New Double Door Fridges With Bottom Freezers

[westyslantfront]

I have seen the new french door fridges with bottom freezer drawers and am not impressed. They are twice the price of side by sides and there seems to be less freezer space with the bottom drawer freezer.

Ross

 

[sudsmaster]

GE has a nice variant - the bottom freezer has two separate drawers - they share the same freezer space, of course, but you can open up the drawers from the front separately.

Bottom freezer units have traditionally been more energy efficient than top freezer models. Partially because heat rises, so it's easier to keep a lower freezer compartment cold.

I have read in CR, however, that models with icemaker in the door of the fridge tend to have unrealistic energy estimates on their stickers. However, I really like what LG has done with that concept. No more stinky/evaporated ice, because the ice storage compartment is tightly sealed.

The sticker price isn't that much out of line with past sxs prices. I bought my Kitchenaid stainless sxs 25 cu ft fridge back in 2001... cost over $2000. Nowadays you can buy similar units for hundreds less - because it's no longer the latest and greatest concept.

 

[danemodsandy]

French Doors Are:

A forty-year-old idea that's back again. I remember them in the later '60s from Kenmore, as their TOL units. Didn't change the world then, ain't changing it now. My copy of the 1967 Spring and Summer Sears Big Book has one on the back cover. Everything old is new again. I'll bet that the new ones have the same trouble as the old ones- the door gaskets wear out fast where the two doors come together. Expensive.

I must confess I like bottom-mount freezers. There's a bit of a stoop to get to the icemaker, but I grew up with a bottom-mount GE, and will always prefer that the contents of the reefer (which is what you access most often) are up top. My big reservation is that I prefer a bottom-mount freezer to be a roll-out drawer, not a swinging-door model. The roll-out drawer is great for access and keeps you from standing on your head looking for stuff.

 

[runematic]

I got in a 2yr old 25 cuft. Kenmore (By Maytag) french door. I decided to take it home & try it out. I've always had a sideXside before & I was not sure what to expect from it. I like it, to a point. I actually got more into the refrig section than the 27 cuft. sideXside it replaced. That I liked. The pull out freezer is nice as well. I got more into that than I expected. The down side is that I always seem to be opening both refrig doors to get something out. That is a huge waste of cold air & energy. I like the pantry drawer on the bottom of the refrig. I can get a lot into that. But again, to use it, open goes both doors. Other than that, I like the concept. I wasn't too sure going into it though.

 

[volvoguy87]

Hate the Whirltag!

We have one of those and I really hate the thing. There are no dispensers in the door, the ice maker is down in the freezer, and the water dispenser is INSIDE THE FRIDGE!!!! I HATE the water dispenser because you have to stand there with the door to the fridge open to get a glass of water, and then the stupid thing drips after you finish, right into the fridge because there is no catch tray!

The plastic is cheap, and the drawers in the fridge are especially flimsy. Opening the bottom drawer in the fridge causes a cover to lift above the front of the drawer. Do not even think of lifting the cover yourself to get something from right in front! You must open both doors and pull out the drawer because if you lift the cover, it will either come off and/or get misaligned.

The freezer is a drawer with a metal wire mesh basket. This ensures that when you open the freezer, all the cold falls out onto the floor. Had it been a solid sheet metal drawer, the cold would have been contained, much like a chest freezer, and been more energy efficient. There is a second freezer drawer of the same construction as the first, in the upper half of the freezer. It is mounted in sliding grooves, which is a problem because the drawer can be difficult to move and it tends to twist and bind. Had they used some rollers and a track, it would have worked much better. Also, the ice maker's ice bin is in the upper drawer, but it is not secured to the drawer in any way. The ice bin has a tendency to slide around as the drawer is moved, spilling its contents in the process.

The mesh baskets allow things to be spilled and fall to the bottom of the freezer compartment. Such things, if not spotted, get crushed by the bottom drawer as you try to close the freezer. Also, the drawers will bind if they strike a fallen item. To remove fallen items, we have to remove the drawer.

The evaporator fan failed just out of warranty. The repairman said it is a VERY common problem. Fortunately, the 1979? GE SxS we used to have in the kitchen now resides in the laundry room and has been providing faithful service that the new fridge doesn't.

The Whirltag SxS french door with bottom-freezer reefers are an ok concept, marred by poor engineering, cheap construction, and a high rate of failure.

I want a Monitor Top,
Dave

 

[danemodsandy]

Bottom-Freezer Baskets

Dave:

I've never seen a roll-out bottom-mount freezer drawer that wasn't a wire basket. That doesn't mean no one ever made one with the construction you mention, but I've never seen it. The GE I grew up (a '59 model) with had tracks and rollers; to remove the drawer for defrosting, you had to pull the drawer out fully and lift up on it.

 

[runematic]

I have a 1yr old LG french door on the floor right now & that has a bottom basket that is solid plastic instead of the wire mesh.

 

[michaelman2]

Ross, I have the Jenn Air French door counter depth unit. Let me see for 4 years now and Three,(yes three) compressors later...This is of course a Maytag re-label.....I have my grandmother's refrigerator still in my utility room because the French door unit will not accomodate trays or anything much at all. I LOVE the look of it, hence the reason I guess it has stayed. Looks: 10 Function: 3...

