View Full Version : Refrigerator Replacement Help
TravelGal
07-04-19, 12:09 PM
A little birdie suggested that I not wait until the Beige Behemoth in my kitchen died and poured water all over the floor so I launched myself into the 4th of July sales. Found a couple of models I liked in my price range.
PROBLEM! The BB in the kitchen has been there since 1985 (yes, 34 years with nary a repair). The icemaker connection is a 1/4" copper pipe that comes up through the floor. I'm told today's fridges need a faucet. No one will install a new one until a proper connection is available (wimps). I'm sure the copper pipe is connected to the water pipes in the crawl space under the house. Do I get a plumber or a carpenter? LOL. I figure I'll have that done, which will disconnect the current icemaker, and then have a new fridge delivered. Does that sound right? :confused:
A little birdie suggested that I not wait until the Beige Behemoth in my kitchen died and poured water all over the floor so I launched myself into the 4th of July sales. Found a couple of models I liked in my price range.
PROBLEM! The BB in the kitchen has been there since 1985 (yes, 34 years with nary a repair). The icemaker connection is a 1/4" copper pipe that comes up through the floor. I'm told today's fridges need a faucet. No one will install a new one until a proper connection is available (wimps). I'm sure the copper pipe is connected to the water pipes in the crawl space under the house. Do I get a plumber or a carpenter? LOL. I figure I'll have that done, which will disconnect the current icemaker, and then have a new fridge delivered. Does that sound right? :confused:
I am not a plumber or expert in building codes. But it sounds like your building codes require an accessible shutoff valve where the ice maker supply line connects to the permanent plumbing. It's a pain but probably a good thing.
You probably have a 1/4" copper line all the way from your ice maker to a vampire tap on a water line. Vampire taps connect to a water line by poking a hole through it and then sealing around it. Those connectors and the feed line are prone to leaks and usually there's no water shutoff to stop the leak short of shutting off the water to the entire house.
You can get a plumber to come in and put a proper connector on the water line in the crawl space and a connector behind the fridge that has a shutoff valve. They'll know what's required to meet code.
TravelGal
07-07-19, 12:37 PM
Update: NRC, you said those three little words we don't always love to hear: Up to code. It turns out what was meant by "faucet" was the shut off valve. Of course there is one under the sink where the copper pipe begins but the stores are steadfast that it has to be AT the refrigerator. I'm having a plumber come Wednesday to quote putting one at the wall behind the fridge. Somehow I doubt that will be up to code but at least the installers will see what they need when they come. I think. I'll see what the plumber tells me. To be continued.
Ice-makers are notorious for leaking.
The valve requirement looks like it's the Building Coders response to flooded kitchens.
chop456
07-10-19, 11:43 PM
https://i.etsystatic.com/8783676/r/il/6989af/1916525603/il_794xN.1916525603_5juk.jpg
cameraman
07-11-19, 01:16 PM
Having used both types I have to say I greatly prefer these:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81mLmGKeNyL._SX425_.jpg
TravelGal
07-12-19, 08:00 PM
Ice-makers are notorious for leaking.
The valve requirement looks like it's the Building Coders response to flooded kitchens.
https://i.etsystatic.com/8783676/r/il/6989af/1916525603/il_794xN.1916525603_5juk.jpg
Having used both types I have to say I greatly prefer these:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81mLmGKeNyL._SX425_.jpg
Har har har. I'm laughing but if you guys knew everything that I was told in the last week, you'd be laughing your arses off. To summarize, I lost all faith in the plumber I had been using after he gave me some crazy story. Sales people in various appliance departments were worse. Today I spoke to a chap in the plumbing department at Lowe's who told me the first thing that made any sense whatsoever. Upshot is that I've done a lot of research and decided on a few choices for a new fridge if I have to get one in an emergency. Otherwise, we'll see if Old Beige Betsy has a few more months in her until Labor Day, or even November when they have the biggest sales of the year. :rolleyes: Edit: I agree with Cameraman. Love those twisty trays.
How's the Beige Behemoth doing?
Sadly, our Black Behemoth has decided that she's not really up to getting the freezer down to 0 degrees any longer. 20 degrees seems to be the new low regardless of setting. You'd be surprised how much stuff doesn't actually freeze at 20 degrees. We ate about a weeks worth of frozen food just to use it up before it went bad or got weird. Fridge stays at the 36 degree set point so it's not a crisis as long as we don't count on keeping frozen foods.
