Refrigerator upgrade

[Walt34]

If the old frig still works list it on Craigslist, if priced right someone will pick it up.

+1.

There are a couple of local businesses close by here that deal in used but functional appliances, obtained from moving sales, people redecorating and the like.

Rest assured that if it works and the price is right someone out there wants it.

 

[NW-Bound]

Here is a pretty good synopsis of what electricity may be saved.

Older fridges are wildly ineffecient. The best modern models use less than half of what 1993-2000 fridges used. For older fridges it's even more striking: Replacing a 1992 fridge with a modern Energy Star model could save $1400 in electricity costs over the useful life of the fridge...

Exactly my real-life experience.


.

 

[Dean56]

+1
Also, some local utilities offer a reward for replacing your old fridge. Ours pays $50 and picks up the old machine for responsible recycling/disposal. The old box must be working.

Same as where I live. The electric company pays $35 and will come and pick it up for free.

 

[NW-Bound]

Forgot to tell how I got rid of the old fridge.

Here, the city has "bulk trash" pickup twice a year. People would put things out on the curb during that time, and scavengers would patrol the streets during that time to pick up scrap metal that could be recycled.

It was during one such event that I was able to flag down a man, who was happy to haul away the still-working fridge that I already put out in the garage.

PS. No, the city will not pick up old fridges during bulk trash days. However, the still-working stuff will get picked up by scavengers.

PPS. Now that I learn about the $50 program by utility companies, perhaps that guy was happy to make the money that I missed.

 

[ERD50]

+1

We live in a relatively small-ish home and didn't realize how much noise our 17 year-old fridge made until after we replaced it with a new one.

And our new one is noisier than the old one. The manual says these noises are due to the energy saving operations. I don't think you can generalize about this.

We have a 30 YO freezer, and a 26 YO fridge (beer/spare fridge) in addition to the 'new' one. I've done the math (similar kWh rates), and actually connected a 'Kill-a-Watt' meter for a month to get the get actual numbers. and I don't plan on doing anything until they die. And I think that's the best environmental choice as well, but these things are complicated.

-ERD50

 

[ncbill]

Here is a pretty good synopsis of what electricity may be saved.

Slightly inaccurate...my 1996 side-by-side already had the extra insulation.

Energystar.gov used to have a calculator that allowed you to plug-in the exact model of fridge you had.

Whenever I did that the result was I would save ~$30/year by replacing with an energy star-rated fridge, but models with the same configuration/capacity cost ~$1,000.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Did a complete kitchen remodel in 2012. Replaced the existing run of the mill 18 year old Frigadaire appliances with new Whirlpool Gold appliances. Refrigerator, range, dishwasher, microwave. Subsequently the only thing that has NOT been repaired is the over-the-range microwave. All repairs were in the 2-3 years after purchase period. The "warranties" on this new stuff is only one year.

I did the repairs myself to save money. The new appliances are plasticky, cheaply built, and overpriced. I have zero confidence they will make it for 15 years.

My advice? If your current refrigerator is working and you are happy with it, don't replace it to save $10 to $15 a year in electricity.

 

[steelyman]

This thread made me realize something that should have been obvious.

I have an LG fridge, French door, freezer on the bottom. There’s an in-door ice dispenser for cubes or crushed and a bin in the freezer for extra cubes. It’s about 12 years old.

At some point I stopped using the in-door dispenser and just opened the freezer when I wanted cubes. That was probably due to bad experiences at a prior residence that had a similar fridge made by Samsung. The Samsung in-door dispenser was constantly locking up and/or hurling cubes all over the place.

But the LG seems fine so I’ll go back to getting cubes through the door rather than opening the freezer which can’t be a great practice for energy use or keeping frozen food frozen.

 

[SecondAttempt]

My only advice is to avoid Samsung appliances. I've got a 3 year old Samsung refrigerator that keeps freezing up every 2 months and has to be manually defrosted. When you do searches online you see this is a very common problem and one that isn't fixable.

Ditto! I have a 5 year old Samsung. I've loved it, and got a great deal on it. But, it has developed the freeze up problem about a year ago. It's extremely annoying and unpredictable. You find out when you come home to a fridge full of spoiled food at 55 deg. And the ice maker freezes up randomly and stops making ice which requires an extensive hair-dryer session. There are fix kits your can buy for the first problem for very cheap (~$10) but the original problem speaks loudly to the overall quality.

I've never had a fridge for less than 30 years so this is something new to me. I can't agree with the Whirlpool recommendation because I know a bit about their engineering - focused on cheap not reliable.