 

[danemodsandy]

runematic:

Well, well, well. So it does exist! Sounds like a sensible idea if it's sturdily constructed. One of the troubles with a bottom-mount freezer's basket is that the drawer front weighs a good bit, which can stress the attachment points for the basket. No reason that couldn't be overcome with careful design, though.

 

[sudsmaster]

Sounds like not much has changed with Maytag fridges. When I was shopping in 2001, I very nearly bought a Maytag sxs fridge. After ordering one I caught some of the negative comments over on THS and was able to cancel the order in time. At that time the Maytag fridges had a lot of flimsy plastic. They had their "elevator shelves" which was a nice idea but the execution was with plastic gears that looked sure to strip out in time.

One of these days, however, I'm going to have to do a slight remodel on the kitchen. The refrigerator nook is up against a wall, with the door to the dining room about 1 foot past the front edge of the fridge. This means that it's impossible to open the fridge door fully, and in order to get the crisper bins out I have to roll the fridge forward a foot so that the door can open into the dining room. I'm thinking the solution is to widen the doorway into the dining room. This would involve a fair amount of carpentry since as I understand it the lintel above the door would ahve to be replaced. And since the walls on both sides are plaster and lathe, it wouldn't be a pretty job. Alternatively, move the refrigerator nook away from the wall - putting the wall oven tower cabinet in its place. It would actually make the fridge easier to access.

 

[whirlaway]

Good for short people

A friend of mine gave me a 1950s GE Americana recently.Its in my garage.2 doors at the top nice shelves in the doors and a huge freezer in the bottom.lots of ice tray room in the top reack.It has a button you push when you open the freezer that pulls the trays out when the door is opened,other than that they stay put inside.It has blue snowflakes in the top on the light fixtures.What amazes me is the fact none of the plastics are broken.It also has a work area between the fridge and the freezer with a formica top a plug and a glass panel that lights up.Runs super quiet and they were going to junk it.Thanks Bobby

 

[cycla-fabric]

My partners son has a Jenn Aire french door model with the freezer on the bottom. I don't like it at all, the water dispenser is on the inside of the frig, so if you want cold water open both doors and let all the cold air out wasting energy. Also, you have to be carefull and make sure you close both doors. On this frig and it happened twice while visiting, if you close one door the other had a nack for popping open and remaining open without notice. That happened to us twice, we went out in the morning only to find out when we returned at the end of the day and went to get something out of the fridg everything was nice and warm, all because the stupid door wasn't shut. After that we were mindful when we shut the door to make sure both doors were closed. Poor design and I won't get one, I will stick with my SxS, where I can get water, ice and crushed iced through the door, oh how convenient.

 

[michaelman2]

Cycla, YES...I completely left that tid bit out regarding the closing of the doors. My seventeen year old never fails to leave one of the doors partially open due to the poor design. Nothing like a sweaty milk container!....Like I said in my previous post...Looks 10 Function/Design 3

 

[gansky1]

I was at the "Mart" the other day and had a stroll down the refrigeration aisles. I was surprised to see the french-door, two drawer freezer LG, GE and Haier branded units that all looked nearly identical. The LG and Haier were next to one another but the GE's were in another aisle. I suspect these are not GE products for certain, but who knows they're sourced from? Impossible to tell.

Rich, I thought the same thing about isolating the ice-maker from the smells and odors of the refrigerator section but the air inside the unit - freezer and refrigerator sections is recirculated throughout the entire unit and picks up the same odors/tastes as any other similarly designed units. I have clients with these LG units and I can tell you the ice isn't "pure". The only units I know for sure that are good at keeping the freezer section completely segregated from the refrigerator section is Sub Zero as they have two separate compressor/evaporator systems, one for each section.

 

[runematic]

GE = LG

 

[spankomatic]

We have the Amana version of the french door frige. For me it's just o.k. It has the double wire basket pull out draweres in the bottom freezer. I find my self DIGGING to get to the things I want at the bottom of the basket. I do like the french door style on the top verses the single door style on the top. The ice maker is on the top basket drawer in the freezer and the water dispencer is inside the frige (never use it). I still prefer a side by side frige/freezer.

Jim

 

[super32]

Fix it

I loved the idea of the french door but, as we all know its not without its flaws. Its a marketing driven design. Any service man in his right mind would say, WTFE! Unfortunatlly, most appliances today are designed and made with marketing and sales in mind. If we look at some of the features of todays appliances, service people say no way! Sales people say yes way! Companies usually favor the sales and marketing.

Anyways I currently have 2 SXS, 1 down in my bar and a 42" built in in my kitchen. I really would prefer a 36" BM with a single door and drawer. Maybe in the next house.

 

[whirlaway]

French doors

I went outside in the garage and looked at my 50 year old GE.It has no handles on the front,just cutouts underneath the top doors for your fingers.The doors actually shut very soundly because there are seperate magnets on the bottom of them.When open and you let go of them they shut by themselves.It seems to be a well designed unit.With heavy duty hinges,no sag.I would imagine cost did away with them. Bobby

 

[gansky1]

Yeah, the LG/GE thing was expected but what gave me pause was the Haier branded version...

It's still amazing to me that it makes any sense to anyone, anywhere that there is money to be made building a refrigerator, shipping it 4000 miles to it's end user. What a world!