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Tips on buying fridge ?

R

rsutoratosu

Platinum Member
Never bought a fridge in my life before... every house I own comes with one. So This existing fridge is old, I'm looking at one of these new double door, freezer on the bottom.

I went to the local hd + lowes and there are just tons of model.

Any particular brand you guys like or dislike, so far I'm leaning towards these Samsung ones.. but would like some input.. thanks..
 
Heat rises cold falls. A top-freezer refrigerator is more energy efficient than a side-by-side or bottom-freezer.

Heat transfer coils on the back of the refrigerator stay cleaner than coils underneath. Coils underneath the refrigerator collect dust and need to be vacuumed regularly to keep the floor dust off the coils, which ruins thermal transfer efficiency and will cost you more in electricity to keep the fridge cool.

If the coils are underneath the fridge, make sure of easy access to the coils for easy vacuum cleaning to maintain efficient operation.

Ensure the coil drip tray underneath the fridge is easily accessible for wiping out any collected moisture.

A cold water supply line or automatic ice machine are a waste of time IMO. The water tubing and automatic ice tray will develop bacteria fairly quickly.

If the freezer compartment depends on a fan for air circulation, ensure there is a bracket or other protection for air passage to ensure proper airflow even when the freezer compartment is completely packed full of food. A fanless freezer compartment will last longer.

Google search - how to (buy | purchase) a refrigerator
 
Just shop and see what models you like. And don't spend more than $1000. And buy one on sale. Huge mark downs occur when they go on sale. I think we got ours on sale for $700 and it was a $1000+ model.

Stainless steel is over-rated. We got one but only because we bought our appliances based on the idea of resale (planning to sell the house a few year later which is now this summer)
 
Find a couple you like and search for that model on line. All of them make good ones and bad ones, so don't only go by the makers name.

See sears, lowes, HD, and other sites that allow people to give feedback. If you keep seeing the same problems then that is not an owner issue of fluke, but a problem.
 
chusteczka said:
Heat rises cold falls. A top-freezer refrigerator is more energy efficient than a side-by-side or bottom-freezer.

...
Click to expand...
Huh, that is weird, I've always heard the opposite, that freezer on the bottom is more efficient.

Anyway, I love our double door, bottom freezer Samsung fridge. We got the stainless look instead of the actual stainless steel model because it is difficult to remove fingerprints from the real stainless. ~$100 cheaper, too.

We also avoided the ice/water in the door thing because you give up too much interior space.
 
I went through this when I bought my house a few years ago.

No fridge and wanted the same kind you have described.

As with everything I buy that cost more than $20, I researched the shit out of it for a few weeks before making a purchase.

We ended up going with a price match from Best Buy against a deal Home Depot had at the time for a LG french door with freezer on bottom.

It's a great freezer and couldn't be happier with it.

The only thing I wish in hindsight that we had spent more money on was getting one with filtered water at least if not both water and ice on the outside of the door.

Of course this was a few years ago now so whatever research I did is likely no longer valid on todays models.
 
When we bought our fridge we chose to get one without the ice or water dispenser. Things like that always seem to break first.
 
chusteczka said:
Heat rises cold falls. A top-freezer refrigerator is more energy efficient than a side-by-side or bottom-freezer.
Click to expand...



You'd think that, right? Sounds good.

But the reality is that most bottom-freezer refrigerators are actually at least if not more energy efficient than comparable top-freezer fridges.

The market's making a wholesale move to bottom-freezer fridges and the tech's going there. Not to mention, they're bloody convenient. You spend a LOT more time going in and out of the refrigerator than the freezer.

Brands I'd consider......Kenmore, Whirlpool and Amana (a Whirlpool brand*), LG. As was said before, GE = fail.


*Whirlpool owned brands include Whirlpool, Amana, Maytag, Kitchenaide, and Jenn-Air.)


Other brands......GE (a no-no), Frigidaire (part of Electrolux Co.), Viking, Thermador, Sub-Zero (the last three marketed as "luxury" brands), Samsung.
 
I've had ice/water dispensers for years. Never had bacteria and the only problem was when the tube that dispenses the water broke. I forget how much it cost me to fix it but it wasn't expensive and only took me about 15 minutes.

The last two I bought, I went to the Sear outlet store and bought dented ones. The first one toy couldn't see the dent as it was up against the cabinet. The second one had a slight dent on the edge of the door that wasn't very noticeable. saved a couple of hundred bucks each time.

As for the freezer on the bottom.
We have one at work. Every time I open the freezer it knocks ice out of the "bucket" and on to the floor.
 
oldsmoboat said:
I've had ice/water dispensers for years. Never had bacteria and the only problem was when the tube that dispenses the water broke. I forget how much it cost me to fix it but it wasn't expensive and only took me about 15 minutes.

The last two I bought, I went to the Sear outlet store and bought dented ones. The first one toy couldn't see the dent as it was up against the cabinet. The second one had a slight dent on the edge of the door that wasn't very noticeable. saved a couple of hundred bucks each time.

As for the freezer on the bottom.
We have one at work. Every time I open the freezer it knocks ice out of the "bucket" and on to the floor.
Click to expand...
Sounds like the device that stops ice production once the bucket is full isn't working.
 
Meghan54 said:
You'd think that, right? Sounds good.

But the reality is that most bottom-freezer refrigerators are actually at least if not more energy efficient than comparable top-freezer fridges.