She's a ~12 year old Kenmore side by side. I figure that it sounds like the compressor so it may be time to move on. I vacuumed all the dust devils out of the coils and accessible fans with no improvement.
We started shopping for a replacement and discovered that the two models that meet our complex array of contradictory criteria are currently out of stock everywhere. It seems like there are supply problems in frigemater land. I'm guessing screwing stuff together under COVID protocols is no fun.
https://www.whirlpool.com/kitchen/refrigeration/refrigerators/side-by-side/p.36-inch-wide-side-by-side-refrigerator-28-cu.-ft.wrs588fihb.html
https://www.frigidaire.com/Kitchen-Appliances/Refrigerators/Side-By-Side-Refrigerator/FGSS2635TD
I think the Fridgidaire is preferred. I love how yuge the Whirlpool is inside but I see a lot of complaints about problems with the ice maker in the door. But it seems like it's moot until the supply problems are resolved.
For now, a repair person is booked for Friday to assess the viability of a repair. Really not wanting to invest more in it at this point but we'll see. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it will be thermostat or something else cheap. I give it about a 25% chance.
If a repair isn't practical I suppose we'll look at buying something cheap and available. First world problems.
If we get there, I'll be interested to see if they balk at the ice maker hook-up. Ours is very similar to what TG described in the OP.
We started shopping for a replacement and discovered that the two models that meet our complex array of contradictory criteria are currently out of stock everywhere. It seems like there are supply problems in frigemater land. I'm guessing screwing stuff together under COVID protocols is no fun.
Last spring the old fridge in our enclosed porch (originally in the kitchen before a remodel) died. We didn’t do anything for a while as all of the freezerless models were out of stock. I finally called Abt in suburban Chicago and spoke to a sales rep. Nearly all fridges are made in Mexico. And at that time the factories were still shut down. I was told all appliance production was suffering but mostly fridges. They were the toilet paper of kitchen appliances. Evidently the supply still hasn’t caught up with demand as none of the three models we would buy are available yet.
TravelGal
02-25-21, 04:10 PM
The Beige Behemoth, AKA Old Beige Betsy, just keeps rollin' along. After the OP in July 2019, she made it to Labor Day, then November, then why not Christmas? Gosh, maybe the NEXT Fourth of July. That'd be 2020 and we all know what that was like. Never daunted I ventured into Best Buy, which locally sells the appliances for Pacific Sales appliance stores. Nothing available in the lower end models. Most available over $2000. Supply chain problems, as SteveH noted. Worse, they would deliver only to the door but not install because they weren't coming into anyone's house. Meh, says I, I'll wait. Labor Day and Christmas 2020 came and went. I now have my sights on this summer for her 36th birthday. At least I have the shut off valve installed and I'm, for the third time, eating through the food in the freezer so I'll be as ready as I ever can be when the time comes.
I've checked the coils but wonder about the quiet racket I hear from time to time. I read online that it could be a fan covering or the fan itself. The compressor is also somewhat noisy as it hums away but not always. I think it's more a balance problem. You've reminded me that I should find the name of the local repair dudes. They come highly recommended for aged behemoths like mine. If you just want a stopgap, don't discount open box or second hand.
cameraman
02-26-21, 12:15 AM
Opened the freezer to a puddle of water on Sunday morning. You have to love it when the compressor fails and turns into an inefficient heater... Shopped all of the local suspects looking for one to fit the opening in the cabinets. Of all the vendors there was one and only one that could get me the correct size refrigerator this week. (Home Depot) And there I had a choice of one. This is not a good time to be replacing a frig on zero notice:irked:
Caught on camera: Workers damage family’s brand new fridge during delivery (https://fox8.com/news/caught-on-camera-workers-damage-familys-brand-new-fridge-during-delivery/)
For DIY'ers, try appliancepartpros.com or repairclinic.com first.
For fridges, it's almost *never* the compressor. If the compressor goes bad, that means that you should find freon oil all over the place.
Those sites can suck for navigation (lead you in circles), but when refrigerators die, it's usually the relay and/or capacitor for the compressor, or a thermostat. Another culprit is the evaporator fan getting extra wobble added from China.
