Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I always thought the "life" of a refrigerator was around twenty years. Here follows a story in the life of a refrigerator. It is part mystery. Maybe someone can offer some insight.
Right now we are renting and the house has a Maytag side by side that has died twice already. Apparently the defroster stops working and then the entire fridge shuts down.
I googled the model number and this fridge is from 2007. It has been kept clean but there are no coils on the back to clean. I have always kept dust off the coils on other refrigerators but the coils were easy to reach and on the back.
The first time it stopped working, we and our landlord unplugged the fridge and we discovered that the coils are UNDERNEATH and there is barely any room to get at them to clean them. We managed to fit the vacuum cleaner hose under and got a lot of dust and dog hair out.
Then it worked again. For a month. When we got back from vacation the other day, it was dead again.
Is this commonplace? Is it caused by the dust buildup underneath (where it is very difficult to reach and clean it?) Is the life of a present day fridge only seven years now?
My question was answered by the repairman. Today's appliances are junk. This was a circuit board gone bad. Nothing to do with dust build up and there is no way to get under it and get dust out anyway.
So I am glad that I am no longer a homeowner who has to buy fridges, stoves, and dishwashers. Now they cost a fortune and they don't even last.
This ranch burned down in the 35 sq mile central Texas forest fire in 2011. The only building left standing was the calf hospital. An old refrigerator in there was used for vaccines. We moved into and made a home out of the calf hospital. The old refrigerator was thought to be too small, it went on and off sometimes and was going to be hauled away to the dump. But I liked this historic old refrigerator and rewired it myself, and moved it to the garage and kept my cow's milk in it. I looked up it's serial number it was a G.E., 72 years old. A Chinese built refrigerator was purchased and lasted 2 years before the compressor went out. Another Chinese refrigerator was purchased, brought home, unloaded by hand, struggled into the house. And that refrigerator never even got cold! Chinese refrigerators are made by the Sum Ting Wong appliance company. Meanwhile, that American made 72 year old GE is still holding at 38 degrees in a 90 degree garage.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,134 posts, read 80,240,475 times
Reputation: 56989
Our side-by-side Whirlpool we bought in 1999, and it's never had any problems. We actually look forward to having it die so we can get a french door model, but it just keeps plugging along. Seems wasteful to replace it when it's still functioning so well.
Thats the brand we got to replace the two Chinese POSs. Probably made in China too although the lady we called in Whirlpool customer service had a strong Mexican accent.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,134 posts, read 80,240,475 times
Reputation: 56989
Customer service for almost everything is outsourced to some other country now. Whirlpool is making their appliances only in the US and Canada
though there are no doubt some Chinese parts in them.
Apparently the defroster stops working and then the entire fridge shuts down.
As I understand it this issue is common with a lot of fridges and is direct result of EPA energy efficiency regs, ours stopped working perhaps not more than a year old blinking an error. As per the directions had to let it sit for about 3 hours before it would come back on. Apprently the defroster itself gets frosted up and can't work properly.
Recently I opened the freezer to find stuff half unfrozen, apparently it was in defrost mode. Not a happy refrigerator owner....
Quote:
The first time it stopped working, we and our landlord unplugged the fridge and we discovered that the coils are UNDERNEATH and there is barely any room to get at them to clean them. We managed to fit the vacuum cleaner hose under and got a lot of dust and dog hair out.
They make an attachment for that. It's thin and long.
We had problems with our side by side; first it was the defroster, which we got fixed. Then the ice maker, which we got fixed, then the Ice maker again; we gave it to the son of the guy who did our remodeling. The fridge was only about 8 years old. Now we have a new French door one, which I love, but we will see how long it lasts. $2500 I hope it lasts as long as we live in this house.
My Kenmore (Whirlpool), 26.5 cu ft side by side with ice/water in the door was delivered in September 1998. No repairs yet. I vacuum the coils underneath about every 6 months....should be more often, but I just don't seem to remember. My model didn't come with a filter, so I added an inline one between the shut-off valve & the copper tubing water supply line.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.