I went to a friend’s house for a picnic, and came home find everything melting.
Parked my frozen foods with a neighbor, and now need to cope.
I don’t know what goes wrong with refrigerators, whether they are fixable, or what to look for in a new one (or where).
Any and all advice welcome!
Just the freezer or both sides?
Assuming the entire thing isn’t working…
Well, let’s start with the easy stuff. Is it getting power? Does the light come on when you open the door? Can you hear any fans running? Most importantly, can you hear the compressor running?
If you have no lights or noises, check the outlet for power. Plug a lamp/radio/blow dryer or something in there and make sure the outlet is working or at least check the breaker.
If you can hear the compressor clicking on and off, check for a buildup of dust around the condenser coils (the ones on the back/bottom of the fridge).
While you’re doing that…how old is this fridge, does it have any circuit boards in it (does it have an LCD screen, does it beep etc)?
Refrigerators are very fixable. It’s worth having a repair person look at it to get an estimate, at least. However, if it’s really old, it might be a good time to buy a new one. A newer refrigerator will be more efficient and might have some features you like. However, it’s a big enough purchase that it’s nice to be able to do some research first, so buying in a hurry when your current fridge is broken isn’t ideal. You can get a one-month subscription to consumerreports.com to get some recommendations.
(Thanks, and keep 'em coming!)
Outlet works. Compressor doesn’t seem to be working, or at least making noises or cooling anything. Both refrigerator and freezer compartment are out.
Fridge is something like twenty years old, and doesn’t do anything but keep things refrigerated and frozen.
Which is why I was asking what features more recent applicances have.
Whatever in the back that can get dusty, is – moving the thing unassisted is beyond me.
[QUOTE=FeAudrey;14219725Fridge is something like twenty years old, and doesn’t do anything but keep keep refrigerated and frozen.[/QUOTE]
If this is the case I wouldn’t even consider a repair. Time to buy a new one. Prices come in a huge range from $400 to well over $2000 depending on style and features. I wouldn’t bother repairing the one you have. Even if it is something simple the next repair surely isn’t far behind. Twenty years is a very long time for a fridge to continue to function properly. With any luck your next one will last as long.
The biggest thing that newer refrigerators do is to keep things refrigerated and frozen much more efficiently, so the new one should save you money. One thing we found when we had to replace the one in my mother’s house is that almost all of the ones available include an in-door ice and water dispenser. That’s great if you want it, but if you don’t, it takes space from the freezer.
I agree that at 20 years old, it’s time to get a new one. If it were me, I’d first look behind it to see if there were any obvious wiring problem that somehow developed, but that might not be feasible for you. I wouldn’t sink any money into it, though.
Remember to measure the width and height of where you’re putting it, so the new one will fit.
Agreeing with the above - if you aren’t the type who will tinker and fix it yourself, it’s time to replace it. 20 years is a huge amount of time in fridge technology.
Are you a top of the line buyer…a “why spend a ton when a simple thing works” buyer, or a “I’ll spend the money if it has a good value” buyer?
Off the top of my head - features to consider in a new fridge…
[ul]
[li]Automatic ice maker - I think they have different shape ice, if you care[/li][li]Exterior ice dispenser[/li][li]This space intentionally left blank[/li][li]Exterior water dispenser (a friend of mine has the dispenser inside the door…which means opening the fridge, letting cold air out every time they get water)[/li][li]Side by Side versus Top/Bottom design - Freezer on the bottom is more efficient, but it tends to get a little more disorganized[/li][li]Width of shelves - I had a favorite cake pan that just HAD to fit in my freezer with the door open 90 degrees…for logistical reasons.[/li][/ul]
Higher end models have external displays with controls…internet connections…etc.
One feature I saw once that I’d love to have, if it were free…I saw a fridge that has adjustable shelves on cranks. You could move them WITHOUT taking all the stuff off!
-D/a
We went from a side-by-side fridge to a French Door fridge with the freezer on the bottom a few years ago, and we greatly prefer the latter. I guess maybe the freezer gets more disorganized, but I haven’t noticed. The big benefit is that with the top/bottom setup, the fridge and freezer are wide. I can shove a whole pizza box or party tray in there, no problem. With the side-by-side, there was no way I could do that. Also, since the freezer pulls out as drawers, I find it easier to look through it than with the side-by-side. Never any need to pull things out to see what’s behind them. YMMV.
If you are at all mechanically inclined you might fare well to carefully dismantle the internals and using a voltmeter take some simple checks BEING CAREFUL TO TURN UNPLUG THE UNIT FIRST…
If you are not comfortable with this idea…most times, unless under warranty, you may as well purchase a new unit after some very simple checks are made…
check your service panel for tripped breakers and check your outlets for a tripped GFCI receptacle or tripped AFCI receptacle.
Thanks again to all posters!
Mostly the second, with a touch of the third, which is why I was asking about features invented since the last time I bought a refrigerator.