Wor$t ca$e is the control board.
Source: As of last night, my ice cream is now frozen again.
I've repaired 2 refrigerators in the last year. The older one might still be iffy, but it's in an unheated garage, so the freezer sucks every winter.
Between the two units, 2 relays, 2 capacitors, 2 different thermostats (for the new 'fridge") and 1 control board. The control brd was $160.00. The relay/caps/thermometers were around $22.00.
NOTE: I hate typing this, but use the sites above to help debug, narrow it down to the parts you need, watch the videos, then find the OEM part numbers on Amazon (not the "AP123456" ones). My $160 new Amazon control board was $450 on repairclinic.com. That is STUPID-bad.
When it's a buck or two difference, I go with appliancepartpros, but it's really hard to justify spending 10's of dollars more (plus shipping) for a $4.00 part from Amazon Prime. All OEM.
Also, I had a stove control board go bad. NO ONE had a replacement. I could find questionable Ebay used crap for $400, but that's it.
I actually sent it off to a repair place - partsimple.com (Corecentrics.com - same thing). I would recommend them to anyone.
Without boring everyone (further), it was a beast to look at. It was 3 boards (at least) stacked up, through-hole tech mixed with surface-mount - just a pile of "Ugh". $160 with a 2 year warrantee. Works great now.
I have been doing FAR too much appliance repair lately. It's very satisfying, but everything is dying at once. :(
Fixed the oven light door switch, which meant removing the 3 bolts each for the 5 top burners. Seven of fifteen bolts snapped. I guess anti-seize compund wasn't a thing when they assembled it. (One burner HAD to be drilled out and retapped, so it would light. I'll get around to breaking the rest soon. :) )
WickerBill
02-26-21, 09:51 PM
TG, I do computer work on the side for a friend's appliance repair business in Indy. She would CRY if she knew you were replacing the beige behemoth. Well, she wouldn't cry if you'd sell it to her. Completely repairable, no "brains", parts are cheap-ish, and they're built to last 100 years. That's what she would say. :)
But for you, and nrc, she would advise Whirlpool, not necessarily for quality anymore, but for slightly better/cheaper repair-ability and a much easier-to-work-with warranty claims department (again, for her - maybe not for the consumer).
I'd be game for a DIY repair if it were something I could afford to be wrong about multiple times. Nobody in this house is patient enough to live without reliable refrigeration while I play the appliance parts lotto. I had already looked at appliancepartpros.com I think it was and it didn't give me enough confidence that the symptoms matched to try it.
Freon certified repair dude arrived for a look today. Our usual place told us we would probably need him based on the symptoms. He pointed out the ice ball at the top of our condenser said that usually indicates a pressure system issue. Hooked up and confirmed low freon. Looks exactly like the top right in this image.
1069
He says that trying to diagnose the source is not usually worthwhile. He says they have to install a "dry line" and pressure fitting to isolate the problem I assume this pressure testing with nitrogen or something. Total cost $400. It may reveal an easy fix but more often he says it's the compressor or even a line that's not accessible.
So we headed back out to the big box stores with our only requirements being 25 cubic foot black side by side. They had this Frigidaire at Lowes available for delivery on Tuesday so we grabbed it.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Frigidaire-25-5-cu-ft-Side-by-Side-Refrigerator-with-Ice-Maker-Black/1000245231
This appears to be a Lowes unique part number (LFSS2612TE). They show the interior pictures from the FFSS2615TE so I assume they're the same. Now we just have to hold out until Tuesday and pray for no delivery drama.
Hopefully we'll be moving within seven years so this will be a perfect fridge to leave behind.
WB: The Whirlpool we found lost out on account of door bins that felt flimsy. We gotta hang about 100 pounds of Diet Coke on those things.
[QUOTE=nrc;345860]I'd be game for a DIY repair if it were something I could afford to be wrong about multiple times. Nobody in this house is patient enough to live without reliable refrigeration while I play the appliance parts lotto. I had already looked at appliancepartpros.com I think it was and it didn't give me enough confidence that the symptoms matched to try it.
Freon certified repair dude arrived for a look today. Our usual place told us we would probably need him based on the symptoms. He pointed out the ice ball at the top of our condenser said that usually indicates a pressure system issue. Hooked up and confirmed low freon. Looks exactly like the top right in this image.
