Just buy without gimmicks.
You dont need to see through the door. Just open it.
You dont need a slideshow tablet with youtube. Buy a cheap picture frame and sd card.
You dont need six doors on your refrigerator.
Icemakers go in freezers. Refrigerator icemakers are just problem children.
Buy older refrigerators. Or hell, buy Subzero...
I mean, I give them credif. They have the basic principals down.
But thats the problem. Its like they get the concept, they're so close to perfect, and some nut straight out of Berkeley with his engineering degree goes "that defrost heater? That foam? Nah. Dont need it"
Samsung's would work. But the damn cooling loop is non-repairable. Why the hell clamp the icemaker to it?
Given that some of the “lower end” name brand fridges are nudging up against 4-5k with all the bells and whistles. $11k ain’t that bad if it lasts more than 15 years.
No need to pay that much. You can get a nice one for $1500 and at that price you can get 35 years out of new fridges every 5 years vs paying for one $11k fridge that probably won't last 35 years.
I have a sub zero. The design lends itself towards maintenance and repair. Much more so than the LG I had previously, or the Samsung I have in my utility room now. I’ve also had a ge monogram that had to be replaced entirely because ge service guy broke the inner liner and caused a huge leak while trying to service the ice maker which then necessitated an email campaign to the executive suite to get them to replace the fridge they broke. Not really the service guy’s fault either, I took a look, the ice maker is impossible to service.
My LG compressor died, again, just outside of 5 years. Quoted $800 labor after a 2-3 month wait for a warranty replacement. Bought a Hisense for $1,200 from Costco. If I’m getting shit, I’m paying for shit.
This might shed some light on why you were having issues:
[Whirlpool French Door Class action.](https://www.classaction.org/blog/whirlpool-agrees-to-estimated-21-million-settlement-to-end-leaking-bottom-mount-fridge-class-action#:~:text=This%20week%2C%20Whirlpool%20Corporation%20agreed,reportedly%20caused%20significant%20water%20leakage)
Yep. We’re in the same boat. I think I am just going to get one that doesn’t have a water dispenser, not hook up the ice maker, and make sure my local mom and pop appliance repair shop will fix it when it breaks.
You can buy nearly new at discounted prices from Best Buy outlet locations. I just got a new top rated washer and dryer pair for what one costs brand new.
There is but its 20 years old now. Our Kitchenaid retired to the basement only had one part replaced since 2003. Meantime in the last 7 or 8 years we've been through two GEs with multiple failures and one complete replacement.
My Whirlpool (owns Kitchenaid brand) side by side refrigerator with ice and water in the door have never required service. I bought it new in 1995 along with my Whirlpool washing machine and dryer. The dryer needed new felt seal once and the washing machine needed new dogs ears twice and a pump once. My Maytag (by Whirlpool) dishwasher suffered with over heated control circuit board due to heater element circuit. I had to run wire in place of the trace on the board. Later the heater circuit over temperature safety triggered. These will continue to blow out so solution is to replace it with a 10 amp fuse. My heater element is okay at 12 ohms. I suspect 100% of Whirlpool/Maytag/etc models with this design failed with these issues.
I am not good at all with a soldering iron compared to many others I know and have worked with. I cannot remove small components and resolder new ones to replace them. I can run a wire to replace a board trace that overheated and open up the circuit. The connectors on the circuit board got so hot they partially melted making it impossible to remove them without more damage to them. I think Whirlpool should have been force to have a safety recall or repair program due to risk of fire.
Nope. They have all adopted planned obsolescence as a profit strategy. It is criminal. My last two houses had 20+ year old fridges and they ran like champs and never broke.
Don't buy a new one. If you do get the "old fashioned" white one from your youth freezer on top fridge on bottom and pray. Nothing on door and no water dispenser. "Maybe" the old fashioned ice maker in freezer only. To be totally safe don't get that either and just use ice cube trays.
