. Anyway, it was $800 to get a same as replacement, or buy a new set. I spent $1900 on a new set, different brand.

It seems the quality of appliances has gone down since we have moved to the multi-use style. I think we are better off with a separate refrigerator and freezer, and simply stick with minimal controls...

[rsNINESOOPER]

Seems like all products are shoddy these days. Nothing lasts like it used to.

I have a frige in my shop that I pulled out of a friends grandmothers basement that has been plugged in and running since 1963. It has only been unplugged during the two moves during its lifetime. From grandmothers house to my house and then to my shop where it currently keeps lunch, drinks and the occasional beer cold without complaining.

My Maytag frige lasted 8 years and now I have an LG that seems to be working for the time being but a few broken plastic parts already. If the frige from 1963 were a full size it would have stayed at my house. It's a medium size frige and it's just not big enough for a family. Its a Frigidaire.

[porsche4life]

Send the old one to me... We have gotten pretty good at disposing of them...

[Zeke]

I looked into buying a commercial fridge a ways back when I was remodeling restaurants. To solve your exact problem, I bought one half of a double set, fridge half only. It was a Frigidaire, roomy but noisy.

All the majors make such a unit.

The True is a beast.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Ours is on the way out. It's 12 years old. Kenmore, maybe? The thing is so damned noisy I can hear it all the way across the house.

I like Milt's idea of the commercial fridge but we need a freezer inside, too. And there's no way to fit one of those monster side-by-side setups in our tiny kitchen.

Be sure to post what you end up with. I hate researching this sort of stuff.

[jcc911]

We just bought a new one that replaced a 16 yr old Ammana. It was still running ok when we got rid of it.

[1990C4S]

Home Depot sells a Korean model that has two compressors, one for the fridge, one for the freezer. Samsung, maybe?

[peppy]

True T-23 Refrigerator, Reach-In, 1 Section/SS Door, Energy Star, 23 cu ft

John this 23 has the energy star logo and free shipping.

That is one heck of a fridge for the house....I love that casters.

[LWJ]

I believe the change to R134 has a corrosive effect on the cooling circuit. I was in the market a few years ago and called the Sub Zero factory. "Hey," I said, "what makes you refrigerators so great?" The immediate, no hesitation response was "we build them to last 20 years."

I bought it. Almost as expensive as my SC. We will see if it lasts. I sure hope so.

Larry

[regency]

We have all GE stuff, it's all crap. have replaced the microwave twice & our fridge is a major POS. All the GE stuff is not very old ( about 4 years since our kitchen remodel ).

Steve

73 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine

[jyl]

Quick question - I found a scratch/dent Beverage Air fridge, 20 cu ft, two half doors (glass and solid), for $1600. Or a True T23, 23 cu ft, two half doors, for about $2200, online w/ free delivery and no liftgate fee. The True looks a little better made. Any insight on these two brands? Both US made. I want reliability first and foremost, as it will be a real ***** to get them serviced in my house, like I'd probably have to pay a guy on the side, or haul the unit to a shop, as the commercial fridge repair companies won't come to my house.

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by jyl

Grrr. Does anyone think refrigerators don't last as long as they should, or as they used to?they last longer?

Fact of life... Not in the interest of the makers to have their stuff last more then 10years in this "disposition society era".

My brother use to worked as a floor engineer for the biggest Canadian producer which supply most of the brands such as Sears, GE and the likes.

When it came to the compressor, they came from China and the specs had less then 1% of "room margin" for the duty cycle.

People that called and complaint about early failure would get a heavier duty replacement part (great mouth to mouth advertisement) and since less than 1% actually complain, but the company still making lots of money mainly base on volume sale.

[PorscheGAL]

Originally Posted by regency

We have all GE stuff, it's all crap. have replaced the microwave twice & our fridge is a major POS. All the GE stuff is not very old ( about 4 years since our kitchen remodel ).

Steve

73 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine

GE here too. In 5 years in new construction house. 2 new microwaves, replaced the dishwasher with Bosch(when the repair part for the GE was $400). Oven is now on the fritz. We will see how long it hold on.

[pete3799]

Have a Kelvinator that's 18 years old. It works but my Porsche is quieter.

[turbo6bar]

Originally Posted by jyl

Quick question - I found a scratch/dent Beverage Air fridge, 20 cu ft, two half doors (glass and solid), for $1600. Or a True T23, 23 cu ft, two half doors, for about $2200, online w/ free delivery and no liftgate fee. The True looks a little better made. Any insight on these two brands? Both US made. I want reliability first and foremost, as it will be a real ***** to get them serviced in my house, like I'd probably have to pay a guy on the side, or haul the unit to a shop, as the commercial fridge repair companies won't come to my house.

Can't help you on the brands, but I wouldn't worry about servicing it. The commercial style units will generally be much simpler: simple timers and thermostats, and few or no digital controls. The end result is they're easier and cheaper to repair? Make certain it has adequate airflow(a clean condenser = less stress on the guts) and you'll probably have great lifetime.

[kanadary]

our whirlpool crapped out after 10yrs. we now have samsung, its quiet but we'll see how well it holds up. our washer which was the top of the line digital readout kenmore just died, i did the diagnosics and found it to be some water level sensor, which as it turns out is nla. this is the third time that's broken, first time was some recirculation valve, then the digital key pad and now this. so we just picked up a front loader magtag commercial, supposidly made with commercial parts, suppose to come later this week so we'll see.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by 1990C4S

Home Depot sells a Korean model that has two compressors, one for the fridge, one for the freezer. Samsung, maybe?

I got one 5 years ago and it's been great. I has two evaporators, so the refrigerator air is kept separate from the freezer air. Freezer temps are consistent zero no matter how often the fridge is open and there is less dessication damage to the food. It's quite too.

[jyl]

Our washers (Whirlpool Duets) have been excellent, no complaints there, about 10 y/o now. The microwave crapped out after 6 years (Frigidaire Gallery Professional).

I think these sorts of domestic appliances should last 20 years. The technology is old, the engineering is not tough, there is no excuse for a bleeping refrigerator to last only 10 years.

So, I'm dipping my toe in the commercial waters.

[Drisump]

Forget about the 30 year old "beer" fridge in the garage you used to see. I build homes and even the highly respected names of old have very short service lives. I figure that people remodel their kitchens and rip out their appliances for purely cosmetic reasons nowadays. In general, people seem less concerned with the longevity and more concerned with bells and whistles and appearance. Kind of like shopping for a Ipod......you know you're not going to use it for more than a couple of years. Cheers