1069
I would let Master Samauri Tech deliver my babies.They don't f*$% around.
We've been looking for a gloss black, 26+ ft3 bottom freezer.
Too much bad reviews on Samsung and LG. Found a great Whirlpool, but it had a leak/icemaker. Shoulda ordered one w/o the built-in leak. Now, all we can find are "black stainless", which is neither.
One consideration when buying a fridge is to see if there are certified repairmen in your area for the brand you are purchasing. When we remodeled the kitchen we moved the now failed fridge to the enclosed porch and purchased an LG counterdepth unit. Luckily we purchased LG’s extended warranty. Which I seldom do but decided due to the cost of the fridge we would. A few years later, one morning we noticed that everything in the freezer had thawed. Threw it all out. Called the warranty. And waited several weeks for them to tell us there were no certified repairmen in the region. The closest was in Chicago and the cost of him making a service call was a non-starter. I even checked with local appliance repairmen. None. Was told that for both LG and Samsung they require repairmen to become certified at considerable expense in order to purchase replacement parts from the manufacturer. I know several people with LG units. If I were a repairman, I’d get certified. You’d have a lock on the market. Eventually the warranty paid us out for the replacement cost of the fridge. And miraculously the freezer began working. I had left a bowl of water in the empty fridge. After a day or two it froze. So, we didn’t replace the fridge realizing we were living on borrowed time. But hey, essentially free fridge. That was 5-6 years ago and it still hadn’t failed. :D
WickerBill
02-27-21, 11:17 AM
We gotta hang about 100 pounds of Diet Coke on those things.
LOL
TravelGal
02-27-21, 03:49 PM
TG, I do computer work on the side for a friend's appliance repair business in Indy. She would CRY if she knew you were replacing the beige behemoth. Well, she wouldn't cry if you'd sell it to her. Completely repairable, no "brains", parts are cheap-ish, and they're built to last 100 years. That's what she would say. :)
But for you, and nrc, she would advise Whirlpool, not necessarily for quality anymore, but for slightly better/cheaper repair-ability and a much easier-to-work-with warranty claims department (again, for her - maybe not for the consumer).
I was on a zoom recently with friends talking about replacing the Behemoth and two said simultaneously "DON'T" It rare that people are so unequivocal. As just noted, I'm much more in the repair mode now. The question is whether it will shake, rattle, and roll when the repair dude shows up or be on its best behavior--making problem diagnosis impossible. Thanks for the Whirlpool suggestion. Things change almost yearly. Samsung was the 2019 darling but G reports current complaints. The LG repair tale was a cautionary one. PS, one of the main reasons I'm keen to keep this is that the ice maker works with no trouble and without a ton of noise. Not to mention cost, color, functionality, delivery problems, cr@p quality, etc. etc.
I was on a zoom recently with friends talking about replacing the Behemoth and two said simultaneously "DON'T" It rare that people are so unequivocal. As just noted, I'm much more in the repair mode now. The question is whether it will shake, rattle, and roll when the repair dude shows up or be on its best behavior--making problem diagnosis impossible. Thanks for the Whirlpool suggestion. Things change almost yearly. Samsung was the 2019 darling but G reports current complaints. The LG repair tale was a cautionary one. PS, one of the main reasons I'm keen to keep this is that the ice maker works with no trouble and without a ton of noise. Not to mention cost, color, functionality, delivery problems, cr@p quality, etc. etc.
If it goes into noise-maker mode, record it with your phone, if you can.
Our BBB (Big Black Behemoth) has made MANY random, different, scary noises for many years. It would have been hard to capture a recording, except for when the relay kept clicking for a few minutes. That was one of the least scary noises it made. Everything else was a short burst of noises, clunks, bangs, wolf howls...
Now, it is so quiet, it is the most scary it's ever been. :D I have 2 thermometers in it, just to keep tabs on it.
I think the fridge and thermometers are conspiring against me. I've got my eye on them...
Too much bad reviews on Samsung and LG. Found a great Whirlpool, but it had a leak/icemaker. Shoulda ordered one w/o the built-in leak. Now, all we can find are "black stainless", which is neither.