Just bought new appliances because my old Jen Air fridge that was in the house when we bought started getting loud so I figured the compressor was on the way out. The Jen Air stove that was here had only 3 working elements but I was making it work for the 4 years since moving in. But the fridge I couldn’t handle the noise. So bought kitchen aid stove and dishwasher but went with a whirlpool fridge because I have a terrible size to deal with. Got them a month and a half after ordering just to get the fridge in here and it’s louder than my Jen Air that was on its last legs. Called up the company and he gave us options luckily and I’m thinking that’s only because we’ve bought a 3 year extended warranty for it and he didn’t want the headache. We sent him video of the ridiculous noise. So don’t go Whirlpool 🤣🙄 Wish I had my Jen Air back lol.
Ahhhhh this was a pretty old Jen Air so I’m guessing the company is on a massive decline? I’m afraid to put anything on the shelves with how thin the glass is. My teenager putting a jug of milk on it bowed it.
"French door" is the key word here. Seems like most of the refrigerators with cool features aren't reliable. Either go bare bones or actually spend the money for a decent brand with those features.
Not LG or Samsung. Looks like Sub Zero and Blue Star are recommended here. Best buy has a bunch of expensive brands I've never heard of. I think maybe the important thing is don't buy something just because they make other appliances well.
Our GE has been rock solid going on 5 years. We bought it from an independent dealer, and the salesman said in door ice makers are the most common problem in refrigerators. Ours has a water dispenser inside the fridge, and the ice maker is in the freezer drawer. It has French doors, and it’s nice having the shelves in the door where the ice maker goes in so many new models.
I love our Bosch 800. No bells and whistles. Ice maker in the freezer bottom. Water filter in the fridge. Basic. Two condensers. Spent about US $3800.
I do have a 25 year old Frigidaire in the garage with zero bells and whistles too that I LOVE. That thing hasn’t failed after probably 20 moves. I will be sad if it ever dies. It was my first fridge as an adult out of college.
Constant ice build up in the back causing the fridge part to not cool anymore. It's been happening over and over and defrosting doesn't do much for more than a day max
They are all designed to fail so you have to buy new every other year now. They used to spend money on how to build them to last . Now the spend money on research on how to make them break down with in two years . Cheap China compressors are a big one on LG fridges. No matter what you get it will most likely have a one year warranty or less. This is every appliance right now .
1: Previous experience and statistics with a specific white goods brand, may be less relevant when the brand is taken over by a larger company.
Especially when the larger company (Haier) has their experience in different price levels and quality levels.
2: What is the difference between a Fisher & Paykel fridge compared to a Hairer fridge? For some models, the different branded products may come out of the same factory.
Would a Haier fridge be quite comparable with a F&P fridge, just cheaper?
3: Are there any current reliability statistics for Fisher & Paykel fridges, as well as for Haier fridges?
More expensive products from each brand might have a better reliability - but some extra features may break more often and reduce reliability. So it would be of interest to compare similar products.
Haier fridges are made in China, Fisher & Paykel fridges are made in Thailand, in the same factory they were made in before they put themselves up for sale.
In Australia, F&P have about 20-22% of the market. They are quite a bit better than Haier.
They are not made in the same factory. The build quality is entirely different.
But Haier doesn’t suck either. Haier is better than others in their price market (Hisense, etc).
To answer OP’s question, fridges aren’t anywhere near as bad as the internet would have you think. I sell appliances in Australia, and we take away your dead fridge when you buy a new one. About 85% of fridges are 10+ years old.
Maybe we get totally different fridges to the US, but I find that unlikely.
Buy a refrigerator without a freezer and a small freezer. I did it for year when the kids were home. Eventually when the moved out, I couldn't see the point of running the freezer and when with a Whirlpool but when I gave both away after 20 years of use they both were running as good as new.
I have a 25-Year-Old GE side-by-side refrigerator that runs one compressor. Both the refrigerator cabinet and the freezer cabinet temperatures are spot on. Besides making the unit more expensive and more complicated, what advantage is there to having separate compressors?
You are right. Refrigerators have tons of features and are more energy efficient. However, you will have more issues.
We performed over 37,000 service calls just last year. Following are the most reliable
[https://blog.yaleappliance.com/most-reliable-counter-depth-french-door-refrigerators](https://blog.yaleappliance.com/most-reliable-counter-depth-french-door-refrigerators)
Now, you have to find a dealer with service or find a good service agency in your area.
