I bet and lost; Goodbye Fridgidaire All Fridge

[petek]

What was it about 4 months ago our Frigidaire All Fridge stopped cooling and I called the indy repair guy we'd used in the past when we had a small apt bldg. He warned me on the phone it was gonna cost and I'd probably be better buying a new one. However all fridge fridges were scarce as hens' teeth at the time and the higher prices and wait times made that a no-go. We hummed and hawed about just getting a regular cheap fridge top freezer etc but really liked the all fridge. So we decided to gamble and have him fix it. He only gave a 2month warranty and here it is 4 months and it's leaked and barely cooling now. Long story short I ordered a new LG bottom mount freezer. Not exactly what I wanted but the cutout for the fridge and its position relative to the stove only allows for a counter depth fridge no taller than 68" or 32" wide.. for some air flow around it Hopefully this one lasts but I did get the 4 yr extended warranty just in case.

 

[combo52]

Sorry that did not last longer.

I have an all refrigerator that’s made by woods now part of whirlpool that’s 10 years old and it’s on its third evaporator and its head frequent problems with clog defrost strange I finally had to put a second drain system in so when the first one clogs it won’t ruin the hardwood floor in the pantry.

I also have a pair of KitchenAid all refrigerator and freezer in the kitchen 1987 and a 1980 40 freezer made by whirlpool in the pantry.

None of those three have ever had a single problem except the light bulb burned out in the kitchen aid refrigerator at year 17, Jason suggested we write KitchenAid and complain when the light bulb burned out lol

Frigidaire has had more than their share of problems with refrigerant leaks that’s for sure.

I would also never repair something unless they’re willing to give at least a one year parts and labor warranty two months is ridiculous it doesn’t sound like they actually fix the leak they probably just recharged. Even though they probably replaced a part that may not have been needed.

John L

 

[petek]

He did replace the evaporator because he said it was a common failure point on these Frigidaires but couldn't guarantee that there may be a leak elsewhere. That's why he initially told me that I would probably be better off buying something new. He was totally upfront about it and what he was going to charge. We were chatting and he was telling me how busy he was working 12hrs near 7 days a week catching up etc. So it's not like I wasn't warned and he did fit us in right away the next day. Unhappy it didn't work out though. On to LG LOL. btw I was really surprised at how cheap that evaporator looked and felt. I'd swear a beer can is made with thicker aluminum

 

[neptunebob]

This is where we need government intervention..

The Federal EPA should be putting pressure on Frigidaire to make a leak proof product. Even though today's refrigerants are less harmful they still have to be recovered and still harm the environment. Meanwhile a 50s Frigidaire with the nasty R12 is still humming along, never leaked in 60-70 years.

 

[combo52]

Refrigerant leaks in home refrigerators and freezers

Hi Pete, you’re absolutely right the evaporator‘s and modern refrigerators and freezers are roughly the thickness of a beer can, it’s one of my major grapes with home refrigeration products today.

Aluminum is a very good material to use for evaporators it holds up well corrosion wise the problem is it’s just too darn thin I can tend that manufactures could use a heavier gauge metal for less than a dollar or two per unit maybe even less.

It sounds like the leak you have is most likely in the condenser which is inside the shell of the cabinet it is not serviceable.

When I was fixing my all refrigerator that I still have my brother Jeff put the condenser on the back of the cabinet and we bypassed the cabinet condenser and you could do this with your Frigidaire as well there’s a way to fix anything.

Yes I don’t blame the repair guy he did he was upfront with you, and I’ve made the
Same mistake we often have got used to just assuming the evaporator is the leaky part but it can be elsewhere. I

John L

 

[brisnat81]

The Electrolux/Westinghouse refrigeration has the same reputation here. I replaced our chest freezer with a bigger Westinghouse upright about 13 months ago. It works well, but they all have a reputation for refrigerant leaks that render them not economical to repair.

I just upped our home owners insurance on food loss as when it’s full, we can have $2-3k of meat and lasagne etc in there and I hope for the best.

 

[petek]

I would imagine that they're using the same refrigeration components in Oz for the most part for size equivalent machines. Cheaply sourced from China possibly though I forgot to look where the condenser in mine was made. Could be wrong. We also have the Frigidaire 18 cu ft. upright freezer (frost free) I'm really guessing here, for about 8-10 years. So far so good with it. It gets opened multiple times a day though not as much as the fridge does.

 

[brisnat81]

Over here now , the bulk of our appliances come out of Thailand. At least what we would’ve referred to as the domestic brands. I was on the fence about buying it, our smaller chest freezer was locally made and had a Panasonic compressor, so it’ll still probably be running in another 20 years. I’ll just be happy if I get 5-10 out of this one, if it’s on the low side of that, I’ll buy a manual defrost commercial unit next time.

