Anyone here ever bought a refrigerator?

[trancejeremy]

I bought a couple gallons of ice cream a few weeks ago. I open the door last week to find it all melted goop. That was my first indicator that something was not working right.

The rest of my food has not defrosted yet, but I can tell my soda cans are getting less and less cold. Time is not on my side here.

You might want to check out the defrost part of the refrigerator first. Basically, the condenser has to be defrosted every so often, or it ices up and cold air no longer flows from it. It's generally not that gradual, so it might not be it, but probably worth at least a look. Usually you just have to open up a panel to get to it. If it's completely packed with it, then it's the problem. Use a hair dryer to remove the ice, then make sure all the connections are tight (they can get loosened by the ice).

On a related note, don't get a Frigidaire - I have one of those (about 5 years old), and I have constant problems with the defrost cycle since about the first year.

 

[Roadkill101]

I'll echo what others have said about measuring your space where the refrigerator sits, the doorway any new refrigerator is to come through and the refrigerator in question. I bought a 25 cubic foot, fridge nine years ago. To get it into the house, I had to remove the back door and the door handles from the refrigerator.

 

[adwyn]

Most fridge doors are removable and can easily be taken off while moving. Many people are not aware of this and I have seen quite a few doorways torn up to get the fridge through.

The worst was a few years back when clients of mine got a new fridge for their wedding present while they were away on honeymoon. The two fathers managed to wedge it in the doorway - stuck hard it need just a fraction of an inch to be freed so they used a truck jack to pry open the frame just ever so much...

The fridge came free and was slipped into the kitchen, but as they set it down the house gave a long groan and the sixty year old plaster gave way and a 30' long crack jetted out across the ceiling.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Hey Felon: If you are still looking for a fridge, I just wanted to let you know that the new Consumer Reports, which I just received yesterday, has a new section about them.

Quick summary for yoy: Repair history: Top freezer models with no ice maker have the best reliablility. Side by Sides with ice makeer/water dispenser have the most problems requiring repair. Whirlpool is the most reliable brand regardless of style, sub-zero the least, although for the most part the differences between brands isn't huge.

CRs best buys for top freezers is a Hotpoint 22 cu. ft. at $650. Whirlpool and Kenmore models beat them in performance, but are $100 to $200 more.

Bottom Freezers Put Amana and Kenmore as their best buys - the Kenmore is a 20 cu. ft. at $870, and the Amanas are 19 cu. ft. at $850 and 25 cu.ft. at $1700(!).

Side by sides they chose an Amana 26 cu. ft. at $1350 and a GE 25 cu. ft. at $1100.

Hope that helps you out a little.

 

[thompgc]

I got my side by side a little over 2 years ago
I don't recall the brand
Just that it was a slightly dented model which made it much cheaper
And all but one small dent is on the sides which you can't even see the way my fridge is positioned. So if you may want to see if there any such deals.

 

[Bloosquig]

I thought this thread originally said has anyone FOUGHT a fridge. This brought up the gazeebo Knights of the Dinner Table story.

Anyway you should definately have your fridge looked at depending on how old it is it might be a real minor part. But if it is old you should follow the others advice on brands and what have you. Also make sure you check the energy efficiency. If you get an awesome deal on a fridge you might suddenly find out your electric bill is up 20% because it sucks power like a fiend. I remember reading somewhere that the fridge uses up the most power of any appliance but that could be hogwash it's been a while since I heard it.

Oh, and good luck in your search.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

My wife, when moving out of college in Southern California, accidentally unplugged the fridge (with food inside) instead of the oven, when leaving for the summer.

She came back three weeks later, opened the fridge to clean it out and ... well, let's just say that she fought the fridge and the fridge won.

 

[Felon]

Guys, thank you so much for all the advice. Did not know about the removable doors!

I'd love to get the water filter and ice-dispenser, but I don't have a water connection behind my current fridge. I have no idea how you go about getting into that main water line (I'm in a condo that was converted from apartments). Someone told me it's not a big deal. You guys ever done it?

So, a nice featureless $500 cheapo sounds good to me. Best Buy offers free shipping.

 

[Ranger REG]

I bought a couple gallons of ice cream a few weeks ago. I open the door last week to find it all melted goop. That was my first indicator that something was not working right.

The rest of my food has not defrosted yet, but I can tell my soda cans are getting less and less cold. Time is not on my side here.

So, I'm looking at refrigerators. They all seem to be the same more or less, yet they range in price widely, from under $1000 to over $2000. Does anyone understand the major considerations here?

You should have a refrigeration technician look into fridge and see if it can be fixed. Most of the time, ice formed in the duct system cutting off the cool-air circulation (behind the panel) in your freezer and that could also have a domino effect on your refrigerator section as well.

But if your fridge is over 10 years old, then you might as well opt for a new one.

Personally, I'd rather buy from Sears, unless you have a local Sub-Zero store in your neighborhood.

 

[freyar]

The fridge itself seems to be mostly covered, but I thought I'd add that you should check if your local utility will give you a rebate for buying energy star. The sales rep at the store probably would know.