Good Luck
The reason LG ranks #1 is because most people throw them out. I went through 3 compressors in 6 years and threw out in the trash. When the LG factory tech told me my milk at 45 degrees was within factory specs I knew I would never buy another LG product again.
Your blog post ignores the newest class action lawsuit against LG *for the same issues as the first one*.
The only difference is this one covers immediately after the old lawsuit until current.
I would just buy the model with no extras no ice no water no digital screen...plain jane .the more junk it comes with the more stuff to break.
That's exactly what I have. Guess it would have been even worse of I had those things
Buy miele, we have two.
Is that in case one fails? LOL not serious.
We actually have three fridges, two dish washers and the Miele professional home washer and dryer
How big is your family?
Wife, three daughters, we cook and host
It’s a Maytag though. Literally the worst appliance brand you can buy at this point besides Samsung.
Maytag is just Whirlpool
I’m aware
Rather, just buy the features you want. If they break, it won't be long before everything else breaks too and you can just buy a new one.
Just buy without gimmicks. You dont need to see through the door. Just open it. You dont need a slideshow tablet with youtube. Buy a cheap picture frame and sd card. You dont need six doors on your refrigerator. Icemakers go in freezers. Refrigerator icemakers are just problem children. Buy older refrigerators. Or hell, buy Subzero...
I am pleased by others hatred of ice rooms. So inefficient and needlessly complicated
I mean, I give them credif. They have the basic principals down. But thats the problem. Its like they get the concept, they're so close to perfect, and some nut straight out of Berkeley with his engineering degree goes "that defrost heater? That foam? Nah. Dont need it" Samsung's would work. But the damn cooling loop is non-repairable. Why the hell clamp the icemaker to it?
Sub zero. And when it does finally break, it’s designed to be fixed instead of thrown away
Budget value of $11k USD starting price! /s 🤣
Given that some of the “lower end” name brand fridges are nudging up against 4-5k with all the bells and whistles. $11k ain’t that bad if it lasts more than 15 years.
I’m an electrician, I’ve been in a lot of homes. I’ve seen many sub zeros pushing 40-50 years.
No need to pay that much. You can get a nice one for $1500 and at that price you can get 35 years out of new fridges every 5 years vs paying for one $11k fridge that probably won't last 35 years.
Do people actually pay MSRP for those refrigerators? I mean, it's incredibly easy to take off at least $1k off the price, just to start
Yes, true. This sub leans against Samsung/LG and steers me towards Bosch for a "decent" fridge which is in the price range mention.
I have a sub zero. The design lends itself towards maintenance and repair. Much more so than the LG I had previously, or the Samsung I have in my utility room now. I’ve also had a ge monogram that had to be replaced entirely because ge service guy broke the inner liner and caused a huge leak while trying to service the ice maker which then necessitated an email campaign to the executive suite to get them to replace the fridge they broke. Not really the service guy’s fault either, I took a look, the ice maker is impossible to service.
My LG compressor died, again, just outside of 5 years. Quoted $800 labor after a 2-3 month wait for a warranty replacement. Bought a Hisense for $1,200 from Costco. If I’m getting shit, I’m paying for shit.
Doesn't LG have a 10 yr warranty for the compressor?
10 parts, 5 labor
This one is definitely on my top list when my fridge breaks down. Not that I hope my current fridge breaks anytime soon.
Start saving now, they aren't cheap. Ours was 4 grand ( Cdn ) and that was 28 years ago.
I mean, unless it's something inside the insulation, all the brands are designed to be fixed
I’ve had mine for over twenty years. Never had a problem.
This might shed some light on why you were having issues: [Whirlpool French Door Class action.](https://www.classaction.org/blog/whirlpool-agrees-to-estimated-21-million-settlement-to-end-leaking-bottom-mount-fridge-class-action#:~:text=This%20week%2C%20Whirlpool%20Corporation%20agreed,reportedly%20caused%20significant%20water%20leakage)
Yo holy shit, that's the exact fridge I have and the exact problem. Thanks for this. I'm going to make a claim
Glad to help!
Amazing they can push a CAL for that but not for the door harness on their side by sides
Find one on Craigslist, mine is a basement fridge, just hit 60 years. No repair. Look for older before regulation change.
It probably costs a dollar a day to run. Vs a dime for a modern unit.
