Top freezer fridges

[fan-of-fans]

My relatives just replaced their 1994 Kenmore top freezer with a new one. They bought basically the TOL for a top freezer Kenmore. It has LED lighting and a water dispenser tap inside. Pretty nice.

Now my parents want to replace their 1995 Kenmore top freezer. The ice maker stopped working right about two years ago. My mother claims it makes odd noises and doesn't seem to keep an even temp. They looked and seemed to settled on a 20 CF Kenmore top freezer with ice maker, no frills model.

Personally I like side by sides better but it looks like the widest they can get is about 35 inches at most. The side by sides all seemed too wide except for the Kenmore Elite which was narrower but $1400. It also has lots of electronics which is probably best to avoid.

I guess in this case it's best to go with what works, but top freezers all seem so cheap these days. Frigidaire had a pretty nice looking model with LED lights also but otherwise what I saw looked really cheap and basic.

You don't seem to see many top freezers in new construction or remodels anymore, seems they are mostly a replacement only choice now unless someone really wants one. I wonder why that is? Personally I think they look boring compared to the other styles, but they do seem like they would work more efficiently and have better use of space than the more complicated styles.

 

[ea56]

We just replaced our 10 yr old 18 cu ft GE top freezer fridge in August with another GE top freezer, but this time we went with the 16 cu ft. model with the recessed door handles. There was nothing really wrong with the old one, but there were some interior pieces that had broken over the years, and we wanted a fridge that had had the smallest depth measurement. I don't lke side by side or bottom freezer models, there is too much wasted space in my opinion. And I have no use for an icemaker or any extra options. I just like a basic, wire shelf model. This new 16 cu ft GE has just as much interior storage space since I purchased an extra shelf and I kept the snack drawer from the old GE. For us its perfect. It keeps everything uniformly cold, freezes ice cubes very quickly, is quiet and our electric consumption also went down a little as it is more efficient. Now we have a refrigerator that is appropriately sized for our small kitchen.
Eddie

 

[lordkenmore]

>You don't seem to see many top freezers in new construction or remodels anymore, seems they are mostly a replacement only choice now unless someone really wants one. I wonder why that is?

I don't know about refrigerator choice trends... But one supposes this could be one of those cases of "follow the Jones at all costs!"

I am frankly not a fan of top freezer, even though it's the only design I've lived with since the early 1990s. Well, actually I guess I would like a top freezer refrigerator...but the top freezer would be located inside a refrigerator more than half a century old with, say, a rounded top. But as far a modern designs are concerned, I like the idea of bottom freezer better. I grew up with one of those, and it's nice having the fresh foods higher. But, as I've commented before, in today's world it probably makes sense having the freezer at eye level. It makes it easier to select a frozen dinner...

But top freezer gets the job done. And if I had to buy new, it would likely be my #1 choice. It is cheap, and in an era when quality is the way it is, it will mean less of a loss when it breaks and can't be fixed in five years. Or it can replaced with little pain if one gets tired of constantly having to replace some obnoxious part again and again. Also: cheap means simple, and thus less stuff to break.

 

[sudsmaster]

Top freezers can be the most efficient because there is no need to power a fan to force cold air from the bottom freezer or side freezer over to the fresh food compartment. Also, cold air is heavier than warm air so it naturally tries to go from freezer to fresh food compartment.

 

I have one of each: a KA side by side, and a KA top freezer (no bottom freezer, but I do have a big chest freezer). I generally like the side by side, because I very much enjoy having cold fresh filter water accessible from outside without having to open the door. At the time I purchased these two around 2001, there were not many bottom freezer units available, and zero french door models.

 

If I were to buy again today, I'd probably get a French door bottom freezer model with LED lighting, and, if possible, separate chilling apparatus for freezer and fresh food, as well as a sealed ice storage compartment. In the door fresh water is a must as well. The KA sxs tends to melt the ice in the bin and in time create a big lump that I have to pull out and toss every couple of months or so. The newer french door models look like they have better sealed ice bins, and some even seem to have separate chillers for freezer and fresh food.

 

I remember when I was knee high to a grasshopper our family got a bottom freezer fridge. It had rotating shelves in the fresh food compartment. Very cool. But it took me a bit to get used to the thing... I kept on opening the freezer door instead of the fridge door because that was about how tall I was. And of course that resulted in getting scolded every time I did it. Eventually I guess I got the hang of it, though.

 

A good reason to replace an older fridge is for the energy savings. A '95 model probably isn't that efficient to begin with. Things really started to get efficient around 2000, and there's been steady progress since then. But when I look at the energy stickers on new fridges, I can see that my 2001 units are efficient enough not to warrant replacing them on that count.

 

One advantage of the new french door models would be ability to store wide items in both freezer and fresh compartments. Like frozen pizzas. The doors may also allow for placement in areas where a single swinging door would be awkward.

 

[rp2813]

I'm surprised you can't find a SxS model narrower than 36".   I'm pretty sure they still make them.

 

Top freezer is my absolute last design choice.  A bottom freezer or SxS model is the only way to go.  If circumstances preclude either of those, then make sure any top freezer you buy has a clean back with forced draft condenser underneath the cabinet.  Otherwise you have to really stoop to get to access the crispers, and the clearance between the bottom of the fridge door and the floor will be so minimal that the door will hit your shoe rather than swing over/past it.  Super annoying for a guy like me who wears a size 13.