 

[bUU]

We opted to *not* have an ice-maker with our new fridge. In the past, we had found the ice-maker/dispenser to be of some benefit when our kids were at home. That benefit was greatly discounted when we returned from a 10-day vacation to find that the water line on the ice maker had sprung a leak while we were away. Now that it's just DW & I, we old-school it with our new bottom freezer by filling plastic ice cube trays. The down side means having the first world problem of opening and closing the freezer drawer to get ice.

We went down a similar path, though not quite that far. When we move our new refrigerator will not have a water/ice dispenser in the door.

The problem is not making ice but rather making ice and delivering it through the door of a French door refrigerator (specifically). Though they've tried and tried, no one has really perfected an affordable means for that. I think ice dispensers are much more reliable when they are in the freezer compartment rather than in the refrigerator compartment, and when they just need to deliver ice to a bucket rather than having to traverse through a mechanical hatch in the door.

In addition to what we hope will be higher reliability, this will also have a side-benefit of reducing the water stains on the stainless steel door from drippage and such.

My only advice is to avoid Samsung appliances. I've got a 3 year old Samsung refrigerator that keeps freezing up every 2 months and has to be manually defrosted. When you do searches online you see this is a very common problem and one that isn't fixable. Stick with Whirlpool brands.

That's our plan.

I would suggest replacing it with a Sub-Zero.
This will force you to renovate the kitchen.
Payback period will stretch to the horizon.

To a point in time that we have no hope of ever reaching.

 

[capjak]

Hate my 3 year old Samsung paid a lot of money and every week I have to unclog the ice maker as the cubes get stuck and than freeze up and can not make ice.....ugggg.....Hate it!

 

[meierlde]

We're in the same boat. Would love to replace what we have. After many discussions we will keep until it dies. Hopefully we'll be able to transfer the frozen items before they thaw. Then we'll just pull the trigger on something. I know what I want and we do have limitations on dimensions so cannot go with a gargantuan model.

for frozen thins some styrofoam coolers and dry ice wiil keep things frozen,

 

[Qs Laptop]

One thing I like about my Whirlpool Gold french door model refrigerator is that it has a filtered cold water dispenser on the inside of the left refrigerator door. Yes, you have to open the door and push and hold a button with your thumb, but not having the bulky water dispenser built into the door frees up a lot of interior space inside the door. This method of water dispensing is probably is a lot more reliable than through-the-door methods.

 

[Chapter 3]

It makes the young wife happy, so the payback period is immaterial.

+1

 

[NW-Bound]

That's how I got my beer fridge - replacing it with a Subzero and renovating the kitchen. It makes the young wife happy, so the payback period is immaterial.

Au contraire, I would say that the payback is immediate.

 

[stephenson]

There is mo payback period on energy savings for these types of devices.

If ya want a new frig with cool stuff, it makes sense

Just don't buy Samsung ... they’re cool looking, but my two door, two drawer two years old has been crap ... icemaker frosts up once a month requiring full defrost ... or, i could spend $500 to fix, which requires almost complete icemaker replacement.

Samsung has TERRIBLE customer service. I love their refrig, but it is TERRIBLE.

 

[brett]

The home we purchased has a two door fridge, ice maker and cold water dispenser in the door.

If we replace it we will would not bother with the icemaker/cold water dispenser. Previous owner spent money on the icemaker. We turn it off...it makes a helluva noise sometimes. Both features are more trouble than they are worth to us. It is a GE Professional. Frankly, I do not see anything premium about it other than, perhaps, the price.

 

[Bir48die]

The home we purchased has a two door fridge, ice maker and cold water dispenser in the door.



If we replace it we will would not bother with the icemaker/cold water dispenser. Previous owner spent money on the icemaker. We turn it off...it makes a helluva noise sometimes. Both features are more trouble than they are worth to us. It is a GE Professional. Frankly, I do not see anything premium about it other than, perhaps, the price.

I’m kind of with you on the ice maker. They are so convenient and I use a lot of ice during the day. However I can be sound asleep and when it dumps a load of ice in the container I just about jump out of bed

 

[brett]

Plus, the water dispenser takes too much time to dispense water for our liking.

We keep a filter jug in the fridge and use that. Faster, easier.

I do not know what we will do when replacement time comes around. There is so much junk on the market today. Price is not an indicator of quality either.

Last time we needed a dishwasher we asked the repair technician who was looking at our old one (bosch) what he would buy, what he would recommend. His first comment was forget the Bosch. Too expensive, not well made, parts very expensive. What did he own? A basic sears kenmore model manufactured by whirlpool. His other comment....never buy any appliance purely on price on price or name brand. Quality can change between models, between model years. No different than vehicles. Our experience since that discussion has proved him correct.