I’m thinking of a new Whirlpool, since that’s the make that lasted so long this time. Although, for all I know, after all these years, they are now being cobbled together in North Korea …
I’m looking at a couple days work to clean out and clean up the old one, and to de-clutter the kitchen so that the delivery men can do their thing.
May have to buy on-line, as I am car-less on the Far North Side of Chicago.
I wouldn’t recommend buying it entirely online. I think you want to actually look at the refrigerators, open the doors and see how much space is in them. Also, make sure that you measure the space in your kitchen (both width and height) to make sure that you can fit the new one.
I just replaced my (working) Frigidaire freezer-on-top refrigerator a month or so ago. Roomie noticed it ran all the time, and after she mentioned it I detected a cold air leak from the freezer door. It was probably about 30 years old.
I was going to replace it with the same model Frigidaire – but decades newer – just because that’s what fit in the space. After some measuring and a minor amount of cutting, I put in a larger side-by-side Whirlpool. Bottom freezer is more efficient, but roomie said she doesn’t like them. She uses ice like it’s going out of style, so I decided an exterior ice and water dispenser was in order. (There are actually times I want ice. But since I rarely use it, I just go without. With the new fridge, I can have iced tea without having to wait for it to chill in the refrigerator.) The shelves are wide enough in the refrigerator half to fit a large pizza box. I like the light in the freezer, which the old fridge didn’t have. (I don’t know about the new Frigidaire; it wasn’t plugged in at the store.) The clear shelves make it very easy to see what’s where.
The replacement Frigidaire with a stainless steel finish was on sale for $649. The nicer Whirlpool side-by-side has a realistic faux stainless steel finish and it, tubing for the ice/water, Saturday delivery, and plumbing installation, less a discount for opening a new Sears charge account, came to $1,085. So less than twice as much as the cheap one I looked at first, and way less than half than the top-of-the-line models.
Are you anywhere near the Sears store on Lawrence? They have a pretty good selection of appliances, and prices are competitive. Or if you can get up to Abt on Milwaukee Avenue in Glenview, you’ll be in Appliance Heaven.
Also - be careful of Stainless Steel models. If (like me) you like to stick notes to yourself on the fridge with magnets, you’ll be out of luck. Most SS appliances are non-magnetic.
This is the Whirlpool I bought (ED2SHEXXL).
I don’t know where it was made, but I think it was either made in the USA or Mexico.
Sears has free pickup and delivery. I had to pay $10 for Saturday delivery. I’d be willing to bet that any number of appliance stores will also have free delivery.
Whenever your fridge gives you trouble, the very first thing you should do is unplug it and let it sit for 24 hrs. Then plug it back in and see what happens.
I am a former landlord and, believe me, this works often. When it was recommended to me I was very skeptical, but it worked almost every time I tried it.
It seems that all fridges are just freezers that channel some of the cold to the larger fridge compartment. Every now and then it just freezes up the channel. Unplugging it for 24 hrs clears the channel and, voila, it works again. At least that is how it was explained to me.
What the hell, you got nothing to lose, give it a try. Only once did I have to actually replace the fridge, though, yours does seem due.
I believe hvac_two is planning to leave the boards based on the other thread I read and I think the OP is getting a new fridge, but I’m not sure I would trust an hvac person who suggests prodding around with a voltmeter on something that’s unplugged.
Well, lol…I am going to simply laugh it off. You guys just won’t lay off…
The purpose of prodding around with a voltmeter while the unit is unplugged is to be able to check for MFD readings on capacitors and also to check for proper OHM readings on the compressor along with possible short to ground…etc.
I guess I am going to have to deal with smart butt replies…I can handle it…perhaps you guys have little minds or something.
Anyway to the original poster…no sure who that is. You might also see if you have a Cashwell’s Appliance…many times if you call them or simply go by they will give you excellent advice. They do have an internet site…however I will not post a link here as I will be accused of owning a Cashwell’s and be plugging for them.
A)You really have to learn how to read between the lines better. No offense to the OP but do you really think someone that said “I don’t know what goes wrong with refrigerators” is going to have any idea what to do with a sentence like “you might fare well to carefully dismantle the internals and using a voltmeter take some simple check” Look at my first post, this wasn’t someone that is going to just tear the back panel off, she needed troubleshooting. Things like “Does the light inside turn on when you open the door?” or “Can you hear any fans running?”
You can laugh it off if you want, but I’m still not sure how you test caps or take OHM readings with a voltmeter. (If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re rather technical here and you gave the OP bum advice. You need an Ohmmeter for that.)
Hey…DINGBAT…you all are pushing way too much. I have several fluke meters that read AC, DC, Capacitance, resistance, and so on…and yes the average homeowner can get one at Sears…
I would not assume that b/c she is a woman or a homeowner that she doesn’t know how to fix something but I rather give advise that one can use…and they are welcome to ask me for further clarification if needed.
PS: I am sure that many here, INCLUDING WOMEN, are very technical however you and some others seem to be more apt to be a nuisance more than anything else. Tell me…why do you have to follow me around like a little child and simply start a fire everywhere you go?