Quality fridge, help...

[Da Game]

Just read the washing machine post and most excellent response from you guys. Now if you will be so kind in helping me out.

Saturday the fridge stopped freezing and Sunday we woke up and had to call the nearest family member for help to store our frozen foods. The dang thing was working properly for the last 10 years so now I think it's time to look into this matter when this should happen again. The repair man left about 5 hrs ago and charged me $100 to replace a motor that was going bad, it's a Kenmore side by side. After viewing the other post about washers and dryers I thought all was basically the same, of course I was WRONG. So with this new found knowledge I'm enlisting you guys for help choosing a new fridge, I need to be ready.

The Staber washers looks good, that will be on the list, so something simular to this in QUALITY just in a fridge.

 

[Al]

Honestly, if you insure you keep the compressor motor and that area clean and also keep the coils clean, a Fridge will last til you are tired of it.

Just get the most efficient model. We now have a Whirlpool which we like (I think its about 7 years old). Amana makes good stuff-except they may no longer be made in the U.S.-not sure.

 

[JayhawkRoy]

We have had good luck with all brands of refrigerators except GE. MY son had a mid-priced GE side by side. It went to the trash dump after five years. It required three required repairs (two under warranty) in five years. GE offered no in home service in his area, so we had to haul the refrigerator twenty miles one way to the repair shop.

When the compressor stopped working (again!!), he cut bait at that time and purchased a cheap Frigidaire. My family has always had good luck with Kenmore appliances, particularly refrigerator.

 

[Mr. Boston]

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We have had good luck with all brands of refrigerators except GE. MY son had a mid-priced GE side by side. It went to the trash dump after five years. It required three required repairs (two under warranty) in five years. GE offered no in home service in his area, so we had to haul the refrigerator twenty miles one way to the repair shop.

When the compressor stopped working (again!!), he cut bait at that time and purchased a cheap Frigidaire. My family has always had good luck with Kenmore appliances, particularly refrigerator.

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We had much the same experience with a GE fridge...won't do GE again anytime soon!

 

[Al]

[quote We had much the same experience with a GE fridge...won't do GE again anytime soon!

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Times 3 . I have had a couple neighbors who had very bad luck with GE also. I was going to mention that initially but since it was limited to two people that I know of, I didn't mention it.

 

[Primus]

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We now have a Whirlpool which we like (I think its about 7 years old).

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Those were really good. Actually I'm searching a new reefer and Whirlpool was among the prefered candidates. I don't know how about the N.A., but what we have now from Whirlpool (made in Brazilia, Italy, Poland) does not impress at all. All looks fragile like a chineese toy. As for side-by-side models, they are better, but an assemblage quality is far from desired. Though, it seems that a general quality (cause of solutions applied to decrease cost, as well as production and national culture in some countries) has deteriorated at all nearly manufacturers. Same as with number of other consumer goods.

 

[benjamming]

My folks purchased a Kenmore french door bottom freezer style with through the door stuff. Well it's not a quality item from Korea. It leaked at the through door, overhead plastic melted from bulbs (they were the right size - came with the unit), circuit board fried. New fridge was given. Same things happened. Sears gave them their money back for a different one to be purchased at their store.

We purchased a french door bottom freezer model AFD2535FES without the through door stuff, but it does have a water dispenser inside. Our unit was $1300. It is made in the USA. My parents then bought bascially the same model but in a different color. We both like it pretty well.

 

[another Todd]

I am done with Maytag. About two years ago we bought a new Maytag $1600 gas stove/oven and a new Maytag side by side fridge. 1 year and four days after purchase the stove had an electrical short and caught on fire burning up the wiring harness. Maytag repair said it's out of warrantee by 4 days so you will have to pay for the repairs. After I told them my wife was burned by the plasma arc and that there was a fire they agreed to fix it as a "goodwill gesture". 6 months later the evaporator fan in the fridge burned out, which ruined much of the food. I didn't want to deal with being denied warantee again so I fixed it myself but had to order the fan (3 days as none were available in southern california). That motor appeared to have overheated and burned up also. Both the fridge motor and the stoves igniter harness were made in mexico. I am so done with Maytag! The quality just isn't what it used to be. BTW, I am on my third Maytag dishwasher, and they are not any better.
The funny thing is, about 40 years ago my family was in a national ad campain for Maytag. TV commercials and magazine ads touting the reliability of their washers and dryers. Our ads spawned the "lonely repairman" ads.

