Advice: My Fridge Died

[octothorpe]

So,

Last night, I wanted to get a before-bed snack (greek yoghurt), and noticed the light in the fridge was out. I thought "time to replace the bulb", but I decided to check the freezer as well... No light there, either. I notice that it's not making any noise. Not good. I check the circuit breaker, and sure enough, it has tripped. I reset it, and it immediately trips again. Not good. I try several times, but to no avail. I take the fridge out of its hole, and plug it into a new outlet (it's a 110v fridge), and it trips that one as well, but now I can reset the original breaker. I should have read the amperage on the other outlet, but I wasn't sure which circuit it was on. I plug the fridge back into the proper outlet, and everything works. Yay!

Until I wake up this AM, and find that while the light in the fridge is on, the internal temperature is cool, not cold, and in the freezer, everything has defrosted. FUCK.

So I decide I can't deal with this now, and get to work, thinking that I can check out new fridges online, only to find out that if I want a side-by-side replacement (I want it as similar as possible, so Bill can't bitch too much), I must have an ice/water dispenser. I don't need, nor want one, as there isn't a water line going to the fridge. It looks like harvest gold isn't an option, either (yes, we have old appliances --Bill is Scottish) ;-)

Bill's in Thailand at the moment, on his way back to Vietnam. I got an email from him earlier today, which means he won't find out about the fridge problem until tomorrow at the earliest. Joy.

So I am looking for an ultra efficient energy-star rated (preferable), reliable side-by-side fridge *without* beverage/ice maker. Any ideas? I personally like the idea of the "french door" style that seems to be all the rage, but I don't know if Bill will. Then again, I'm the cook ;-)

Comments

[cpratt.livejournal.com]

We have a Samsung side-by-side fridge that came from Best Buy. It's ultra energy efficient and has been wonderfully reliable for 3+ years and counting. I have no idea if it's available without the ice maker, though.

[badfaggot.livejournal.com]

You had a light in your freezer? Odd -- I've never seen one.

Side-by-side models are much less energy-efficient than top-and-bottom ones, I am told.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

I think that used to be the case, but is less-so these days.

From doing a bit of research, it seems that LG is making some *very* energy efficient models, that are also much less repair-prone and quieter than the old stand-bys Whirlpool and Maytag.

The more I look at the "French Door" models, the more I really like them. While they all seem to have an ice maker, there are many that aren't "in-door", so I can live with that. (actually the current fridge has an icemaker, but it's inert, due to lack of water line.

[danthered.livejournal.com]

Not sure it'll meet your specs, but this range of fridges is as interestingly unconventional as this range of washers.

Sub-Zero, of course, is the brand with all the cachet, but reliability isn't what it should be and parts/service costs are high.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Sub-Zero is all about the name. The actual quality of the product sucks. It can't hold a temperature, and it's in constant need of repairs, or so the collective-net-voice says.

didya check out sears?

[henare.livejournal.com]

they just had a huge appliance sale (off everything) ... they also have a huge selection because everyone goes to them for appliances. if you really want harvest gold, though, you may have to hop in the tardis and go back a while ...

samsung does, indeed, have lots of energy-saving models. avoiding the water cooler/icemaker stuff is a good thing--it's usually this stuff that needs fixing soonest.

Re: didya check out sears?

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

We actually don't have a Sears near us, so that's a bit "out" I am afraid. I'll probably wind up getting it from one of our local guys (as I like to support family-owned businesses). I did however take a look at their website. I found it very difficult to navigate based on my chosen criteria.

dead fridge

[fuzzyset.livejournal.com]

When our dog was a puppy, we woke up one Sunday morning to find that she'd chewed the plug off of the fridge. I imagine she pulled the plug out of the outlet first, or we would have found a roasted dog in the kitchen.

Whatever you do, don't go for the "freezer-on-the-top" configuration. It's the most frustrating thing. When ours goes, we want to get one with the freezer drawer on the bottom (with an internal ice maker), and french doors on the top (for the fridge part), which can be opened separately. LG makes a couple nice stainless ones like that.

Re: dead fridge

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Why don't you like "freezer on top".. That seems to be "standard". I don't mind them, but Bill doesn't like them. That said, Yeah, I am looking at the LFC25760. I hope it can fit. Oddly, the 21cu/ft model *isn't* energystar rated. I took a look at both their Yellow tags, and the big one comes to $45/year to run, and the smaller is $42/year.

Re: dead fridge

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

The LRFC25750 is in fact energy star approved and is quite similar to the one you are looking at.

Re: dead fridge

[fuzzyset.livejournal.com]

Well, as middle age approaches and begins to take its toll on the body, squatting down, to spelunk the lower shelves of the fridge for that jar of mole rojo, literally becomes a real pain. And it's all the more exasperating when you get down there and discover all the forgotten science experiments that used to be nice organic produce.

[ricksf.livejournal.com]

It's been some years but I've purchased a number of GE appliances and have always been satisfied with their performance and reliability. On the loser end of the scale, Sears (already out of your consideration) and Maytag (surprisingly) gave me my worst experiences.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I donnow what's going on w/ Maytag. They used to be *very* reliable, but now, not so much.

A shame, really. Much like HP (and I don't mean the sauce).

[kirbstomp.livejournal.com]

Actually. Maytag has been proven to be the worst designed and built brand. It was so bad that they created the marketing ploy... the Lonely Repair Man. that guy alone sells many many appliances for them.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

I donnow.. My washer is a maytag, and it's been there for about 20 years. It hasn't so much as needed a belt. Now however, it's all shite, which is why I made the comparison to HP.

There is an urban legend (may or may not be true.. check snopes if you must) that the then-new CEO (not Carly, prior to her) was in a meeting, and stood on top of one of their low-end printers. It supported his weight. He was aghast at this, and informed the rest of the attendees that they were making products that were too reliable, and that was costing the company both in sourcing and assemblage, as well as repeat business through planned obsolescence. Shortly after, most of their entire line used lower quality parts, and began breaking rather often.

I wuv my fridge.

[kirbstomp.livejournal.com]

It has a DRAWER on the bottom and that is the freezer. The upper is the fridge but I didn't go with the two door model. I went with the one because of where it was situated in the kitchen. no room to open them both. Dimensions were dictated by the space it had to fit into.

Ability to change the shelf heights. We were looking at the one with the crank.. and while using the floor model one.. broke it of. I went with the one that had split to the two sides and deep well for spillage and blood drippings. ew.

The freezer on the bottom.. makes sense cause cold sinks.

Re: I wuv my fridge.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Yeah... the only thing to watch out for with the drawer freezers is some of them don't have solid bottoms... Everytime you open the freezer, you let all the cold air out.

Re: I wuv my fridge.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

And which make and model?

I got to check out the LG model I noted above at a Best Buy during lunch, and I *love* it. However, I don't think it will fit in the hole (ahem). I am going to double check the measurements tonight.

Re: I wuv my fridge.

[kirbstomp.livejournal.com]

http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SPECPAGE&SKU=PDS22MBSWW&SITEID=GEA

The one i actually purchased was smaller in capacity.. the one they delivered.. was this one.

And yes. I kept it.

[lmwoof.livejournal.com]

Hey there. Just wanted to say hello. I am new, as well, to the LJ community and came across your blog via several others. Hope this finds you making your way out the Mire of Refrigeration woes.

[theoctothorpe.livejournal.com]

Danke!

And welcome aboard!