 

[LOL!]

I only read some of the responses. Our kitchen fridge is 25 years old. I don't think it is an energy hog. It is just as quiet as a Bosch dishwasher. We pay about 10 cents a kWh for power and our electric bills in the winter when not using air-conditioning are about $35 a month which would include lights, microwave, stove, oven, blower fans, dishwasher, clothes washer, electronics, and the refrigerator. I think $35 a month is cheap for a 3100+ sq ft home.

The fridge has freezer on top and we have turned off the ice-maker. I read that the ice-maker is an energy hog because it heats the tray where the cubes are made when it needs to eject them. The fridge doesn't have any water dispenser or hole in the door for anything. It ain't fancy. I don't mind making ice with trays and use 3 to 4 trays of ice a day. If we have a party, then we just buy additional ice.

The thought of upgrading never crossed my mind.

 

[NW-Bound]

... We pay about 10 cents a kWh for power and our electric bills in the winter when not using air-conditioning are about $35 a month which would include lights, microwave, stove, oven, blower fans, dishwasher, clothes washer, electronics, and the refrigerator. I think $35 a month is cheap for a 3100+ sq ft home...

Astounding!

The lowest electric bill of my 2nd home when we are not there is $42. Only the 25 cu.ft. fridge is running. Water heater and heat pump are turned off. No lights.

Much of the $42 is a fixed cost. I don't know how much offhand.

PS. The home is not yet 15-year-old, and so is the fridge.

 

[sakowitzm]

Have you done any shopping for the (potential) new fridge yet? And the "features" you might be interested in?

I was considering replacing my current fridge, and look around quite a bit. French doors? Bleh. Door w/in a door. Just plain stupid. But mostly I wanted the freezer section to be on TOP. I don't want to have to bend down when I want my nighttime ice cream, but more importantly, everything gets stacked on top of each other. You'd always be playing tetris to get what you want.

But what I found is that the manufacturer's don't make hardly any models with freezer on top any more. All I found was a plain, vanilla, old-style refrigerator -- freezer on top, standard door (just one, thank you), and smaller than most other models. So I stayed with my current one.

 

[gerntz]

This thread made me realize something that should have been obvious.

I have an LG fridge, French door, freezer on the bottom. There’s an in-door ice dispenser for cubes or crushed and a bin in the freezer for extra cubes. It’s about 12 years old.

At some point I stopped using the in-door dispenser and just opened the freezer when I wanted cubes. That was probably due to bad experiences at a prior residence that had a similar fridge made by Samsung. The Samsung in-door dispenser was constantly locking up and/or hurling cubes all over the place.

But the LG seems fine so I’ll go back to getting cubes through the door rather than opening the freezer which can’t be a great practice for energy use or keeping frozen food frozen.

We have that design LG also, 3.5 years old. Really love it. Use a lot of ice with my bourbon & Coke, sometimes together, sometimes not. Also fill lots of small coolers with ice. Not big ice storage capacity but remakes more quickly. Never had a bottom freezer before & wondered if I'd like it, but it's much easier to see into than a top freezer.

We have a shallow depth one to line up more closely with cabinets/counters around it & not stick out into room. Between the shallow depth & French doors, I feel like I'm inside the fridge when I open both doors such that there's zero issue with locating items & reaching around things. Cool design.

The shallow design does reduce capacity, so we also have an undercounter beverage/bar fridge. Our KW's are cheap so $ not a concern at all.

 

[steelyman]

We have that design LG also, 3.5 years old. Really love it. Use a lot of ice with my bourbon & Coke, sometimes together, sometimes not. Also fill lots of small coolers with ice. Not big ice storage capacity but remakes more quickly. Never had a bottom freezer before & wondered if I'd like it, but it's much easier to see into than a top freezer.

Sounds like you have a good one that’s several years newer than mine. I’m happy with it (knock on wood). I never use the crushed ice setting, only cubes.

The other thing I like is the replaceable water filter. I’m not sure what to think about the local water quality so all my drinking water and ice is filtered in the fridge which also accommodates filling a 12-cup carafe for coffee through the door.

 

[NW-Bound]

... Door w/in a door. Just plain stupid...

Stupid? I don't know how they make them now, but my big GE 30 cu.ft. has a door-in-door to access a small compartment. This "small" compartment is big enough for a gallon jug, two bottles of wine, 2 six-packs. It's great.

Opening the large door to get a drink would cost me even more in terms of electricity. The small door is about 2 sq.ft., and the compartment behind it serves also as a baffle to reduce loss of cold air.

The fridge is almost 20-year-old, and long discontinued.