There's a 28cf side by side Whirlpool that I would like to have seen. Huge space inside thanks to icemaker in the door. But reviews do make that sound like trouble waiting to happen - leaks, ice handy ice dispensed to your floor at random times, etc. It has sturdier looking bins than the rest of the Whirlpool line, though. I would like to have seen one. As far as I can tell it may be some sort of mythical beast. Not even floor models to be found around here.
One consideration when buying a fridge is to see if there are certified repairmen in your area for the brand you are purchasing. When we remodeled the kitchen we moved the now failed fridge to the enclosed porch and purchased an LG counterdepth unit.
A friend at work warned me away from LG with a very similar support story tied to a series of problems with his LG fridge.
Between reading horror story reviews (every model seems to have its share) and looking at the "out of box" stock at some of the local stores, I'm holding my breath to see what shows up. Some of those out of box models look like they went through a delivery experience similar to that video above. :eek:
Reporting on my fridge install.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFCM6TZgTMI
Ok, it wasn't that bad. So far.
Problem 1. Water won't shut off at the saddle valve. Turn it as tight as I dare it's just flowing like normal.
So they show up and I tell them I'll shut off the main valve and we can do it that way. "Ok, well we're not supposed to touch any of that but we'll hook it up and you can turn it back on and we'll see if there are any leaks." Fine. Main valve shuts the water off fine with a little help relieving the pressure on the lines.
Problem 2. They pull it off the truck and start unwrapping it and there's a two inch dent that looks like hail damage on the side. Of course it's the exposed side. They can take it back and reschedule delivery or hook it up and we can fight it out with the store for either an exchange or discount. Ok, old fridge is barely keeping the freezer at fridge temperatures so we need something now.
They get it hooked up and we have the joyous sound of refrigeration once again. Slightly noisier than our old one, I'd say. Cool air is flowing, no obvious leaks at the fridge so they're off to the next delivery.
Missy begins negotiations with Lowes on the phone and I hear "drip". Oh crap. I look and it's dripping very slowly at the end where feed line meets the copper line. This was never disconnected. It just started leaking from being jostled around.
Fortunately it's not dripping fast. It hasn't filled a cup dripping all day. But I want to get this all taken care of so I figure I'll call a plumber, get a proper valve put in, and replace that feed line. But that brings me to...
Problem 3. A possible gas leak. Back when I had my furnace inspected the inspector said that he detected gas from a coupling for a line that goes to a gas stove. Not associated with furnace, only detected on the most sensitive setting, and no gas smell, so inspection "pass" and you should probably have it looked at.
So I figure I'll kill two birds with one stone and get a plumber who does both. I call for an appointment, tell them my sob story, and they say I need to call the gas company and have them check it to make sure it's safe before they come out.
Fortunately the gas company was less hassle than I expected. The guy shows up and detects gas leak right where it was reported. Fortunately, he's able to turn off the gas valve to that line and make it safe until the plumber can deal with it.
Wish me luck with the plumber tomorrow. Of course now the feed line as stopped leaking. I'll probably have him change it when he does the valve just to be safe.
I have never known someone with an icemaker/water dispenser that didn't get a leak eventually. Seriously.
Also, In my experience, itty-bitty water leaks from copper to copper will eventually seal themselves, if you have hard enough water, pretty fast. I would still shut off the system before a monthlong trip to Greece.
Leaks with plastic, o-rings, rubber, etc., will continue to leak. Something needs replacing. (I buy tubs of silicone grease from a scuba place. That's food-safe-ish, right?)
Gas leaks always get worse, for me.
Gas companies are REALLY good about sending someone out right away, usually a pleasant person. The pleasant person is also very helpful to quickly call out an endloader right away, when it's -5 deg F. (external leak and frozen ground. You could only really smell it on cold, calm winter days).
I have never known someone with an icemaker/water dispenser that didn't get a leak eventually. Seriously.
Also, In my experience, itty-bitty water leaks from copper to copper will eventually seal themselves, if you have hard enough water, pretty fast. I would still shut off the system before a monthlong trip to Greece.
Leaks with plastic, o-rings, rubber, etc., will continue to leak. Something needs replacing. (I buy tubs of silicone grease from a scuba place. That's food-safe-ish, right?)
Gas leaks always get worse, for me.
