Would you replace an eleven year old fridge??

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"The same appliance made in 2005 is designed to fail in 5-7 yrs."

This is quite a statement. To say that something is actually engineered to fail in 5-7 years intentionally? You can back this up with proof right?

Yes surely modern appliances are built lighter then vintage ones were and there is far more cost cutting done to keep consumer pricing low. I think its a bit paranoid to believe that the intention of the engineers was to have the design fail frequently though.

Today's units _may_ have a reduced lifespan compared to vintage units but stating a 4 to 1 replacement is absurd. The frequent replacement is more likely more due to peoples decisions to fix/not fix and the state of modern service companies today. A 20+ year central AC is pretty rare no matter when it was made, most get replaced after 10 years, often for no reason. Twenty years from now there may well be just as many of today's units running as the the vintage ones are today, all depends on if people keep repairing them. For the record my AC is 22 years old at this point, I'm a "fixer". My girlfriends father just junked an 8 year old high end furnace because the draft inducer motor failed, he is not a fixer...

Replacing a working unit to get increased energy efficiency is quite likely a loser in the cradle to grave analysis. Only if the device is really inefficient would it make sense (like incandescent lights with LED, a 10 to 1 saving). When replacement is needed though, in general it does pay to pick the most efficient thing one can buy though.
 
The Frigidaire side x side fridge at dad's lasted 15-years and was really still working OK (a 1984 & the best appliance that WCI-owned Frigidaire ever made!) when it got replaced by the Whirlpool side x side w/ the ice & water in 1999, which is still in place & doing its job...

So, I agree, that Energy Star is still locked into more con-current standards, than conforming to whatever standards will be mandated in any future measures, as well as over-looking what constant replacement & obsolescence (which the industry is doing well at making "new stuff" having to be replaced that quickly) to make anything we have to strictly go by...!

As for the fridge in my house, it's still too new, soon & working awesome to really tell what the future will bring (though I wish the condenser below it would be easier to make a little more dust-free, vs. the in-laws, which is the same make only newer and has a condenser that you really "don't" have to clean--that is the kick-plate is much smaller & giving me the impression that there is nothing underneath, but the means of making it 1-more-cu. ft. than ours is)...

-- Dave
 
Well the KA sxs I got in 2000 is still running just fine. It shows no sign of deterioration.

The only problem I had with it was when I stacked things up high on the top shelf in the fresh food compartment and blocked the flow of cold air from the top of the freezer into the top of the fresh food compartment. This tends to ice up the water line leading to the ice maker, leading to an icemaker apparent failure. I had it serviced under warranty the first time this happened, and the repair procedure just happened to melt the ice block sufficiently that it worked until I unknowningly blocked the air vent again. After that I was able to thaw it out (hair dryer helped) and resolved never to block those vents again. So far, so good, problem has gone away.

As for electric rates here in California... at the mercy of the state, there. If I were to get rid of the koi pond pump, the chest freezer, and the second fridge, probably could lower the monthly bill quite a bit. But I'm sort of attached to the fish and the chest freezer certainly does come in handy. The second fridge is not strictly needed but since it sits in a second kitchen in an enclosed patio it's kind of expected. Both fridges are energy star circa 2000 and it would not be very economic to replace them for maybe 100 kWH less total consumption per year.

Parasitic losses are always an issue... esp with things like radios that lose their station settings when unplugged but consume five or more watts when plugged in. And of course a computer sucks it up too.
 
Yes surely modern appliances are built lighter then vintage ones were and there is far more cost cutting done to keep consumer pricing low.

No, they are built cheaper to increase the manufacturers profits is the first priority. If it lowers the cost to the final consumer, that's just a side benefit.
 
I've noticed that, as with many other products, the latest and greatest fads in fridges tend to result in the highest prices. When bottom freezer french door fridges came out, they carried quite a price premium. Now that seems to have settled and I'm seeing ads for some down well under $2000. The latest fad seems to be 30 cu ft models, which carry the new price premium. Water/ice in door dispensers also cost more, but in my case that's a requirement.

