New fridge recommendations

[meierlde]

It's kind of like no electromechanical device (or plain electrical or mechanical) is designed to function indefinitely due to general wear and tear (putting it mildly). Whether it's a car, fridge, vacuum cleaner, etc, all have parts that will wear out over use (time under use).

We as consumers don't have "inside" information as to what design life parts are spec'd to, but they certainly are designed to make it through a defined use life without failure (given some statistical specification). Also, cost of manufacture comes into play.

So, yeah, things wear out and replacements are part of the game.

Since appliances are the result of engineering the design lifetime comes into play. You can extend this at a higher manufacturing cost. I recall the 1930s 1940s fridges of 7 cu foot with just the compressor no fans no nothing else (my folks had one that was still going strong when the left it in the house they sold in 1986, bought in 1950, fridges back then were built on the kiss principal with the freezer cooling the fridge as it was a small chamber in the top of the unit with a tray for ice cube trays and perhaps 1 cu foot or so for frozen food. So units have come a long way in 70 years. (and in particular the cost in hours worked has come way down.)

 

[explanade]

It's kind of like no electromechanical device (or plain electrical or mechanical) is designed to function indefinitely due to general wear and tear (putting it mildly). Whether it's a car, fridge, vacuum cleaner, etc, all have parts that will wear out over use (time under use).

We as consumers don't have "inside" information as to what design life parts are spec'd to, but they certainly are designed to make it through a defined use life without failure (given some statistical specification). Also, cost of manufacture comes into play.

So, yeah, things wear out and replacements are part of the game.

My previous refrigerator lasted 20 years. No defrosting problems, just dirty seals at the end.

The Samsung fridge that replaced it had ice buildup problems within 5 years and from searching online, a lot of people are reporting similar problems.

I paid $185 for someone to thaw it out and unclog the defrost tubing where water accumulated leading to the ice problems.

Now, I can't get it to dispense ice cubes, only crushed ice. From looking online, I'm going to have to unblock ice buildup somewhere in the ice maker.


With the other accounts here, it sounds like current appliances are not being made to last.

 

[brett]

Our next fridge will NOT have an ice dispenser or a water dispenser. Both take up too much room in the fridge and in our experience they are prone to failure.

So we will go back to our previous mode. Ice cube tray for ice. Brita container/filter for water.

As for the savings....maybe a last minute 7 day AI to Peurto Vallarta in early December. Between the purchase savings and the savings from not having to pay for service calls it should just about cover the cost of the AI. Plus, less agro which is a bonus.

 

[Texas Proud]

It's kind of like no electromechanical device (or plain electrical or mechanical) is designed to function indefinitely due to general wear and tear (putting it mildly). Whether it's a car, fridge, vacuum cleaner, etc, all have parts that will wear out over use (time under use).

We as consumers don't have "inside" information as to what design life parts are spec'd to, but they certainly are designed to make it through a defined use life without failure (given some statistical specification). Also, cost of manufacture comes into play.

So, yeah, things wear out and replacements are part of the game.

I will give an example of this and how a company does not care... wish I could remember the company, but it was over 15 years ago...


My BIL developed a low voltage replacement for gas yard lights.... he used bulbs that were developed for tail lights on cars... he quickly determined that US manufactured bulbs did not last that long and went with a Germany company...


But, there were some lights that seemed to not last as long... he kept track of every bulb he installed and actually determined which machine of that company the problem lights were being made... he called the company and talked to one of their top engineers and passed on his info so they could find the problem and fix that machine... however, he was told that the lights met the design life they intended and would not be doing anything to fix it... the stated life was 100,000 miles (which BTW does not make sense to me since some cars have their lights on more than others, so how can that be the measure).... but, as long as they did not burn out before a car went 100,000 miles they were good with the problem....


I also remember way back when where we had a laser printer at work... it would have many problems... the guy came out all the time to fix it (company had a contract so it was 'free')... one time I asked why it kept breaking.... he said the printer was designed for a max of 4,000 pages per month and we were doing between 10,000 to 20,000 a month... he said the company engineers were always wanting to get the info from him to see how it was standing up to the abuse...


So yes, a life expectancy IS designed into every appliance....

 

[Texas Proud]

Just to add.... I have an old chest freezer... it had a problem a year or so ago... the guy came to fix it and knew exactly what the problem was... said the design put an electrical part near a heat source and it failed on almost all of them over time... he put a new part in but moved it to a different location....