Gas companies are REALLY good about sending someone out right away, usually a pleasant person. The pleasant person is also very helpful to quickly call out an endloader right away, when it's -5 deg F. (external leak and frozen ground. You could only really smell it on cold, calm winter days).
Yeah, I've also found the gas company to be the easiest utility to work with. Maybe something to do with liability for people's homes disappearing in a fireball. He even went around and checked every gascock. Some of them had very small leaks that just required tightening the nut.
Plumbing work was a success. The last problem gas fitting was just extremely loose so that was a quick fix.
They recommended replacing the ice maker line completely with a proper shutoff valve in the wall. Unfortunately when they looked at the wall behind the fridge from below they could see that it's full of duct work so that was a no-go.
Instead they replaced all the flexible 1/4" copper with 1/2" copper and installed a quarter turn supply shutoff in the basement below the fridge. Then they ran a braided steel supply line up through the hole in the floor to a the fridge.
They did all the copper with Propress fittings. I hadn't seen that before so I researched and it seems to be regarded as comparable to sweated fittings with less labor. They have O rings but they way they're crimped on it seems like it would create the self-sealing affect you mentioned.
Aaaaand it's dead. :flaming:
Started buzzing last night and throwing error codes today. I really just cannot...:mad:
TravelGal
07-21-21, 07:56 PM
Aaaaand it's dead. :flaming:
Started buzzing last night and throwing error codes today. I really just cannot...:mad:
I'm SO sorry. :cry: And I, who started this thread more than 2 years ago, still have ole beige Bessie. The ice maker leaks now so I plan to get that fixed eventually but everything I read makes me want to keep this thing until it collapses into its component parts on the kitchen floor.
pfc_m_drake
07-21-21, 08:01 PM
Sorry man.
Lots of people seem to be in a rut these days.
Hopefully things look up soon.
cameraman
07-21-21, 08:17 PM
At least it should still be under warranty, usually they wait until warranty date +1 to die.
Kiwifan
07-22-21, 03:30 AM
Bugger, that sucks. I hope the retailer looks after you. Here in NZ we have the Consumer Guarantees Act (2015) which states that any business or person in trade must provide goods that are fit for purpose and if faulty or need repair must be picked up by the retailer who works with the manufacturer. Failure by either party will result in huge fines. This overrides manufacturers warranties. Basically they work out how long a product should last (iPhones two to three years, a fridge eight to ten as an example) and work from there. It's great! Hopefully you have something similar?
Good luck!
Ok, good news for a change. It's all better. Turns out that we incorrectly used the freezer by filling it with food. Or that's the theory.
We ran out and got a mini fridge to put the most expensive stuff in. We had considered getting one for drinks at some point anyway so at least now we have a backup.
The main fridge meanwhile, completely warmed up to room temperature, and then started cooling again. Temps were back to normal by this morning. Tech came to look at it today and everything looked normal. Frost pattern on the coils was normal.
Tech proposed that if the freezer was packed full something may have blocked the door from sealing, leading to heavy frost the couldn't get defrosted before everything warmed up. I'm skeptical of that because I obsessively push the freezer door shut.
My theory is that there was just so much stuff in there packed against the back wall that it was never getting fully defrosted. Or maybe a cube got stuck in the ice door. Anyway, false alarm. We just have to manage the contents better, I suppose.
TravelGal
07-22-21, 01:12 PM
This just in from the latest tech visit to view old Beige Bertha--agreeing with you AND your tech. In very layman's terms: Too full a freezer inhibits the air flow thereby not doing the best for the freezer or the goods therein frozen. Glad it's righted itself and you've got the minifridge for the drinks. Now *that's* important.
RaceGrrl
07-28-21, 03:47 PM
OMG this new fridge is having an identity crisis. I think it believes it's a chainsaw because that's what it sounds like. It's been buzzing continuously for the past hour and a half and warranty repair people need to wait on a fan part and have scheduled for next Wednesday. Guess I'm going to be wearing earplugs for a week. Ridiculous. :flaming::flaming::flaming:
Ok, good news for a change. It's all better. Turns out that we incorrectly used the freezer by filling it with food. Or that's the theory.
We ran out and got a mini fridge to put the most expensive stuff in. We had considered getting one for drinks at some point anyway so at least now we have a backup.