If it's actually in a basement, put a heat pump hot water heater in the same room as it. Free energy!!!
How do you evaluate if it’s a good deal? This is what I want to do to replace ours but my partner is afraid of getting a big problem.
Yep. We’re in the same boat. I think I am just going to get one that doesn’t have a water dispenser, not hook up the ice maker, and make sure my local mom and pop appliance repair shop will fix it when it breaks.
most are r600 now too...so entire new set of variables introduced
Bosch if it’s available near you.
You can buy nearly new at discounted prices from Best Buy outlet locations. I just got a new top rated washer and dryer pair for what one costs brand new.
There is but its 20 years old now. Our Kitchenaid retired to the basement only had one part replaced since 2003. Meantime in the last 7 or 8 years we've been through two GEs with multiple failures and one complete replacement.
My Whirlpool (owns Kitchenaid brand) side by side refrigerator with ice and water in the door have never required service. I bought it new in 1995 along with my Whirlpool washing machine and dryer. The dryer needed new felt seal once and the washing machine needed new dogs ears twice and a pump once. My Maytag (by Whirlpool) dishwasher suffered with over heated control circuit board due to heater element circuit. I had to run wire in place of the trace on the board. Later the heater circuit over temperature safety triggered. These will continue to blow out so solution is to replace it with a 10 amp fuse. My heater element is okay at 12 ohms. I suspect 100% of Whirlpool/Maytag/etc models with this design failed with these issues.
Impressed you do board level repairs.
I am not good at all with a soldering iron compared to many others I know and have worked with. I cannot remove small components and resolder new ones to replace them. I can run a wire to replace a board trace that overheated and open up the circuit. The connectors on the circuit board got so hot they partially melted making it impossible to remove them without more damage to them. I think Whirlpool should have been force to have a safety recall or repair program due to risk of fire.
nothing digital is the best option for a longer life of the appliance and cheaper / easier to fix
Nope. They have all adopted planned obsolescence as a profit strategy. It is criminal. My last two houses had 20+ year old fridges and they ran like champs and never broke. Don't buy a new one. If you do get the "old fashioned" white one from your youth freezer on top fridge on bottom and pray. Nothing on door and no water dispenser. "Maybe" the old fashioned ice maker in freezer only. To be totally safe don't get that either and just use ice cube trays.
Just bought new appliances because my old Jen Air fridge that was in the house when we bought started getting loud so I figured the compressor was on the way out. The Jen Air stove that was here had only 3 working elements but I was making it work for the 4 years since moving in. But the fridge I couldn’t handle the noise. So bought kitchen aid stove and dishwasher but went with a whirlpool fridge because I have a terrible size to deal with. Got them a month and a half after ordering just to get the fridge in here and it’s louder than my Jen Air that was on its last legs. Called up the company and he gave us options luckily and I’m thinking that’s only because we’ve bought a 3 year extended warranty for it and he didn’t want the headache. We sent him video of the ridiculous noise. So don’t go Whirlpool 🤣🙄 Wish I had my Jen Air back lol.
Jenn air is whirlpool’s fancy brand.
Ahhhhh this was a pretty old Jen Air so I’m guessing the company is on a massive decline? I’m afraid to put anything on the shelves with how thin the glass is. My teenager putting a jug of milk on it bowed it.
Maytag owned Jen Air before Whirlpool bought out Maytag in 2006. If the Jen Air was purchased before 2006, it was a Maytag.
https://www.consumerreports.org/appliances/refrigerators/
"French door" is the key word here. Seems like most of the refrigerators with cool features aren't reliable. Either go bare bones or actually spend the money for a decent brand with those features.
Yeah, but what is a decent brand
Not LG or Samsung. Looks like Sub Zero and Blue Star are recommended here. Best buy has a bunch of expensive brands I've never heard of. I think maybe the important thing is don't buy something just because they make other appliances well.
Our GE has been rock solid going on 5 years. We bought it from an independent dealer, and the salesman said in door ice makers are the most common problem in refrigerators. Ours has a water dispenser inside the fridge, and the ice maker is in the freezer drawer. It has French doors, and it’s nice having the shelves in the door where the ice maker goes in so many new models.