 

[aja8888]

My previous refrigerator lasted 20 years. No defrosting problems, just dirty seals at the end.

With the other accounts here, it sounds like current appliances are not being made to last.

I have to agree. I had a fridge (GM brand, bought 1976) that lasted until I gave it away three years ago (I believe it is still running). Those older units were wired with larger diameter wire to handle more current and they were less complicated and didn't have many, if any, delicate circuit boards. One repair, a thermostat at about 20 years in. No ice maker in the door, or even an ice maker at all, if I remember right.

The newer ones are more energy efficient with low current relays (some electronic, not electromechnical type), and tend to be more prone to parts failures. Plus, the new ones have way more "features" that raise the parts list and probability for things to go wrong.

 

[Marita40]

I put a Fischer and Paykal counter depth in my new kitchen remodel. Love it! A lesser known brand perhaps but a good contender. It works great in a small kitchen.

 

[meierlde]

Our next fridge will NOT have an ice dispenser or a water dispenser. Both take up too much room in the fridge and in our experience they are prone to failure.

As a work around, is the ice container visible, and could you just reach in and get the ice (or use a small scoop)?

 

[RobbieB]

My new fridge has no ice maker and no dispensers. There is no water plumbed to the location either.

I use a 5 liter tap container in the fridge for chilled water and a bin and some ice cube trays to hold and make ice.

 

[Dash man]

So, yeah, things wear out and replacements are part of the game.

Kind of like with people parts now.

 

[W2R]

Because it can get so hot here, if I have been outside then usually I would prefer un-chilled water at least until I cool down a little bit. Un-chilled room temperature water in an air conditioned house seems pretty cold when you're hot. I also prefer un-chilled water for taking medications.

I have a half gallon water container that I fill each morning and finish each day as part of my attempts to lose weight and improve my overall health.

If I want chilled water, I add ice to it. But I seldom do that. Honestly my icemaker doesn't get much use now that I have those gel cold packs to put on whatever part of my aging body is hurting.

However my cheap-o Sears freezer-on-top refrigerator does have an icemaker in the freezer. It could be ordered with or without icemaker, and the icemaker was installed separately when it was delivered. So, if it broke then I would imagine it could be removed or replaced easily enough. If not then I could go to ice cube trays like Robbie I suppose. Ice and chilled water are just not a huge priority in my life lately for whatever reasons.

 

[Dash man]

We love our ice makers. Our Samsung has one in the door and one in the bottom freezer. I need ice for about everything I drink, and two ice makers are great for entertaining. The only problem we’ve ever had is ice clogs up the door dispenser. I just open up the dispenser and remove the stuck ice and it works great.

 

[Scuba]

I put a Fischer and Paykal counter depth in my new kitchen remodel. Love it! A lesser known brand perhaps but a good contender. It works great in a small kitchen.

How long have you had it? We may have to replace ours and if we do, we’re not getting another LG!

We are still waiting for LG to confirm if they will have all the parts for us next week. In the meantime, we went out yesterday and rented a fridge. $100 per month including delivery and pick-up, with a minimum rental of one month. We’ve already spent around that on ice just in 5 days, so we decided it will be worth it to have a rental fridge while we give LG another week to do the right thing.

 

[Marita40]

Two years now. No problems with it. I went with it because it is about the only reasonably priced stainless steel counter depth and small width out there. My local appliance store has sold them for years since in our 100 year old homes the big issue is getting the fridge into the small kitchen. Historically they were, of course, on the back porch or entry way.

 

[Walt34]

The newer ones are more energy efficient with low current relays (some electronic, not electromechnical type), and tend to be more prone to parts failures. Plus, the new ones have way more "features" that raise the parts list and probability for things to go wrong.

Some of that at least can be laid at the feet of the EPA in mandating more efficient appliances. Our 16-year-old GE refrigerator once needed a new motherboard (I'd had no idea that refrigerators had motherboards!) when the defrost cycle was intermittent. Even though I used to work on refrigerators I realized that this one was over my head and called a service guy. Yep, now they need a scan tool and a laptop computer to diagnose the thing. It also has three thermostats and variable speed fans, I can hear those spooling up when the door is open longer than normal, like after a grocery run.

I rather doubt that newer appliances are any simpler.

 

[Texas Proud]

Just a link for Sears outlet.... they have some good prices if one is close to you...


https://www.searsoutlet.com/