The main fridge meanwhile, completely warmed up to room temperature, and then started cooling again. Temps were back to normal by this morning. Tech came to look at it today and everything looked normal. Frost pattern on the coils was normal.
Tech proposed that if the freezer was packed full something may have blocked the door from sealing, leading to heavy frost the couldn't get defrosted before everything warmed up. I'm skeptical of that because I obsessively push the freezer door shut.
My theory is that there was just so much stuff in there packed against the back wall that it was never getting fully defrosted. Or maybe a cube got stuck in the ice door. Anyway, false alarm. We just have to manage the contents better, I suppose.
Thermostat(s) on the coils (some use 1, some use 2). They didn't tell the freezer to defrost at the right time, so they froze over. The ice probably blocked the cheap fan.
Once defrosted, it works like a champ, until the next time. And now that the fan has been stressed, it has decided to wobble itself to death, just for the attention. It rightfully has low self-esteem.
The highest selling fridge components are the compressor startup/run capacitor, compressor relay, coil thermostat, fan(s), and beer (based on my opinion).
Hi temp warning again. :flaming:
I think I'm going to forget big fridges and just buy four mini fridges and an ice machine. It will be like a high availability cluster for refrigerated foods.
RaceGrrl
07-29-21, 09:11 AM
Hi temp warning again. :flaming:
I think I'm going to forget big fridges and just buy four mini fridges and an ice machine. It will be like a high availability cluster for refrigerated foods.
I actually like this idea as long as the ice machine makes the good ice. :D
No Frigidaire products ever again.
TravelGal
07-29-21, 04:00 PM
I actually like this idea as long as the ice machine makes the good ice. :D
No Frigidaire products ever again.
I like this idea also. A friend has one of those counter top ice makers and loves it. Anyone else have one? Love it, hate it?
I actually like this idea as long as the ice machine makes the good ice. :D
For the viewers at home, this is a major point of contention in our household. She likes pencil sized extruded slush that some places pass off as ice. I like the nice big clear cylinders of ice. The half moons that you get out of most consumer freezers are passable if the freezer is set to 0 degrees Kelvin.
RaceGrrl
07-30-21, 08:20 AM
https://whiskeyball.com/
I have one of these- works really well.
I have one of these- works really well.
There are cheaper than what I linked but the link does get to the point quickly. I have both the balls and giant cubes in a freezer. Primarily for bourbon which I seldom drink in warm weather. Come on fall! ;)
RaceGrrl
07-31-21, 11:43 PM
There are cheaper than what I linked but the link does get to the point quickly. I have both the balls and giant cubes in a freezer. Primarily for bourbon which I seldom drink in warm weather. Come on fall! ;)
Have you tried the stones that don't water down your drink? I've seen them, never tried them. A coworker uses them in her bourbon.
Nope, am aware of them. Might pick some up in the future.
Success!
We finally had our appointment with the repair guy from everything thawing out two weeks ago. I played the video I made of the freezer buzzing like a chainsaw to show him that it wasn't just us leaving the door open.
Last time when he came the freezer had just thawed the day before and was freezing again just that morning. This time it had been freezing again for over a week. So he removed the cover over the fan in freezer and viola! (Which is french for... "And then I found out"). Giant chunk of ice on the inside of the fan housing.
Turns out the internal water supply fitting to the ice maker was leaking water into the housing every time it filled. Eventually the ice built up enough to block the fan. He fixed the feed line and all is good. So far. Come to think of it, I should have asked him to go ahead and replace the fan since it may have been damaged. :/
Post #23, paragraph 1.
Don't get a fridge that has a water supply line, for anything.
Post #23, paragraph 1.
Don't get a fridge that has a water supply line, for anything.
But you don't understand. For us, it's really just a giant ice maker that happens to have space for our food! :D
WickerBill
08-08-21, 07:23 PM
I just bought a pellet ice maker because my fridge ice maker is dead and I don't want the whole thaw / super expensive repair cycle (and I like pellet ice).
I'm guessing it probably was 40-50% cheaper than the repair, and hey, ice!
datachicane
08-10-21, 05:55 PM
I've had the same GE refrigerator for 25+ years now, and the same icemaker all that time. I've never had to have it repaired.
