lookatthat
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Post by lookatthat on May 11, 2020 14:09:55 GMT -5
We have a GE top freezer/bottom fridge. Still runs fine, but could probably use a new seal. We got it in 1998.
I'll tell you the secret of long life in a fridge. Twice a year, you push it over to the door and vacuum out the back where all the guts are. Then you take an air tank and blow all the remaining dust bunnies out.
The glass shelves scratch easily, but help contain spills. The old wire ones don't get so scratched/dirty looking.
Ours is an eggshell texture, off-white. Resists fingerprints and dirt, cleans up easily.
I d personally don't like the look of the big stainless-steel ones. They look like meat lockers, something from a morgue or horror movie, and scratches and fingerprints -- yuck. Just my personal opinion.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on May 11, 2020 14:12:19 GMT -5
hummingbirdstones , My only advise is DON'T BUY G.E.!! Our old Kenmore gave out after 25 years so we bought a smaller G.E. side-by-side, planning to leave it with the house when we retired out of state. It keeps things cold O.K. but it's the noisiest appliance imaginable. The valve for the icemaker bangs like a pistol shot, followed by any number of growling, unpleasant mechanical noises that occur at all times of the day and night. And G.E. nags and nags you to change water filters long before they're needed. They overcharged us for the filters we bought, according to a G.E. service man. It looks like we're stuck with the thing for longer than we planned due to CV 19 but I'm paying close attention to this thread to plan for our next refrigerator buy.
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lookatthat
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Post by lookatthat on May 11, 2020 14:14:08 GMT -5
I should mention that the above secret was told to use by my uncle, who was an appliance repairman, jack-of-all-trades, and general genius around the house. (I'll mention that he also built and flew his own aircraft.)
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lookatthat
Cave Dweller
Whatever there is to be found.
Member since May 2017
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Post by lookatthat on May 11, 2020 14:16:37 GMT -5
In response to gemfeller I will say that our GE is a more basic model, no icemaker, water cooler, coffee-maker, Alexa, or what-have-you, so I can't comment on those parts if those are important to you.
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Post by knave on May 11, 2020 14:16:55 GMT -5
We have the old standard style with no bells and whistles, it came with the house. Whirlpool, Kenmore, Maytag, KitchenAid, pretty much they are all made in the same manner anymore. I’ve heard quite a lot of trouble with LG. They have a goofy compressor called a “linear” compressor that I would stay away from. ETA my wife’s uncle has a bottom freezer French door unit that also has a Kuerig in the door, lol. Thanks, Evan. Ours is pretty standard, too (I really don't need all the fancy stuff - more things to break down). I've heard the same about LG refrigerators. Funny thing is, I bought LG front loader washer and dryer when Vince and I got married. It's been 10 years now and I haven't had a lick of trouble with either of those.
A Kuerig in a fridge? LOL! We have a 14 cup Cuisnart that works just fine, especially since we both drink coffee 24/7. I'd go broke with a Kuerig. Exactly, not slamming LG as a brand, but the new style compressor has a high failure rate, and I believe they use two coils, one for the fridge and one for freezer, and it’s a generally complicated system. But I’m not an appliance tech so maybe my info is outdated.
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lookatthat
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Post by lookatthat on May 11, 2020 14:22:57 GMT -5
gemfeller, it doesn't sound like you need a repairman... it sounds like you need an exorcist! PS. You can probably give it away to somebody if it still keeps things cold, especially if they don't care about an ice-maker or water dispenser.
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Post by stardiamond on May 11, 2020 14:34:06 GMT -5
The largest Samsung French door that would fit. Probably the best refrigerator I ever had. Home appliance electronics are far more complex than they were years ago and I wouldn't buy anything without an extended warranty. I had one service call and an electronic circuit board needed replacement. I also don't recommend trying to put 2 gallons of milk in a door shelf. My previous dishwasher was great but sometimes the circuitry wouldn't activate when the door was closed. It was out of warranty and after multiple attempts of having the problem fixed, I bought a newer model with an extended warranty so it is one less thing to worry about.
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Post by knave on May 11, 2020 14:42:40 GMT -5
Our dishwasher is a nice KitchenAid with slimline touch controls on top of the door. If you don’t clean the control panel often enough it will shut itself off during the wash cycle.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on May 11, 2020 14:45:31 GMT -5
In response to gemfeller I will say that our GE is a more basic model, no icemaker, water cooler, coffee-maker, Alexa, or what-have-you, so I can't comment on those parts if those are important to you. lookatthat, We cross-posted and I didn't see your comments while writing mine. I think G.E.'s manufacturing standards have been cheapened tremendously in the 21 years since you bought your 1998 model. G.E. now makes most of its products in China, which is a tell. Our old Kenmore was great and I wish we'd spent the money to upgrade it instead of buying the new box.
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gemfeller
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Member since June 2011
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Post by gemfeller on May 11, 2020 14:48:44 GMT -5
gemfeller, it doesn't sound like you need a repairman... it sounds like you need an exorcist! PS. You can probably give it away to somebody if it still keeps things cold, especially if they don't care about an ice-maker or water dispenser. If you've ever watched Ghost Hunters on TV, the first question the investigators ask of people who report "ghostly" noises is: "Does your refrigerator have an icemaker?" Lots of times that's the source of the "ghost." In our case the noise is so loud they'd probably look for Bigfoot instead.
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Post by knave on May 11, 2020 15:05:26 GMT -5
I hate to say it, but some of the blame goes to us as the consumer, and some to the efficiency regs. IMO they are just giving the people what they want, ie. a (relatively) inexpensive, feature loaded appliance mass produced for less than the cost of what a repairman would charge for a major repair. This is a Siemens but GE is also in the game, its a MRI, and the hospitals get really fussy when they have to cancel several appts and lose all that revenue. Totally different market. And it kind of makes sense in a way. Why pay 3x for something that may only last 2x as long?