 

[supersuds]

Energy savings

I replaced a 1999 GE top-freezer with a new one a couple of years ago and was wondering if I'd notice any savings on the electric bill. That was a big fat no. That doesn't mean there were no savings, but I guess when you have an electric water heater, dryer, and range little things aren't very visible.

If I recall correctly the Energy Guide on the new fridge suggested an average annual electricity cost of only $41, which made it one of the thriftiest models on the market.

The new fridge would look so much nicer with some tasteful stainless trim instead of solid plastic handles, and it couldn't possibly add much to the cost, but as Cole says it must be that there's no "deluxe" market for top-freezers.

 

[vacerator]

My sister

got a Whirlpool top freezer 21 cubic ft. model for about $500. Just basic, no ice maker. It has nice glass shelves.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I remember reading once that fridges after 1993 were much more efficient than those beforr. It could be that they would not see a huge savings by replacing it. But then again you never know.

I agree the plastic handles are boring. Their 1995 has chrome trim on the handles. You don't see that anymore. Now everything is one color. Theirs also has nice metal racks on the doors, now everything is white or clear plastic racks everywhere.

They also don't have pinstripes on the racks or on the glass shelves like theirs does. I know none of that matters really but it shows how little detail goes into things these days. Make it as fast and simple as possible is the new norm.

It just makes the new ones look like a step backward.

The comment about the lack of top freezers could indeed be related to keeping up with the Jones'. Lol

 

[davey7]

I replaced my ancient top freezer, what was it, Westinghouse I think, fridge which was dying with a top freezer Frigidaire, mainly because I was very limited in what I could actually get into my apartment based on elevator size and very narrow (and I mean narrow) door clearances - I had to remove the swing door and fridge door to get it into my kitchen. My electric consumption went way down (I think the old one was late 60's or at most early 70's) too.

 

[cuffs054]

Now that we've moved into the mini manse, I'm getting used to the Frig top freezer that was in the house. I put a huge bottom mount in the main manse and it was ok. But I really think I'm going to go with a newer TOL top mount here. I like the layout and it works good for us.

 

[volvoguy87]

Freezer Position.

Bear in mind that I worked in an appliance parts store for 5 years and I have lived with refrigerators from the 1950s and older for the past several years.

The top-freezer refrigerators tend to be the least expensive to purchase, the most reliable, the longest-lived, and they're pretty efficient too. For the first 3 reasons, they are extremely popular with landlords, especially in less-expensive dwellings.

Many folks want something other than a top-mount because they associate a freezer on the top with a lower-end rental. SxS models used to be the primary alternative to the top-mount, but they have very narrow freezers. The Maytag Wide-By-Side was a great idea, but it wasn't as well built as it could have been.

The Freezer on bottom has been with us as a high-end design for decades. For some reason, they are far more expensive than refrigerators of a similar capacity with the freezer on top. I have also found them to be a bit more troublesome.

The French Door with freezer on the bottom design is all the rage right now. It's an innovative design and this its second appearance on the market. They tend to be the most trouble-prone and the most expensive.

On any refrigerator, I have seen the computers to be the least reliable component which can cause the demise of an otherwise-good box. Compressor relays tend to go out frequently too, but those are usually easier and cheaper to replace by a homeowner.

Any refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom and an ice dispenser up high has the ice maker in a separate compartment in the refrigerator. These designs seem to be more troublesome because of the additional degree of complication. In order to have a tiny freezer compartment for the ice maker, there must be an additional damper, fan, (both moving parts) and control mechanism (computer component) to blow cold air from the evaporator up to the ice maker. Any of these 3 items can fail and render the ice maker inoperative. An ice maker located in a freezer does not require these 3 additional components to serve just the ice maker.

I'm looking forward to finishing the renovation on my kitchen and getting my 1934 GE Monitor Top fridge in service.

Dave

 

[DADoES]

 
My top-freezer KitchenAid in the garage developed a problem last week.  I bought it in 1997 which makes it 19 years old so I shouldn't be surprised at the trouble.

The light bulb in the freezer section burned out, had to screw in a new one.

 

[davey7]

>>The light bulb in the freezer section burned out, had to screw in a new one.<<

Ohmigod, you have to trash it, that fridge is way too old to change the light-bulb in!

 

[fan-of-fans]

"Many folks want something other than a top-mount because they associate a freezer on the top with a lower-end rental."

That could well be, kind of have the image of a cheap apartment when I think of one.

Well my folks are pretty set that they need a new fridge now, and they're set on a cheap top freezer. They have a long list of reasons why they believe nothing else will work in their situation. Oh well it's their house and their choice. I've learned my lesson on making sure people get what they want, and I don't wanna go through that again. Especially on something like a refrigerator.

I agree side by sides have narrow freezers, although they do have a separate standing freezer in the pantry, so it wouldn't be a big deal in this case.

 

[vacerator]

That's true,

but there are also low end smaller side by sides. Some small kitchens don't even have room for a top mount freezer model over 13 cubic feet because of the depth, so a small counter depth side by side fits also.