And Don't Even Ask Me About the Toaster

I haven't wanted to burden you with news of my misfortune, but it's time I came clean: My 2001 refrigerator is on the blink again. Since the last time I bothered you about it, I found yet another puddle of water in the fridge, suggesting that a freezer shut-down was in my very near future. Luckily, it had been not quite 90 days since the last time the repairman was here, so I didn't have to pay him this time. He said that this problem is going to keep happening, and I just have to face it: I got a lemon, and I need to replace it. Never mind that the old fridge in my basement has been working nonstop since 1993 without a problem! (It doesn't fit in the kitchen of this house, which is why it lives in the basement.) Never mind that a new fridge was nowhere near the budget for this year, let alone in it for this quarter. Sigh.

So, I am looking for advice. Specifically:

1. Did you buy a fridge in the last year or two that you love? Or hate? I'd like to hear about it. (I'm not interested in older models, because we all know that they don't make 'em like they used to.)

2. Do you have one of those funky new fridges with the freezer at the bottom and the French doors up top? Do you like it? I'm intrigued.

3. Do you have an on-door water-dispenser/ice-maker thingy? Does it give you trouble?

4. Can you guarantee that a particular brand and model will never break down and will serve me well for the next 25 years? If so, I will love you forever.

I have always favored the top-freezer design, but I am trying to be open to new options. I know I will never get a traditional side-by-side, because you can't fit anything wide on either side. I'd like a model that has an especially big fridge capacity at the expense of the freezer, since I have the fridge-plus-freezer in the basement and a full-size deep freeze. The kitchen freezer just needs to hold ice cubes, a few bagels, and a carton of ice cream.

Thanks in advance for your sympathy and helpful suggestions.

Comments

[Jeananne]

Karen ... just got a GE Profile last summer. Stainless Steel (easy to clean) with french doors on top (absolutely great for large pans or full sheet cakes). Space is not a problem in the refrigerator. We do need to keep lettuce in the front or it'll freeze, regardless of the temp we set. The veg/fruit drawers are generous but usually too full for lettuce. This model has two freezer drawers on the bottom. Although the freezer space is larger than our former refrigerator/freezer-on-top, we could not store anywhere near the same amount of food because of the sliding shelves. No matter how we arranged food in the freezer, what we had from the former would not fit in the new. We ended up buying a stand-alone freezer for the basement. We didn't get the "in the door" ice or water dispensers because the space those took up on the inside was really a waste. We did splurge and got an ice cube maker. It took up half again the space of our ice cube trays in the former, but we felt it was worth it (and it really IS worth it). We can set the refrigerator and freezer temps with a push of a button and this one has an alarm that beeps if the door is open more than a minute (which comes in handy if you think you closed it tight but didn't).

Hate buying new appliances and had I known we'd end up getting a separate freezer, I would have gone with a much smaller model. All-in-all, I love the wide access the double doors offer, as well as the ice maker.

Best of luck with your decision. I really feel for you.

Jeananne

[Tonya]

We've been looking at new fridges for our (someday) house on Harstine Is., trying to get ideas, and I've wondered how I might like the freezer drawer below. I'm thinking I might! At any rate, my current fridge (since 1998 I believe) has the ice cube/crushed/water dispenser in the door and I love it. I can't imagine not having that feature (which may be an issue with the freezer drawer below, can't remember). I've also never been jazzed with side-by-sides. Basically the point of my comment is to sing the praises of the ice/water dispenser in the door!

[Naomi]

Karen, I'm sorry for your tsuris. Buying a new appliance is a pain in the tuchas! (Ever edited anything with Yiddish words?! My spellchecker is hocking me a chainik!)

I wonder what I've been missing with the ice & water dispenser in the door. Our (exceedingly old and on its last legs) refrigerator has one that we've never used. I guess because I've never gotten used to it, it doesn't seem so indispensable to me. Then again, I'm not a big fan of ice cubes so the tap is usually my one-stop shopping for a drink! Well, that or the liquor cupboard. (Joke: I actually can't tolerate alcohol, but that's another tangent entirely!)

[Karen]

Jeananne: This one I'm replacing is a GE Profile! The repairman said it is in fact a good brand, but mine was obviously just a lemon. :-( It's stainless steel too, but with the top freezer and regular single-door fridge. We have the ice maker in the freezer and no water dispenser on the door. As much as it galls me to give them more money, I just might go with them again....

I'm wondering how I will like digging through a bottom freezer drawer as opposed to digging through a top freezer with shelves. I too have a full-size freezer in the basement -- which I love! It keeps things like meat much colder than a regular fridge-freezer.

[B.O.B.(bob)]

1. No we purchased our current freezer with our house in 1995. It's an Amana (which means it's really a Kitchenaid without the extras).