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 11, 2020 17:53:46 GMT -5
We have a GE top freezer/bottom fridge. Still runs fine, but could probably use a new seal. We got it in 1998. I'll tell you the secret of long life in a fridge. Twice a year, you push it over to the door and vacuum out the back where all the guts are. Then you take an air tank and blow all the remaining dust bunnies out. The glass shelves scratch easily, but help contain spills. The old wire ones don't get so scratched/dirty looking. Ours is an eggshell texture, off-white. Resists fingerprints and dirt, cleans up easily. I d personally don't like the look of the big stainless-steel ones. They look like meat lockers, something from a morgue or horror movie, and scratches and fingerprints -- yuck. Just my personal opinion. Thanks for the maintenance tip! The back of this one is enclosed except for at the bottom there's a panel you have to unscrew to get to the fan. That's it. How you get to the other stuff is beyond me. The coils are on the bottom and enclosed by a grate. Definitely not conducive to maintenance at all.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 11, 2020 17:54:51 GMT -5
hummingbirdstones , My only advise is DON'T BUY G.E.!! Our old Kenmore gave out after 25 years so we bought a smaller G.E. side-by-side, planning to leave it with the house when we retired out of state. It keeps things cold O.K. but it's the noisiest appliance imaginable. The valve for the icemaker bangs like a pistol shot, followed by any number of growling, unpleasant mechanical noises that occur at all times of the day and night. And G.E. nags and nags you to change water filters long before they're needed. They overcharged us for the filters we bought, according to a G.E. service man. It looks like we're stuck with the thing for longer than we planned due to CV 19 but I'm paying close attention to this thread to plan for our next refrigerator buy. Thanks for the input, Rick. Definitely something to investigate.
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Post by joshuamcduffie on May 11, 2020 18:23:07 GMT -5
I have a Frigidaire that’s about to turn 15. It’s a basic freezer on top model, probably was $700 at Lowe’s in 2005. Wife wants a new fancy one, but this one just keeps on going. No point in replacing it if it ain’t broke.
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Post by joshuamcduffie on May 11, 2020 18:25:41 GMT -5
hummingbirdstones , My only advise is DON'T BUY G.E.!! Our old Kenmore gave out after 25 years so we bought a smaller G.E. side-by-side, planning to leave it with the house when we retired out of state. It keeps things cold O.K. but it's the noisiest appliance imaginable. The valve for the icemaker bangs like a pistol shot, followed by any number of growling, unpleasant mechanical noises that occur at all times of the day and night. And G.E. nags and nags you to change water filters long before they're needed. They overcharged us for the filters we bought, according to a G.E. service man. It looks like we're stuck with the thing for longer than we planned due to CV 19 but I'm paying close attention to this thread to plan for our next refrigerator buy. I think the ChiComs bought GE’s consumer appliance business a few years ago.
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AzRockGeek
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Member since September 2016
Posts: 634
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Post by AzRockGeek on May 11, 2020 18:36:38 GMT -5
Make sure you ask what their return policy is if you don't like the appliance, I have found that some places will not return them unless you get the BBB involved. If you ask Spencers, they say "Don't worry about it, we will work with you". What does that mean? Lowes use to have a good return policy on their appliances, not sure if they still do. If you go with a small retailer, check their feedback ratings. FWIW: We have a Samsung French Door for the last 12 years, it has been good. I hear good about LG, but seem comments above that would be concerning. Good luck.
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Post by toiv0 on May 11, 2020 18:40:25 GMT -5
Our dishwasher is a nice KitchenAid with slimline touch controls on top of the door. If you don’t clean the control panel often enough it will shut itself off during the wash cycle. my fridge is a 15 year old kenmore no whistles no bells, my dish washer is from the Philippines and has size 5 feet so she can get closer to the sink.
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Post by knave on May 11, 2020 18:42:27 GMT -5
Our dishwasher is a nice KitchenAid with slimline touch controls on top of the door. If you don’t clean the control panel often enough it will shut itself off during the wash cycle. my fridge is a 15 year old kenmore no whistles no bells, my dish washer is from the Philippines and has size 5 feet so she can get closer to the sink. Lolol, nononono Billy lets not go there!!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 11, 2020 18:43:43 GMT -5
I have a Frigidaire that’s about to turn 15. It’s a basic freezer on top model, probably was $700 at Lowe’s in 2005. Wife wants a new fancy one, but this one just keeps on going. No point in replacing it if it ain’t broke. That is the truth. With what they cost now and all the features you can have on it (who wants their refrigerator spying on them?) and how quickly something will break, you're better off. The one we have has worked well for 7 years, but after the big freeze, I just want to be prepared in case it happens again. I refuse to thaw that thing out again. If we decide to get a new one before something else goes on this one, I'll put it in the garage as a spare.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 11, 2020 18:47:51 GMT -5
Make sure you ask what their return policy is if you don't like the appliance, I have found that some places will not return them unless you get the BBB involved. If you ask Spencers, they say "Don't worry about it, we will work with you". What does that mean? Lowes use to have a good return policy on their appliances, not sure if they still do. If you go with a small retailer, check their feedback ratings. FWIW: We have a Samsung French Door for the last 12 years, it has been good. I hear good about LG, but seem comments above that would be concerning. Good luck. Thanks. To be honest, I have not heard of any LG problems in the last couple of years. A few years ago I knew a lot of people who had gotten LG's and were having problems, especially with the water dispenser. I don't need a water dispenser, I have a faucet.
I'll have to do some research into recent LG purchases.
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