Resolving New Fridge Problem

[Ronstar]

Al, I think have the same fridge. But mine is a Kenmore- same as whirlpool. The flapper has a little piece that sticks out of the top that is supposed to fit into a slotted component mounted to the underside of the fridge top. The slot is curved and makes the flapper rotate as the door is closed. The rotation allows the flapper to sit flush and the door to close.

It looks like your flapper is not fitting the slotted component correctly. Definitely something that should be fixed by warranty.

The slotted component is a separate piece that screws to the fridge. Maybe yours isn't set right, or maybe your flapper is ajar.

Can you call the place you bought it from for advice on how to get it serviced?

 

[CRLLS]

You would think that, with all the automatic latching/closing doors and trunks on vehicles these days, that technology would be mature by now. It should be easy for a manufacturer to implement a similar self-latching French door. If this is such a cross-manufacturer problem, maybe I should apply for a patent?

 

[H2ODude]

No problem with ours at home which IIRC is an LG. However, am staying at friends house right now with LG and while it is not as bad as yours, it does hang up maybe 1/5 times. However, we've just learned to give a bit of a shove upon closing so inertia can do its thing.

 

[Moemg]

I have the same refrigerator but mine closes .Occasionally I will notice it is ajar but only rarely .My last French door was an LG and it had an alarm which was really annoying when you were cleaning the refrigerator and the unit died at 3 1/2 years so I 'll take the door problem over non functioning fridge .

 

[misanman]

Are there any current refrigerator makes that are reliable? We're in the market for one (current 10 year old Kenmore -made by Whirlpool - needs a new defrost controller and the part is no longer available) and it seems like there are problems with all of them.

 

[mystang52]

Are there any current refrigerator makes that are reliable? We're in the market for one (current 10 year old Kenmore -made by Whirlpool - needs a new defrost controller and the part is no longer available) and it seems like there are problems with all of them.

It's only 5 months old, but my Whirlpool refrigerator works great. It's the basic design, top freezer.

 

[W2R]

Are there any current refrigerator makes that are reliable? We're in the market for one (current 10 year old Kenmore -made by Whirlpool - needs a new defrost controller and the part is no longer available) and it seems like there are problems with all of them.

It's only 5 months old, but my Whirlpool refrigerator works great. It's the basic design, top freezer.

The one I linked to in post #5 of this thread, is only 20 months old but I had an identical one for 10 years previously. It worked like a champ, but when I moved I left it at my old house, and bought another one just like it. It's a Kenmore too, so I don't know who made it. Like yours, it's the basic design with a top freezer so there's not much to break and it keeps the food at the perfect temperatures reliably.

 

[Dash man]

We bought a new Whirlpool fridge in October, and here's the problem I'm having:

https://youtu.be/8cAsI_2mYb0

Scary how dorky I look in that video!

The latest is that the techs at Whirlpool say that that's the way it's supposed to work. Because of that, the service tech can't deem the fridge unrepairable.

Any tips on getting Whirlpool to replace this refrigerator?

Write a letter to the CEO of Whirlpool. I've gotten results from several companies by doing that.

 

[samclem]

Don't go too far with the unlevelling of the fridge. If you do, the ice maker may not work right (trays won't fill, water dumps into freezer cabinet) and/or the defrosting cycle might not drain water in the right way, result in "yecchh," esp in a place like yours that has high humidity.
None of the French door fridges seal as well or reliably as those with conventional doors. That's the price for making a fashion statement.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I have the same refrigerator (with a Kitchenaid label on it) and I have to say I think that is how they are supposed to work. It might not be the greatest design but I don't think yours is broken per se--the right door opens and closes easily without you having to close it, and you can open the left door easily, but you have to either pull open the right door to first close the left door and then close the right door, or physically push the left door all the way into the closed right door to be sure the left door's little flangey sealing thingie slides into the right door.

Before we bought ours we saw our friends' similar fridge and they pointed out this issue.

Ours has an "Open Door" alarm that beeps when the door is left ajar--does yours? We keep the alarm turned on. Just having this alarm tells me that the company is trying to deal with complaints about unknowingly leaving the door ajar (our other refrigerators didn't have an open door alarm!)

But good suggestion above, if you are unhappy, is to pick out a different refrigerator and write the CEO asking for a replacement of that model, saying how unhappy you are with the design.