As for Whirlpool.... they have their ups and downs. I think their mechanicals are probably the best out there, or at least above average. I feel a little burned about the second fridge from KA out on the patio. It's a curved door 25 cu ft top freezer in stainless. Apparently KA goofed on the insulation and it shrunk and caved in those nice curved doors as well as the top and sides of the unit, over time. I called KA when it was under warranty, send them photos, but they didn't seem to think it was a problem. I should have demanded a site visit but didn't... so now it looks like someone beat on the poor thing. The SXS in the main kitchen fortunately doesn't have the caved in door look, although I can see a little sucking in of the sides. But these are mostly not visible. I think the insulation issue was an isolated occurance that KA/Whirlpool later corrected, I just happened to be one of the unlucky first buyers who got a top freezer with the issue. If I could, I'd sell the thing for a big loss and replace it with a bottom freezer single door - preferably something with the ability to handle the low temps on the patio better than a top freezer unit. But given other expenses that's probably not going to happen for a while.

Other than that, fairly happy with the things.

I do have a late 40's GE single door in storage, that could be repainted and gasketed and would probably be just fine as a patio fridge. Minimal freezer space in it but then there's a chest freezer out there right next to it anyway. And as far as I can tell, the old GE uses less than 300 KWH/yr.
 
Designed to Fail?

Perhaps not. But most all are designed to not be worth repairing in the end.

1) Take a day off work.
2) Wait for tech to show up (good chance he wont)
3) Diagnose problem.
4) Order parts.
5) Wait for parts.
6) Wait for tech to arrive to replace parts. (another missed day of work)
7) Write a check for at least 50% of the value of the machine brand new.
8) Say an extra prayer at night that it runs another couple years.

[ MOST CONSUMERS DON'T WANNA BE BOTHERED WITH ALL THIS ]

Malcolm
 
You are right Malcom!
So true, time missed from work....at least two days, and it is always a crap shoot when he gets there that he ordered the correct part!!
Mike
Too much stress getting an appliance repaired these days!
 
@ Malcom

All eight of your bullet points applies to any vintage of appliance, old or new. It appears that perhaps the longevity of modern machines is being driven by the consumers choices as much as the manufacturers (and to some degree the service companies). This was part of my point.

@ Allen

Of course cost cutting is done to maximize profits for the manufacturers too. But if price competitiveness to the consumer isn't maintained, sales and therefore profits fall FAST. This is especially true today in the global market place. Think Samsung and LG for instance and how they have altered the game. Many of the moves that the US makers had to do were done merely to stave off the competition of the far East manufacturers.
 
I think the bulk of retailers profits come from service contracts, and not on the appliance. I think the bulk of the appliance industry profits from service calls. It costs anywhere from 75 to 100 dollars just to have someone show up at your house!!! It is easier to roll the dice on a new product and hope for trouble free service for 5-7 years!! Either way it is gonna cost you money!! A new fridge, or a service call that is half the cost of a new fridge like Malcolm said. No one can buy an appliance, and expect it to last 10-15-20 years any more, because the cost to service them out of warranty has become cost prohibitive!!
Mike
 
I don't want it to crap out unexpectedly and then scramb

In my area there are tons of used fridges on Craigslist, from lowly BOL top freeze models on up, at a fraction of their retail prices.

If possible, I'd suggest finding a clean used top freeze to place in the garage or basement as a backup, If and when the main fridge fails.
 
KNOCK ON WOOD!!

For myself, I would Keep it until it dies.

I've never lived anywhere where the fridge went out....Currently, my WP side by side is EXACTLY 9 years old the 15th of this Sept....

It had an ice maker replaced but that's it.

I can say this........Definitely clean the coils.......Blow them with a blower, vacuum them, keep them clean.....This is something that most people don't and believe it or not, in my manual it says this isn't necessary.. How could that NOT be necessary????...As much as I clean I'm always amazed and how quickly there is a build up on the coils. I use my rainbow to blow them out. I think this helps with the life of the unit....at least some.
 