2. It does have a bottom fereezer which I like since I have a chest freezer in the basement. If you get a bottom freezer though get one of the really new ones where the drawer pulls out all the way with the door. On ours I have to bend over and then pull out a cage. If I've stuffed the freezer too full I end up sitting obn the floor to find stuff. I do like having all the fridge items up high though. Much more convenient.

3. No. I've heard too many bad thing s about them breaking down. Two trays of ice is plenty for us.

4.Ha. Sadly no. Although the one we have has been great I wouldn't put money on a new one being equally good. I will say with appliances you seem to get what you pay for. So unfortunately don't go cheap.

[Sandy]

1. 2007 GE Profile with bottom freezer. We did NOT get french doors on the top. Overall, we really like it. My only dislike is limited space for tall bottles, though that may be because of how we put in the shelves (which can be adjusted).
2. I like the bottom freezer. The sliding drawers make it much easier to find things and keep organized than with our old top freezer -- much less digging around. It doesn't fits as much as our old top freezer/bottom fridge (now in the basement and handy for the overflow). And bottom freezer has obvious advantages for short people (me).
3. Ice maker inside the freezer works find. We didn't have this in our old 'fridge because we'd heard they break so often. Though the occasional ice cube doesn't fall into the tray and lands at the bottom of the freezer my husband thinks I don't push the tray all the way back, though I could swear I do.) We chose a water dispenser INSIDE the fridge, on a side wall. Handy for individual glass of water -- we've done away with our Brita pitcher. But flow is too slow to fill a whole pot.
Good luck!

[Susan]

I know I probably don't have to tell you this, but don't get a Maytag. We bought one new when we were in our old house and it broke twice in two years. We now are in a house with a GE Profile and I'm not exactly wowed by it, either. So best of luck finding something that doesn't stink. I think Consumer Reports reviewed fridges within the past month or so (although they were our source for buying that Maytag in the first place ...).

[Maureen Potter]

Check out this place for all things applianc related.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/appl/

Mo

[Lori Z.]

Whatever you do, don't get the model where the water dispenser is inside the fridge! It's super annoying, not to mention wasteful, to stand with the door flung wide and fill up a glass.

[Susan]

We have been a Kenmore (Sears) family since I was a child and I have never had a problem with a Kenmore frig or washer/dryer. I replaced my 22 year old Kenmore about 7 months ago because I got tired of it and wanted one with the fancy ice machine and water on the door. And the clear produce bins. I love it and expect it to last another 20+ years. Or until they come out with a model that cleans itself.

[Katy]

Sears has an outlet center in Shrewsbury where they sell scratched and dented fridges at lower prices, which is a non-issue if your fridge rests inside a nook in your kitchen. I believe the only catch is they don't deliver. I know someone who has the french doors on top with the freezer below and she loves it.

[Elena]

We never had a water/ice dispenser until we moved to this house. We use it all the time (especially the kids) and have never had a problem with it. We have an Amana side-by-side refrigerator/freezer that was purchased by the previous owners just before we moved in. I heard the real estate guru on the Today show say recently that one of the must-haves in any home today is a stainless steel refrigerator. My almond-colored fridge was purchased in 2001, so maybe it'll go on the fritz too so I can get a new one! (But sadly, it wouldn't be in our budget either.)

[amy]

Got the biggest lemon fridge EVER from the Sears outlet in Shrewsbury, my stories would rival Karen's. Highlight was the repairman telling me that "The freezer isn't meant to freeze things, it's meant to keep them cold once frozen" (This was his explanation for why it wasn't getting cold enough to freeze water into ice).

Karen, I have a sub-zero that I inherited when we bought this house. I really love it, it works great, no water thing on the door but i'm fine with that, the freezer is underneath and that's ok too. It's really big and roomy inside.

[Margaret]

Well, my husband bought a side by side when we moved into this house and I HATE it. It has water and ice in the front,which I have gotten used to (and love) Otherwise, it's a pain to try to fit stuff in there. The ice maker has had to be worked on several times; the last time my husband fixed it. He's very handy and has needed to be for our various refrig or microwave issues.

[nancy]

Sub-zero with bottom freezer (which I always have to have) - just think of how often you open the fridge each day. better ergonomics. The ice maker is in the freezer and has a filter hooked up to it.

[Stephanie]

We bought a Kenmore fridge last year. In one weekend our fridge and oven bit the dust. We bought a basic white fridge (freezer on top) and it was $859. We have a small space for the fridge, so we had both a height and width limit. There were so many options our heads were spinning. We have no ice maker, no drink gizmo thing. Basic fridge. We like it.

[Trish]

Have you found a new fridge yet? If not, have you tried a new repair person? My folks' freezer (mid-90s Kenmore) leaked into the fridge and it turned out to be some sort of blockage caused by food debris. Once it was cleaned, the leak stopped. Unfortunately, this loosened some parts and it now rattles when the fridge runs. It's not too loud, though. And no need to replace a fridge that works well.