An F&P fridge still has the same mounding style internally as it did 30 years ago. When they closed the plant is our home town, they shipped all the equipment. Off to Thailand to continue production.

 

[petek]

This fridge and the freezer both have Panasonic compressors as well. I guess the thing to say is "built in Asia" rather than just China because most of these mfrs have plants all over in different countries and can pretty much switch production to another one on a dime if need be. For instance our LG washer came from Vietnam while other people here have ones made in Korea.

 

[petek]

Hooray the new LG arrived tonight about 7:15 PM. It's quite a bit narrower in the cubby with about 3.5 inches on either side and has 3 drawers in the freezer and a tiny slide out ice tray (manual) with a lever for cracking the ice I think. As well as express freeze and express cooling. TBH I didn't even really look that close when deciding as I just wanted a fridge toute suite.I thought it just had one of those big open bin freezers. I just plugged it in having let it sit for a couple of hours and boy is it quiet, little to no compressor noise at all. Maybe it's not cooling LOL.
What else was nice was the delivery company had really good online delivery tracking. Initially this morning it showed eta of around 330 pm and I was #18 out of 25 deliveries, but as the day progressed it moved later and later.. However at 630pm an automated phone call came in saying it would be arriving in about 45 minutes and then at 7pm the phone rang again to say that it would be at my door by 7;15 and they were.. Very professional, in and out with the old fridge in less than 15 minutes.

 

[nmassman44]

One thing with the LG fridge is that it is very quiet compared to what one maybe used to. I have had my LG fridge going on 2 years now and have had absolutely no issues with it. Temps are on target in both fridge and freezer. The one we have is a cool 26 cuft. This is perhaps the best fridge I have ever had. Plus it has two ice makers….

 

[combo52]

To LG icemakers

Beautiful refrigerator. I hope you get great service out of it.

And the nice thing is it has a back up icemaker when one breaks, I don’t think anybody has more trouble with icemakers than LG and Samsung.

I would take very good care of that refrigerator. You’re very careful to keep the gaskets clean and tend to any leaks or problems as soon as possible. If all goes well, it could last a while.

John

 

[appnut]

I've ony had chest freezers since 1978. First was an Amana and then when that one ceased freezing, I replaced it with a GE in the 1990s. Both were 5 cu. ft. or so. Ted is pushing for an upright freezer. My laundry room has in intentional space for a freezer, but it's intended solely for chest freezer depth. I could squeeze an upright in the space not encroaching on the walk through path, but it's limited to about 25 or 26" depth and that limits me to the only upright that fits that, the 13 cu. ft. Frigidaire. He sees the garage as an alternative space for extra freezer or fridge. BUT, my electrical panel is maxed out for adding any extra electrial line and available space for a circuit breaker. There's only 1 plug in the garage and it has a GFI circuit on it and that's not a good idea to plug in soething like a fridge or freezer. It would probably cost a small fortune to add an additional plug in the garage. I wish there was another alternative with 25" depth upright that's reliable, but there isn't any, just the Frigiaire. I wish GE offered one. My sister that lives outside of Austin got one of these 13. cu. ft. upright Frigidaire freezers to expand her food storage capacity when the pandemic hit and needing to stock up. I didn't say anything to her about possible issues.

 

[petek]

No problems with the Frigidaire upright freezer so far (10 years approx) nor the manual one we had before which I gave to my sister when we got the frost free one. That one has to be around 14.

Now that I've had this new LG fridge for a couple of days I'm happy with it although it's a bit too small and I don't like the swing door freezer on the bottom with the drawers instead of a big bin. It's a bit annoying. BUT I'm amazed at how silent it is. THere's no sound at all of a compressor kicking in and out or any fan noises.

 

[qsd-dan]

Did LG fix their compressors? Those were a big failure item for many years.

 

[combo52]

I hate to be negative, but sometimes you have to be

There are no great upright freezers available in North America with the possible exception of a subzero or GE monogram all freezer.

There’s really only two companies that make upright freezers you have woods, a division of whirlpool, and you have Frigidaire, and neither one of them are great, barely even good.

Frost, free ones are at least twice to three times is likely to break down as a manual defrost. That’s always been the case.

Chest freezers are still the most reliable option for fewest problems because you only have a compressor and the refrigeration system.

It’s a total tossup between whirlpool and Frigidaire built upright freezers. We see lots of problems with both that should not be happening in such new units.

John

 

[appnut]

John, thak you. I will have to share this with Ted when the time comes where he begins pushing against the chest freezer. It's what I grew up with and can deal with the inconveniences.