Thoughts please on 2nd fridge-freezer

[twinniefan]

Hi all, we are considering purchasing 2nd fridge freezer for a bit extra storage space for christmas goodies etc and also as a backup in case the current one were to ever fail on us and we are also considering joining one of the christmas hamper companies who come out at this time for next christmas.
I think I need a bit more freezer space than fridge and from what I have seen the bottom freezer models do seem to have a bigger freezer than top mount freezer models.
Is it worth looking around for a good recon model i.e. ebay etc or reputable seconds dealers or just go for brand new.
Space is also a bit of a problem as there is only a certain space in the laundry for it and from what I have been looking at new there is a bottom mount Samsung 325 litre which would fit, however the words of 2 different repairmen from some time ago come back to haunt me- "Don't buy Samsung fridges under any circumstances",they are crap, I am pretty keen on a 370 litre Westinghouse but think it may be a bit too big for my space.
Thanking you in advance for any tips and or advice.
Steve.

 

[dj-gabriele]

I wouldn't touch Samsung too! Only had bad experiences, two microwaves failing months after the warranty expired and mobile phones that did the same. And what about the television? It lasted not even a week before shorting, hopefully we could exchange it for a real brand as it was within the first week time.

I think that if you're going to use the fridge-freezer only a couple of months a year a refurbished one is all right!
Otherwise a new one is better, it'll pay itself in energy savings!

 

[sudsmaster]

If all you need is freezer space, why not get a small chest or even upright freezer that will fit into your space?

This house had two fridges - a sxs in the main kitchen and a top freezer in the patio kitchen - when I bought it in 1997. Both were energy hogs. I replaced them in 2000 with energy star units, and added a 15 cu ft chest freezer around 2003. Even with the added chest freezer, the three use about 1/2 the energy of the previous refrigeration appliances.

 

[yogitunes]

If I could offer an opinion, or an option.....

I have these in my basement, in addition to a regular fridge/freezer in the kitchen, but anywho, these can be ordered as a matched set, I don't have the trim in place, and actually I have them backwards(doors do reverse), freezer should be on the left, this is an ALL FRIDGE on the left, and an ALL FREEZER w/icemaker on the right.....2 completely seperate units.....you could put the ALL FRIDGE in the kitchen, and the ALL FREEZER in the laundry room....in both cases you have FULL top to bottom use of each appliance.....these units combined with trim on sale at SEARS cost me about 800.00 five year ago....

the unit in the kitchen is a bottom drawer freezer, very limited space for anything but popcicles...not to mention you have to pull 2 drawers to get ice cubes......I like it on top!

I couldn't find it online....but heres another option....this link shows one that can be used as needed....all fridge, or a flip of a button and its all freezer.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_04621712000P?prdNo=8&blockNo=8&blockType=G8

 

[ronhic]

Steve

I'm a bit limited on what I can suggest, but we have a Westinhouse 430 litre upside down. It's been faultless for 5 years with one exception - the crisper drawer. The guide on the actual drawer cracked very early on. We've never bothered getting a new one and the fridge is virtually silent when running.

 

From a second hand point of view, if you can find a Hoover 325 upside down, they are fantastic. I had one new in 1995 that we left behind in the flat we sold in 2009. That fridge had been moved from residence to residence and in and out of storage at least 7 times and never missed a beat. I wish we'd kept it as our second fridge.

 

The other thing to consider, especially if it is mainly for when you are getting lots of stuff in for parties etc, is why not think about getting a bar fridge and a bar freezer? Sit them one on the other or under a bench. They won't be as efficient as they will have 2 compressors, but you can use or or both when needed with the added bonus that they cool down very quickly.....

 

[sudsmaster]

Yogi,

That's a nice solution, but a bit costly in terms of energy use.

Why?

Well, according to your link, the unit uses 615 KWh/year. That's not bad, and certainly better than older sxs models. But my 15 cu ft chest freezer (also Kenmore) is rated at about 380 KWh/year. True it's manual defrost, but it needs that only once or twice a year, and it has the nifty reverse compressor defrost mode that makes it happen very quickly (good thing since all the contents are stashed in temporarily insulated external spaces).

 

[twinniefan]

Thanks for ideas

Thanks for the ideas guys, all great ideas which we will consider, however do also need a bit of extra fridge space as well as freezer, just not as much, there is another reason why we want to get a 2nd fridge-freezer as a neighbour recently returned from several days interstate to find his S.B.S.had packed it in while he was away and lost $300 worth of food, he was able to do a quick shop and replace a fair bit of it as he still has his beer fridge while his S.B.S was repaired if our top mount were to ever do the same we would be up the creek without a paddle.
Sudsmaster,sister not keen on chest freezer with reaching in and then manual defrosting and slimline frost free smaller capacity upright freezers are a bit hard to find here in Australia,although a cousin of ours recently got a 160 litre Mitusbishi in this style, pretty happy with it too.thanks for the thought anyway.
Yogitunes, nice looking units you have there, however pigeon pairs as they are called here are a bit impractical as neither room has space for them, both laundry and kitchen are pretty small, but thank you too.
Chris, actually I have been looking at some Hoovers on ebay and nice looking units most are too,was yours from the Orchid collection or the Contour ones,were they actually made by Philips?,might go looking at some seconds dealers on the weekend, the way space is it is going to have to be either a 300-400(at max.) litre top or bottom mount.
Thanks to you all.
Steve.

 

[petek]

All fridge and all freezer units

That's what we have.. a new Frigidaire all fridge in the kitchen and a Frigidaire upright freezer in the laundry room. Not too far away. Would be nice if we could have the side by side but won't work in our kitchen. The all fridge is great, tons o room from top to bottom.

 

[ronhic]

Steve

I honestly can't remember, however the door handles were vertical and 'round smooth', if that makes sense...

 

Don't forget that Admiral were a Hoover rebadge...