New Refrigerator Time

[TravelGal]

If it isn't time now, it will be soon. Probably when there is 20 pounds of turkey leftovers in the freezer. Ole Bessie is getting up in years now. 28 to be exact. She a startin' ta creak. Audibly. Ominously. Various rumbles coming from the motor (or somewhere).

Prefer freezer on top. Don't particularly like the French doors because each side doesn't seem large enough but willing to consider it. Plain vanilla white. Ice maker required. Not on the outside but I'm willing to consider that too.

Comments guys and gals?

[Gnam]

Does it have to fit within a defined amount of space? Cabinets above, or cabinets on both sides?
The dimensions may limit your choices.

[cameraman]

Refrigeration has become a joke. The companies have all been bought out, combined and split so you really have no idea what is happening anymore. The build quality on the industrial freezers that I use has just plummeted, I have had two $13,000 -80°C freezers fail within 6 months of installation this year. It doesn't matter what you buy it won't last 28 years this time around. :irked:

It has become ridiculously model specific too. You can't just say get a GE because there is so much variation in build quality between models and so much variation in models between retailers.

One thing that I have noticed is that freezer on the top is not the popular flavor anymore.

[G.]

About 11 years ago, we bought the largest capacity Freezer-over-refrigerator model we could find. Ended up with GE.

No issues with it.

Ice makers are leak sources. Not much good for anything else.

[Napoleon]

One thing that I have noticed is that freezer on the top is not the popular flavor anymore.

Why do you think that is?

[KLang]

Small blurb from consumer reports:

LG and KitchenAid have been among the more repair-prone brands of side-by-side refrigerators with icemakers. No top-freezer or bottom-freezer brand stood out as the most or least reliable in 2013.

Buy what ever you like.

We have a built-in Kitchenaid with Ice through the door. The ice maker has been repaired many times in the seven years we have had it. I keep buying the extended warranty for the fridge, it has paid for itself over and over.

We are buying a GE profile french door model for the house in Colorado, just because we liked the features. I will likely keep it under warranty as well.

[cameraman]

Why do you think that is?

Don't know but GE has:
35 French Door
12 Bottom Freezer
47 Side-by-Side
69 Top Freezer which is 90% the small cheap units

If you look at the Profile series 3/28 are top freezer and of the Cafe & Artistry series none are top freezer

[TravelGal]

Does it have to fit within a defined amount of space? Cabinets above, or cabinets on both sides?
The dimensions may limit your choices.

I know. I was just too lazy to measure at first. Space is 70" high, current fridge is 66 inches high, x 32" W, x 26" deep. Fits nicely. Edit: It's open on one side but the 32" W is good.


Why do you think that is?

Top freezers are "old fashioned." That's the reason, IMHO. Nothing more.

From what I've read so far it looks like tombstone white and brand X are the way to go as long as I like the interior. I looked a couple of years ago and thought most of it was such junk, I decided to keep hoping this one would last. So far, so good but the intermittent grumblings have me investigating again.

[Napoleon]

^^^

I guess the bottom make sense from the standpoint that most people use the refrigerator way more than the freezer, so with it on top it is where almost all people would look into it at eye level. For me (6 feet tall) I look directly in the freezer which is on top but have to stoop for the refrigerator.

[SteveH]

Following this thread closely. Will be doing the same next year. Along with replacing the dishwasher as we rehab the kitchen. And new cabinets and floors......

Will be as expensive as sending a kid to college.

[TravelGal]

^^^

I guess the bottom make sense from the standpoint that most people use the refrigerator way more than the freezer, so with it on top it is where almost all people would look into it at eye level. For me (6 feet tall) I look directly in the freezer which is on top but have to stoop for the refrigerator.

I'm a lot shorter than that but I can SEE what's in the fridge, whereas the freezer can take some looking :D so I'm glad to have it at eye level. Also, TravelGuy loves to rearrange it so it's "neat." Having it at eye level and above helps.

Edit: SteveH, there's a dishwasher thread somewhere. I probably started it. Look next for a washer/dryer thread as they are also 28 years old making rots o' racket. Did I mention the garbage disposal just went out? Bearings, we think. Can probably fix that one ourselves. :D

[Gnam]

I always assumed bottom freezers came from europe and were more efficient 'cause cold air sinks.

I growed up with a top freezer, without an ice maker. Always spilled the water trying to put the ice cube trays back into the freezer. I like the french door style with an ice maker that dispenses thru the door.

One other thing to consider is how often the fridge's compressor kicks on and if it's noisy.

[WickerBill]

Become friends with an appliance repair person and they will beg you to fix the old one. New models (this absolutely applies to washers and dryers too) have similar prices (adjusted for inflation) as 20 years ago but "built like a tank" quality was sacrificed for gadgetry.

That being said, I look at them and think "ooh, a fridge that connects to the Internet and makes humidity decisions based on outside atmospheric conditions, ME LIKEY!"

So you can blame people like me for this.

[KLang]

My wife wants the 'Hands-free autofill' feature on the GE. :)

[Andrew Longman]

In Jersey there is a state program that will pay you to haul away your old fridge if it is old and inefficient enough. I used it to replace a 12 year old GE bottom of the line fridge that failed. Your state may have something similar.

I have had a Fridgidare for 10 years. The "paddle" for the through the door ice snapped and I replaced it myself with an expensive part I got off the web. The baskets in the freezer have never been right - always coming off the tracks. But it has lasted 10 years so guess I should be grateful.

The Fridgidare dishwasher we bought with it was total crap and we made Lowes take it back after it cooked its motherboard three times in 8 months.

[nrc]

We have a bottom freezer unit at work which I hate. Of course, that's largely because I use a lot of ice, but every time you open the freezer door you're pulling out a rack with half the contents of the freezer in it.

[chop456]

We have a bottom freezer unit at work which I hate. Of course, that's largely because I use a lot of ice, but every time you open the freezer door you're pulling out a rack with half the contents of the freezer in it.

Too much stuff in it, and an issue I face at home. It's been rumored that someone here may actually throw out other people's "stuff" on occasion after experiencing such issues. I've also noticed that the Sub-Zero at work doesn't have this issue. I suspect you get a better basket and slide mechanism for the extra $5K.

I like the bottom freezer, myself. If I used more ice, maybe I wouldn't. Ours is counter depth also, which eliminates the problem of finding putrified egg salad hidden behind a bunch of other stuff.

We've had 2 Amanas for a combined 34 years and neither one has had a single failure.

[WickerBill]

Knock on wood... ours is a seven-year-old Whirlpool french door, freezer on bottom, ice through the door model and has not had one single parts failure or leak. I will be absolutely chuffed to get 15 years out of it. I am the second owner of the unit due to it being returned because of it's depth. The original owner debadged it which annoyed me at first but now I really like not advertising for Whirlpool in my kitchen.

[nissan gtp]

I'd love to get a fridge-only and freezer-only pair, but that's a very pricey way to go.