The market's making a wholesale move to bottom-freezer fridges and the tech's going there. Not to mention, they're bloody convenient. You spend a LOT more time going in and out of the refrigerator than the freezer.
Click to expand...
According to EnergyStar and Consumer Reports, you are wrong. Energy Star says: "Models with top-mounted freezers use 10–25% less energy than bottom-mount or side-by-side models." The reason is that most fridges now have the hot coils at the bottom, right next to the freezer section on the bottom freezers. Putting the hottest air around the freezer is never good for enery efficiency. Sure, they have recently started putting more insulation on the bottom freezers (less capacity) and reduced that effect, but on average a top freezer is still slightly more energy efficient than a bottom freezer. But, do compare the energy labels, as there are exceptions. Note: energy labels are made with the ice maker turned off, so don't put too much faith in them when comparing a machine that makes ice with one that doesn't.

I use the freezer more than the fridge myself. I cook almost exclusively with frozen veggies and storing leftovers. I don't like eating the same thing day after day, so the leftovers go in the freezer. I rarely use the fridge for anything other than storing yogurt. So, please don't make blanket statements like "You spend a LOT more time going in and out of the refrigerator than the freezer." I personally find side-by-side the most convenient of all. Put both the freezer and fridge items right at eye level. Although, those are not energy efficient usually.
 
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Meghan54 said:
You'd think that, right? Sounds good.

But the reality is that most bottom-freezer refrigerators are actually at least if not more energy efficient than comparable top-freezer fridges.

The market's making a wholesale move to bottom-freezer fridges and the tech's going there. Not to mention, they're bloody convenient. You spend a LOT more time going in and out of the refrigerator than the freezer.

Brands I'd consider......Kenmore, Whirlpool and Amana (a Whirlpool brand*), LG. As was said before, GE = fail.


*Whirlpool owned brands include Whirlpool, Amana, Maytag, Kitchenaide, and Jenn-Air.)


Other brands......GE (a no-no), Frigidaire (part of Electrolux Co.), Viking, Thermador, Sub-Zero (the last three marketed as "luxury" brands), Samsung.
Click to expand...

I got a Frigidaire stand up freezer about a year ago and that's been great also FWIW. Frigidaire is the way to go IMO if you can find one in the price point you want as they're rebranded Electrolux which is a solid brand.
 
Don't forget the service plans and such. Some stores charge a small fortune for them. I think HD and Lowe's are pretty similar right now and between both of them, have most of the brands covered.
 
Strk said:
Don't forget the service plans and such. Some stores charge a small fortune for them. I think HD and Lowe's are pretty similar right now and between both of them, have most of the brands covered.
Click to expand...


Unless you get a fridge that has a pile of options tied together, i.e. 1 light goes out they all go out, I would skip those plans.

There is really not much to a fridge and with the internet you can get parts pretty cheap now compared to buying a plan.
 
Just a couple comments. If one fridge is 10% to 20% more efficient than another...what does that really cost you a year? I think my french door was something like $47 a year per the sticker. Is it really worth squabbling over $.40 or $.80 a month?


Next...everyone has their own particular uses, types of things they regularly like to store ect. I've had every type you can get...old "freezer on top", side by side, french, and dedicated fridge and dedicated freezer.

Each one has their own pro's and con's. Personally the french doors are one of the better designs for my day to day uses. I do spend 90% of my trips going to the fridge. Milk, condiments, eggs, salad stuff, sandwhich fixings, left overs, ect. All come from the fridge. Everythign is at eye level, in easily adjustable shelves, with innovative storage trays/door shaping. I love being able to stick an entire sheet cake or large serving platter or baking sheet in there. Can't do that in a side by side. And I like the "freezer on bottom" pull out drawer style becuause I tend to have a ton of smaller items that usually end up falling/sliding out of a normal freezer on top style. The french doors are also nice in smaller kitchens because the doors don't swing open as far.

LG and Samsung are decent brands with some of the more innovative/useful storage/layouts. I picked mine up for cheap at a scratch and dent sale at Best Buy. My only major complaint is if you are lazy and used to just flipping the door closed, that's not going to work with many french doors. They don't have enough weight to self close sometimes and you won't get them shut all the way. My wife was notorious for that. At least it beeped at you that it was open.
 
Strk said:
Don't forget the service plans and such. Some stores charge a small fortune for them. I think HD and Lowe's are pretty similar right now and between both of them, have most of the brands covered.
Click to expand...
Don't forget if you get it on a credit card, you probably get an extended warranty for free (This does vary from card to card, so read the matieral that came with yours). The service plan is often just buying something you already have but don't know you have it.
 
rudder said:
Don't buy a GE brand. That is all.
Click to expand...
thanks for telling me..

So far the biggest one I can fit in a 35" space is the lg 25 cubic ft.. I currently have a kenmore 20 cubic ft.. So this one is taller..

Still looking and reading but thanks for the great advise...

should I get a seperate freezer just for the bodies ?
 
Yes of course. You don't put bodies in the fridge, you put them in a chest freezer. Everyone knows this.
 
Measure the area for the fridge carefully.

Measure all three dimensions to ensure that it fits side-to-side as well as height, plus front-to-back...If there is a wall next to the fridge, make sure the door will open fully without hitting that wall.
 
chusteczka said:
A cold water supply line or automatic ice machine are a waste of time IMO. The water tubing and automatic ice tray will develop bacteria fairly quickly.
Click to expand...

😕 Why would you think either of those would build up bacteria? Even disregarding the bacteria thing, saying an automatic ice machine is a waste of time is absolute madness. I've not had to fill up an ice tray in about 10 years and I'll be damned if I ever do again (and I sure haven't gotten sick from any of this alleged bacteria build-up).
 
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