French door refrigerator reliability

[fan-of-fans]

I've heard french door refrigerators are of the most repair prone of all. I know the ones with through the door ice are very complicated, because the ice maker has to be in the refrigerator compartment, with cold air blown into a separate compartment to facilitate this.

I've noticed that some models of french door fridges have only water through the door, I guess as a way to avoid this complication.

So are only the ones with through the door ice more repair prone, or french doors in general.

I remember back in 2006 a neighbor remodeled her kitchen and got a stainless steel Kenmore Elite french door. It had the digital temp displays on the door and only a water dispenser, the ice maker was in the freezer compartment with no through door dispensing.

Not sure who made it (LG maybe?) but it seemed to have a lot of problems and I remember her saying Sears sent a repairman at least twice. I think it eventually got fixed, and is still there, not sure. She passed away a few years back.

That was probably about the first modern french door fridge I ever saw, side by sides seemed more common at the time. Although I know there were some back in the 80s or 90s but they didn't seem to be nearly as popular as in the last decade.

She also had the Kenmore Elite glass top range with the touch controls and convection oven, it did not have issues that I'm aware of. As well as a Kenmore direct drive laundry set from the mid-90s with the squared white consoles.

 

[circlew]

Other than models with ice or water in the door, I would expect them to have the same reliability as any other refrigerator of that brand with a bottom freezer.

 

[greatbear]

Not happy with my Samsung 28cu. ft. model, the icemaker has the (now) well-known design flaw that leads to freezing up of the compartment. A shame, because the fridge works great otherwise.

 

[appnut]

My sister had the same problem, plus a few more, with her Samsung french door. She finally threw in the towel when the service people ceased servicing Samsung fridges.

 

[jamiel]

My folks had no end of problems w/their GE, with at least two major control board failures. Finally was put out to pasture after only about 14 years.

 

[appnut]

Jamie, what did your parents replace it with?

 

[chachp]

LG French Door

 

<span style="font-family: helvetica;">It has ice and water in the door.  It's the model that has the window in the door that you knock on to turn on the light and see what is inside.  Bought it in May 2018 no problems to date.  Knock on Wood.  My sister has a Samsung she bought about the same time.  She had had a lot of issues with the ice maker but the rest is OK.</span>

 

[jamiel]

I don't know what they replaced it with...just that they had to wait several months at the early part of the pandemic for delivery.

 

[ghowell6]

I'd stay away from external dispensers... at a minimum

I'd agree with CircleW, as long as there's no ice or water in the French door, they should have similar reliability to bottom freezer fridges.

That being said... the gaskets and door mullion system add a level of unnecessary complication to the fridge. I bought a Maytag French Door fridge with an ice bucket in the freezer drawer, and no interior dispenser. It's been reliable, but the door gaskets wear faster (and, the new one I put on had one of the dog ears near the mullion peel away, so it flaps).

If I buy a new fridge, it'll be a bottom freezer with a single door, rather than the French. Saves a couple hundred dollars, and opening the full-width deli drawer would be easier. Currently I have to open both doors and swing them all the way out before I can slide it open.

Just my perspective on it.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I was just thinking, one of my friends got all Samsung appliances when they built their house almost 3 years ago. They did get a Samsung french door with ice and water, but I haven't heard of them having any problems with it, or any of the other appliances.

Another friend of mine remodeled their kitchen last year and got all LG appliances, including a french door with ice and water. Don't know their experience though.

If I ever get a house, I want a side by side with ice and water thru the door. French doors are nice, but I don't need anything that fancy.

I do like the side by sides and french doors as I can put most used stuff at eye level. With top freezer fridges there's a lot of bending and stooping.

My grandmother has an LG made Kenmore top freezer and she hasn't had any repairs to it. It's a nice model with freezer lights and a water dispenser inside the fridge section. There are also LED lights on the sides of the fridge compartment instead of just the top. It's about 4 years old.

 

[mattl]

Having used both I have to say I actively dislike the French Door design. I find better storage in my SxS, stuff is easier to find and I like I&W through the door - in the freezer.  I also would only own a SxS with the ice maker on the door, otherwise too much valuable space is wasted in the freezer for the ice maker.

 

[jamiel]

I was at Lowe's yesterday and saw their Black Friday feature---a Kenmore french-door for $1999. The t-t-d ice maker is this rube-goldberg contraption...way way way overcomplicated. Believe the unit was manufactured in Mexico.