 

[JPatrick]

That's a lot of elevation you've added. Did you check regarding possible negative effects from the tilt?

 

[Just_Steve]

In firearms theres a term called limp wristing which causes a malfunction with semi-auto pistols, maybe the door just needs to be closed with just a little more authority as opposed to limp writing it closed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limp_wristing

 

[gerntz]

Have this doors design on year old LG, no problem.

Went & looked at mine. I wonder if your doors aren't a bit too close together & they're hitting before closing. I think they could be adjusted apart. On ours, there's an overlapping gasket on each door that stick out about an extra 1/4" each from each door. That overlap creates the seal, though admittedly that doesn't seem like that's very good insulation there.

 

[jimbee]

That is a problem with some french door refrigerators, and the reason we didn't get one the last time we shopped for refrigerators. Many of the floor models we tried worked the same way.

 

[travelover]

............It looks like your flapper is not fitting the slotted component correctly. ...........

Please - we try to be family friendly here.

 

[TromboneAl]

Al, I think have the same fridge. But mine is a Kenmore- same as whirlpool. The flapper has a little piece that sticks out of the top that is supposed to fit into a slotted component mounted to the underside of the fridge top. The slot is curved and makes the flapper rotate as the door is closed. The rotation allows the flapper to sit flush and the door to close.

It looks like your flapper is not fitting the slotted component correctly. Definitely something that should be fixed by warranty.

They replaced those parts several times. The appliance repair place wasn't great, a lot of poor reasoning.

It's working well with my there-I-fixed-it modification.

I actually got a Sears Master Protection Agreement after the fact ($71). The Sears rep said "I'll transfer you know, and remember, you don't want to mention that you already have a problem."

But I think I'll come up against the "It's not broken, it's a feature" problem there, too. With my fix, it might be smarter just to stay with this fridge, which is otherwise okay.

I was about to buy a new stove from Sears, since ours recently turned on by itself . Yes, came down in the morning and the over was on (with the dial set to Off).

I will be buying from Costco. 90 Day return policy, and they'll even come pick it up for free.

>A looped bungie cord ...
If we hadn't spent $1000 for a brand new fridge, that's what I'd have done.

 

[Another Reader]

That's the way it's supposed to work The flap on the left door has to be in place so when the right door closes, it seals. I thought it was a poor design, but if you like the French door fridges, that seems to be how most or all of them work.

You are a smart guy, so you could figure it out and adapt. I have put a bunch of these at $998 less the Lowes discount or Home Depot coupon into rental properties. Tenants love the look. You can almost see them drool when they find out the house has stainless appliances. However, the phone calls about the fridge after they move in are good evidence of the reason most tenants are still tenants....

I prefer side by side fridges, but the tenants love these. Go figure.

 

[Bamaman]

I've got a Maytag that's the same basic fridge design--but with the refrigerator drawer and bottom freezer. And it has an alarm.

The left door's just got to be closed before the right one. If I leave the left one slightly cracked, it's not such a problem because it's refrigerated--not a freezer. But we still find ourselves from time to time not getting it completely closed.

 

[Bestwifeever]

I think it's easier to just learn how to close the doors on this fridge (they do close--it's similar to a cabinet with overlapping doors, which we learn to close a certain way) than to jerryrig and offbalance and possibly interfere with the workings of a major appliance to close them the way I want. And probably void the new warranty with blocks under it and possibly drilling into it to install bungee cords

More importantly, do the doors needing to be closed in a certain order bother Lena this much? Are you happy with the refrigerator otherwise?

 

[ERD50]

I'm curious - what is the attraction of french doors on a fridge?

I don't get it - opening one larger door seems as easy as opening a smaller door, and easier than opening two doors when the thing you are looking for ends up on the other side, or you don't know what side it's on (spouse put it way, or you forgot, and you have a 50-50 chance, so 1.5 door openings on average in that case). Plus, you need access on both sides for the door to swing (may or may not be a problem, but I don't see it as an advantage). And with a single door, it's obvious that the sealing is simpler, and probably more effective.

We had a side-by-side once, DW hated it - freezer was too narrow for some things. Then we got a bottom freezer, and we don't understand why those are not more popular. We go into the fridge far more often than we go into the freezer, so having that food all at a more accessible level is a plus. It always seems weird to me when I use someone else's top-freezer fridge, that everything is so low.