It does, however, seem to act up in some fairly novel way once or twice a year, but I've been able to get it back on track without much hassle every time. The first time I called the repair guy (no ice, grinding sounds, etc.) 25 years ago, he said it sounded like it was toast, and I needed a new one at $250 or so. I was broke, so I poked around, found an ice cube that had channeled water where it shouldn't go and shoved some stuff where it shouldn't be, thawed it out with a hairdryer and it worked like a champ. I've had the full-ice bail get jammed in weird positions, mutant ice cubes jamming things up every which way, multiple instances of ice dams where they shouldn't be squeezing and unplugging molex connectors, you name it, but every single issue was fixable with a hairdryer and a Leatherman.
I don't know if it's a particularly robust icemaker (this was the first one I ever bought), or if most of the issues that plague icemakers really are that simple.
I just bought a pellet ice maker because my fridge ice maker is dead and I don't want the whole thaw / super expensive repair cycle (and I like pellet ice).
I'm guessing it probably was 40-50% cheaper than the repair, and hey, ice!
Are we talking countertop doodad or an appliance sized doodad with plumbing and everything? The beach house we stayed at last week had one of these Kitchenaid under counter ice makers. That thing was awesome. It cranked out enough perfect 3/4" x 3/4" x 1/2" crystal clear cubes to keep up with up with a dozen people with no problem.
https://www.kitchenaid.com/major-appliances/refrigeration/undercounter/ice-makers/p.15-automatic-ice-maker-with-printshield-finish.kuix335hps.html
The good news is that that you never have to worry about the ice maker in your refrigerator. The bad news is that it costs as much as the refrigerator.
TravelGal
08-22-21, 03:45 PM
https://www.kitchenaid.com/major-appliances/refrigeration/undercounter/ice-makers/p.15-automatic-ice-maker-with-printshield-finish.kuix335hps.html
The good news is that that you never have to worry about the ice maker in your refrigerator. The bad news is that it costs as much as the refrigerator.
:laugh::laugh:
WickerBill
08-23-21, 12:43 PM
It's a countertop model. I live alone, and all of this ice is for my consumption. :)
pfc_m_drake
08-23-21, 07:50 PM
I'm embarrassed to tell ya'll how much my refrigerator cost me...
I think the late Ron Popeil would have been proud.
WickerBill
08-24-21, 02:22 PM
Why? Did you act within five minutes and get a second one for just the cost of shipping and handling?
pfc_m_drake
08-24-21, 07:58 PM
Why? Did you act within five minutes and get a second one for just the cost of shipping and handling?
Very nearly. As I recall it was a bargain basement closeout scratch-and-dent model from my local Sears.
But wait...there's more.
I (somehow) talked them into a discount on delivery as well.
That was 5-6 years ago.
I've been plenty happy with it :)
Just 180 More Days Until Your Oven Arrives: Appliance Delays Cause Havoc (https://www.wsj.com/articles/oven-fridge-home-appliance-delays-kitchen-renovation-11633557751)
might be paywalled, if so here's the gist of it...
Supply-chain problems that slowed production of household amenities after the onset of the pandemic have only gotten worse, manufacturing industry officials say. Producing them got tougher as shortages of steel, plastics, computer chips and labor spread, while space on trucks, ships and trains grew scarce.
Adding to that are delays on piping, cabinets and other needed parts. A shortage of skilled workers means that scheduling plumbers, electricians and countertop cutters has become more difficult.
Meanwhile, rising home prices, stimulus checks, a growing economy and 18 months of at-home activities are leading more people to upgrade their kitchens, designers and appliance sellers said. (It hasn’t all been bad: One retailer’s email about delayed furniture turned into a bonding session for a couple hundred strangers.)
Delivery times for certain models of refrigerators, stoves and dishwashers can be six months to a year out, appliance sellers and designers said. Major domestic producers like Whirlpool Corp. and GE Appliances said supply-chain challenges are resulting in longer lead times.
Adding to that are delays on piping, cabinets and other needed parts. A shortage of skilled workers means that scheduling plumbers, electricians and countertop cutters has become more difficult.
This bears repeating. It was a major talking point even before the pandemic that automation was going to create massive unemployment so we needed to start paying people just to sit home. Who is going to come and unstop your toilet when they can get paid to stay home? And how much will it cost?
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