My refrigerator is breaking! advice on new one

Helysian

oh my!

anyways, the fridge just isn't keeping things cold, like the power of the fridge has decayed to nothing, and none of us are affective repairmen along with several problems with it(considering the fact its 25-16 years old, older than me) so we're going fridge shopping

Does anyone have any opinions on any companies and models? I mean, I haven't done much appliance shopping and I'm not quite sure what to look for, so any words on that would help

Advice is greatly appreciated

supabeast

Kitchen Aid is great if you have the money. Otherwise, Maytag and GE are both pretty good about lasting for decades.

Blake T

Measure the size of your fridge recess both breadth and depth. Keep in mind it shouldn't be pressed up against a wall and should have a small amount of clearance.

Also be sure that you can open the door in the area as well.

When my old man redid the kitchen he reduced the depth of the recess and the fridge wouldn't fit. We had to get a sledgie and knock out the brickwall and replace it with a new thinner feature timber panel. It actually looks quite nice but we really didn't need the extra work.

goldenpennies

invest in a good one that will last you a long time

The Cat

Sure it doesn't just need regassing and the door seals replaced? Those aren't expensive options (although a shiny new fridge is a wonderful thing, plus I hear they come with intertubes these days :P). So long as the motory thing still works and the insulation isn't cracked, those are the only two things that need maintenance in most cases.

If its really buggered, you can get good deals by tracking down a scratch'n'dent place - the fridges work fine, but have dings or scrapes or whatever on the casing, so they sell for cheaper. Cash discounts are often an option, too. There's nothing wrong with second-hand, either - people often sell fridges that are in great condition when moving long distances or upgrading to a bigger one. Blaket's right about measuring the space you've got though, doooon't forget that :P

also, I hate side-by-side fridges. The inner compartments are too narrow and deep, you can never find anything - and the freezer might not be wide enough to store larger things like trays of meat. Get one where the freezer bit is above or below the fridge bit.

Josiah_9

The Cat wrote: »

Sure it doesn't just need regassing and the door seals replaced? Those aren't expensive options (although a shiny new fridge is a wonderful thing, plus I hear they come with intertubes these days :P). So long as the motory thing still works and the insulation isn't cracked, those are the only two things that need maintenance in most cases.

I work at an Appliance service company and almost all of The Cats advice is good. Do not let anyone tell you that you need to have your refridgerator "regassed." If your unit is leaking freeon, it is because you have a leak in your compressor or evaporator. Both of these are big problems, but it also could just be a bad gasket, cold controle, or thermostat. You should call around and see if you can have someone come and check it out


Edit: my BB code was showing

The Cat

hmm, good to know. I thought the coolant stuff lost its ooomph after a long while, for some reason, or always eventually leaked a bit. but yeah, its not like a fridge is really that complicated under the hood, repairs shouldn't be a big deal unless the manufacturer's not supplying the parts anymore.

Josiah_9

While you may lose a small amount of coolent overtime, it will more than likely just make your compressor run more often, not lose cooling capacity.

LondonBridge

When you buy one be sure when they deliver that they'll take away the old one for you no charge.

Blake T

The Cat wrote: »

Sure it doesn't just need regassing and the door seals replaced? Those aren't expensive options (although a shiny new fridge is a wonderful thing, plus I hear they come with intertubes these days :P). So long as the motory thing still works and the insulation isn't cracked, those are the only two things that need maintenance in most cases.

If its really buggered, you can get good deals by tracking down a scratch'n'dent place - the fridges work fine, but have dings or scrapes or whatever on the casing, so they sell for cheaper. Cash discounts are often an option, too. There's nothing wrong with second-hand, either - people often sell fridges that are in great condition when moving long distances or upgrading to a bigger one. Blaket's right about measuring the space you've got though, doooon't forget that :P

also, I hate side-by-side fridges. The inner compartments are too narrow and deep, you can never find anything - and the freezer might not be wide enough to store larger things like trays of meat. Get one where the freezer bit is above or below the fridge bit.

About the freezer above/below thing.

Go below, it'll take you a while to get used to, but in the long run it's heaps more convient.

FyreWulff

I'd say buy a new one just because the newer one will be much more energy effiecent.

Some things to consider:

1) Do you already have an ice maker/want one? If so, you'll have to have a way of running a water line to it.
1b)Also consider if you want an in-door water dispence or just an ice maker that resides inside the freezer.

2) Do you have kids or plan to have kids? Consider what the shelves are made of, their weight limit and how much vertical clearance you can have.

3) Also consider how easy it will be to clean. Over/unders are much easier to clean than side-by-sides.
3b) avoid side-by-sides at all cost

CangoFett

Well, your fridge is still running, right?

You better go catch it!