There is some talk that bottom-freezer models are less efficient, not sure why - cold sinks so it seems to make sense that you want the coldest on the bottom. I guess some concern that being closer to the compressor could be an issue? But I checked the Energy Label ratings, and ours was as efficient as a similar top freezer, so in practice, not an issue.

-ERD50

 

[samclem]

I'm curious - what is the attraction of french doors on a fridge?

Novelty sells? "Hey, look, now they have fridges with French doors! You couldn't get those before. It must answer a need and be better, else why would they have changed it? And so shiny!"

They do help in some locations. An island in the kitchen is now seen as highly desirable, even in kitchens that are really too small to need one. Things can get so cramped that a narrower door on the refrigerator is better than a wide one. For the freezer access, you still have to stand to one side can pull it open.
So, one poor design choice (island in a too small kitchen) spawns more trouble.

 

[Texas Proud]

I'm curious - what is the attraction of french doors on a fridge?

I don't get it - opening one larger door seems as easy as opening a smaller door, and easier than opening two doors when the thing you are looking for ends up on the other side, or you don't know what side it's on (spouse put it way, or you forgot, and you have a 50-50 chance, so 1.5 door openings on average in that case). Plus, you need access on both sides for the door to swing (may or may not be a problem, but I don't see it as an advantage). And with a single door, it's obvious that the sealing is simpler, and probably more effective.

We had a side-by-side once, DW hated it - freezer was too narrow for some things. Then we got a bottom freezer, and we don't understand why those are not more popular. We go into the fridge far more often than we go into the freezer, so having that food all at a more accessible level is a plus. It always seems weird to me when I use someone else's top-freezer fridge, that everything is so low.

There is some talk that bottom-freezer models are less efficient, not sure why - cold sinks so it seems to make sense that you want the coldest on the bottom. I guess some concern that being closer to the compressor could be an issue? But I checked the Energy Label ratings, and ours was as efficient as a similar top freezer, so in practice, not an issue.

-ERD50

I will give my 2 cents which means nothing....

Some like the look.... if I got one for my house it would be for space savings... IOW there is a 'wall' just behind me when I open the fridge... it swings to the right which is toward the kitchen... if it is open at 90 degrees you cannot get into the kitchen easily... good thing it opens a bit wider... now, I could not have a wide fridge as I just do not have any more room... IIRC, I have a 24 or 25 ft fridge that sticks out more than it is wide..


As to your bottom freezer... when I was young we had one and it was much better for the fridge part... but, getting stuff out of the freezer was a pain... there are no shelves and you kinda stack everything on top of everything else... with a side by side you have a lot of stacking options... but, we have a full sized freezer in the garage so can put something in there if we have something 'big'...

But, if I had to choose between a top or bottom freezer the bottom would win every time...

 

[Texas Proud]

I will point out that 50 years ago my dad bought a fridge that had an auto opening feature... there was a button on the door and if you pushed it an arm would turn and open the fridge... we had the fridge for at least 15 years... it never broke... and that is with 6 young kids using it all the time...


So, I do not see why they cannot add something to close a fridge when it gets to a certain point like they do with car trunks.... we are talking about very expensive fridges here and adding a few bucks should not have an impact on sales....

 

[Texas Proud]

Wow... getting a bit overboard with the doors....

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Don't go too far with the unlevelling of the fridge. If you do, the ice maker may not work right (trays won't fill, water dumps into freezer cabinet) and/or the defrosting cycle might not drain water in the right way, result in "yecchh," esp in a place like yours that has high humidity.
None of the French door fridges seal as well or reliably as those with conventional doors. That's the price for making a fashion statement.

This..plus the compressor works best when it's level.

We have a similar fridge (Kenmore) but with the ice maker in the door and it closes without issue, even when done "slowly". I was going to post a video, but ya'll don't need to see my portly self.

As far as dependability of new appliances go, I think they are not nearly as reliable as they once were. My Dad had two water heaters that lasted 25+ years before requiring replacement. The oven was also 25+ years old and the built in stove is still going after 44 years. Whereas I have had to replace a washer less than 5 years old, our 4 year old dishwasher sucks out loud and the fancy fridge died within a month of having it (and after a terrible experience w/ Sears service, I will NOT be buying any appliances from them ever again). So...I think there maybe some credence to the "planned obsolesce" argument.