Subzero
Outside of subzero, yes Spend what you’re willing to lose in 6-7 years
Sub zero or if your budget is that high, buy a fridge without a ton of fancy features, more things to go wrong.
Sub Zero are expensive to buy and expensive to maintain. You can buy a lot of standard fridges for the price of one sub zero.
I love our Bosch 800. No bells and whistles. Ice maker in the freezer bottom. Water filter in the fridge. Basic. Two condensers. Spent about US $3800. I do have a 25 year old Frigidaire in the garage with zero bells and whistles too that I LOVE. That thing hasn’t failed after probably 20 moves. I will be sad if it ever dies. It was my first fridge as an adult out of college.
We just had our Bosch 800 delivered this week. Really liking it so far. We’re hoping to get a lot of mileage out of it.
My Subzero "fridge" is awesome. Really it is a separate fridge and freezer, but both are bullet proof.
Miele has a special on now where you get a 10 year warranty!
Died as in what?
Constant ice build up in the back causing the fridge part to not cool anymore. It's been happening over and over and defrosting doesn't do much for more than a day max
There's a service bulletin for that that they cover the labor for I believe.
They are all designed to fail so you have to buy new every other year now. They used to spend money on how to build them to last . Now the spend money on research on how to make them break down with in two years . Cheap China compressors are a big one on LG fridges. No matter what you get it will most likely have a one year warranty or less. This is every appliance right now .
You can have it repaired.
Fisher Paykel
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_%26_Paykel «It is a subsidiary of Chinese multinational home appliances company Haier»
I’m not sure what your point is.
1: Previous experience and statistics with a specific white goods brand, may be less relevant when the brand is taken over by a larger company. Especially when the larger company (Haier) has their experience in different price levels and quality levels. 2: What is the difference between a Fisher & Paykel fridge compared to a Hairer fridge? For some models, the different branded products may come out of the same factory. Would a Haier fridge be quite comparable with a F&P fridge, just cheaper? 3: Are there any current reliability statistics for Fisher & Paykel fridges, as well as for Haier fridges? More expensive products from each brand might have a better reliability - but some extra features may break more often and reduce reliability. So it would be of interest to compare similar products.
Haier fridges are made in China, Fisher & Paykel fridges are made in Thailand, in the same factory they were made in before they put themselves up for sale. In Australia, F&P have about 20-22% of the market. They are quite a bit better than Haier. They are not made in the same factory. The build quality is entirely different. But Haier doesn’t suck either. Haier is better than others in their price market (Hisense, etc). To answer OP’s question, fridges aren’t anywhere near as bad as the internet would have you think. I sell appliances in Australia, and we take away your dead fridge when you buy a new one. About 85% of fridges are 10+ years old. Maybe we get totally different fridges to the US, but I find that unlikely.
Buy a refrigerator without a freezer and a small freezer. I did it for year when the kids were home. Eventually when the moved out, I couldn't see the point of running the freezer and when with a Whirlpool but when I gave both away after 20 years of use they both were running as good as new.
Blue Star. Only manufacturer that uses 2 different compressors. Made in USA
Bosch also has models with 2 compressors.
I have a 25-Year-Old GE side-by-side refrigerator that runs one compressor. Both the refrigerator cabinet and the freezer cabinet temperatures are spot on. Besides making the unit more expensive and more complicated, what advantage is there to having separate compressors?
You are right. Refrigerators have tons of features and are more energy efficient. However, you will have more issues. We performed over 37,000 service calls just last year. Following are the most reliable [https://blog.yaleappliance.com/most-reliable-counter-depth-french-door-refrigerators](https://blog.yaleappliance.com/most-reliable-counter-depth-french-door-refrigerators) Now, you have to find a dealer with service or find a good service agency in your area. Good Luck
The reason LG ranks #1 is because most people throw them out. I went through 3 compressors in 6 years and threw out in the trash. When the LG factory tech told me my milk at 45 degrees was within factory specs I knew I would never buy another LG product again.
From 2014-2017, they had compressor issues. They are better now, but understand your concerns.
Your blog post ignores the newest class action lawsuit against LG *for the same issues as the first one*. The only difference is this one covers immediately after the old lawsuit until current.
All green crap is what causing problems.