 

[Quest]

IMHO Maytag brand is way overhyped/overpriced for it's dismal quality. We (me and ma dad) have to service our Maytag washer and driver a few times over the past 15 yrs inc. replacing the motor (we do it ourselves) a couple of times, not including the switches, etc.

Our Hotpoint fridge has been in continuous service since 1978, and even though the inside blower motor bushings been burnt, it's still running (granted that we take it apart every year and service it) after all these years. Talking about quality.

I wouldn't hesitate in getting a better fridge these days and to me, the only reliable domestic brand would either be GeeEee or Frigidaire (owned by Sweedish Electrolux). In fact, I wouldn't mind giving Samsung or Haier a try these days...

Oh and BTW: so long as the compressor doesn't fail and no refrigerant leaks over the decades, all fridges can be serviced and repaired to proper working conditions. all that ever needs is just the occasional lube of the inside blower motor bushings (use 3-in-1, not SAE20 oil for it's too thick when your blower runs in -5C), also service the door seals in case it becomes hardened over the years). Also clear any cobwebs and debris that clogged up the back cooling panel/fins.

Q.

 

[Al]

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Our Hotpoint fridge has been in continuous service since 1978, and even though the inside blower motor bushings been burnt, it's still running (granted that we take it apart every year and service it) after all these years. Talking about quality.

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You might want to do a cost analysis on the electricity it uses vs what the new ones use. It is really significant. I'm guessing the payoff on a new one would be less than 10 years.

 

[ThirdeYe]

Our Whirlpool has been going strong for over 7 years now.

 

[Quest]

Al-

Yes, we are going to replace our Hotpoint fridge this year with a more energy efficient one (hopefully we will get some sort of provincial energy rebate). Thinking of a GeeEee or Frigidaire mid-priced model.

My biggest payoff is to improve upon older design's efficiency until we can come up with the $$ to replace them. There are certain things that need immediate replacement (such as our fridge) and then there are things that we need to improve upon (until we can come out with extra $$ budget) such as natural gas furnace,etc.

We also need to replace all our windows with double-glazed to cut down on heating costs.

Q.

 

[JustinH]

Hey Guys.

I can understand having a high dollar refrigerator repaired (A chrome double door unit or whatever), but I don't understand people who have repairmen over to fix their 200 dollar fridge.

Just buy a new one when it goes.

I'm 24, i've been living in my first apartment for about a year. I bought a GE from a used appliance store, the guy is a refrigeration guy by trade. He goes through people's junk and repairs the fridge to working condition, and puts a six month warranty on it. I paid 125 dollars for the fridge, and its not that old either.

I'm not saying everyone buy used appliances, but just walk around costo or sams club, you can get one for 400-500 bucks.

As soon as it dies, i'll just throw it out and get another one.

 

[Quest]

Some household appliances are suppose to last, while others aren't.

Fridge is one of the items that can be easily repaired (unless your compressor pump goes south or you have a refrigerant leak), and they supposed to provide you decades of service life.

Any fridge that fails within the first 5 ~10 years of daily usage is IMHO junk. And also throwing out a repairable fridge is, IMHO a waste (a form of pollution) as well.

While I may not keep my Hotpoint after it's been replaced, I shall donate it to charity cause and someone less fortunate ...

 

[rokky]

Well ... after a brand new Kenmore washer spilled water all over the floor ... I would say avoid the cheaper-line Kenmore products.
Never saw anything built so bad. Plastic clips and a couple of metal screws holding everything together. The top control panel was loose too. Seems the drum was not secured for shipping and the plastic liner around it was broken in several places.

The brand new dryer seems ok. Looks like an Inglis product.

The washer has been replaced with a cheaper Frigidaire and it is pretty well built.

Fridge is a more expensive Kenmore and it is good. I would just avoid their low-line stuff like the plague.

Company supplies this stuff so I had little input to what was bought.

 

[JHZR2]

I bought a GE Adora side by side with integrated ice and water cooler.

Per a friend in the water treatment business, GE smart water uses some of the best sorbents (highest performance/capacity) to treat the water, and so that was good by us (an added benefit we ddnt know at the purchase time).

I do know that the ice machine doesnt work as well as the frigidaire that it replaced. Oh well.

We bought based upon the energuide listings (minimum energy used), and of course since my fiancee was the most important consideration - we bought based upon which had the exact look she would be going for in the kitchen, eventually. This meant that we sprung for a tad bit fancier, with steel surfaces, steel handles, and glass shelves in the refrigerator portion.

I think we spent $1300 for ours. A lot, but the frigidaire had died because the PO had not kept up with it.

JMH