 
The grandmother's Whirly refrigerator is on the cusp of 29 years.  Had one repair (not counting the ice maker), I replaced the compressor start relay.

I have a 16 years old KA top-freezer in my garage, no repairs thus far.

My GE Arctica SxS (came with the house) is 9 years, the motherboard and freezer evaporator fan were replaced (by me), and the ice dispenser solenoid and water valve.
 
Left for Dead

In the past 20 years, I have had 5 major appliances flat out leave me for dead, requiring a service call or immediate replacement. It occurred to me earlier that 4 of them wore the Kenmore Elite badge. No wonder they are declining in quality. By the same token, none of them was a refrigerator.

Just an odd epiphany.

Malcolm
 
I don't think that manufacturers are intentionally designing products to fail in less than ten years. But I can say with certainty that it takes a lot of commitment and money to keep a modern day fridge for ten years. When it was decided that $200 + control boards should replace tried and true mechanical thermostats and defrost timers in the name of efficiency reliability was gone. The short life span and repair costs negate any environmental or economical benefit to modern appliances.
 
DD fridge reliability

my 13 y.o. Kenmore fridge hasn't had a singe hiccup in that time span it has a (Japanese brand,but marked "made in usa")matsushita compressor.
-~1972 GE bol manual defrost fridge has never had a problem.
-~1946 GE chest freezer has been 100%reliable since I got it in 1990
-1968 Italian made "topp"mini fridge has been mostly trouble free but I did have to repair the start relay to cure a "rough"starting problem it developed.Aspera compressor in this one.
-1999 Brazilian whirlpool mini fridge has been trouble free-Embraco compressor.
 
compressor

thanks for that link-back in the early 2000s I found several quite new,apparently replaced under warranty,fridges at the dump-all had embrace compressors...one of the fridges was a nice SXS SS maytag fridge-I salvaged the two electronic commutated fan motors from it-they were virtually brand new.
 
One might be more cautious affixing the term "absurd" to observations posted here. Some are controversial, like say wash temp. One which is much less so is that manuf'd product longevity is substantially lower across the board than it was 30 years ago.

Do I have a spreadsheet that "proves" exactly how much? Do I really need one? These very pages are evidence enough. Contributors here don't make up stories about early failures. The number we don't have is how many of how many sold fail "absurdly" early. We do know that the reports come up "absurdly" often. Do you have a spreadsheet that "proves" they DON'T?

Here's more: Starting with, my last real job was engineering integrity auditor/failure analysis engineer for Dell. We took integrity dead serious. That's why they laid off the lot of us in 2001 upon determination they were no longer in the integrity business.

Recently worked and lived in buildings served by thru-wall airconditioners. This building is 15 years old and is on its fourth generation of replacements for units that failed beyond practical repair. What fails? The rotary compressor fails to start. There are working swash window units documented right here well over twice that age. Google 'rotary compressor' and I think you'll see where and why they are designed to fail. Hint, carbon vanes in friction contact with eccentric rotor.

I had a long and confidential relationship with my HVAC guy at the last house I owned. He wasn't a bitter, disillusioned old fossil like I am, he was a second-generation HVAC family guy in his mid 30s. That Rheem was 30yo and he told me unequivocally that I'll never get that kind of service again. My neighbor two doors down upgraded to a HE Carrier which failed at the start of the second season. I took my voltmeter down to help him diagnose it. Dead compressor. I think/hope it was still in warranty.

So I can't "prove" the numbers to everyone's satisfaction. They're only estimates, as reliability is never a fixed number but a bell curve. They're valid to my satisfaction, or I wouldn't have asserted them.
 
I would like to get a new fridge,

I just wanted a consensus, I have know people who say, oh everything is ten years old, let me get new appliances, and I have known people who say, I am keeping it till it dies.....I hate it when a service tech comes out, after having taken a day off from work, and he can't properly diagnose the problem!!! Oh, I am gonna replace the mother board, oh I am gonna replace the motor, oh I am replacing this or that!!! Does anyone, with the expception of the old timers out there, know how to work on these major appliances today? I don't think so!!! My SQ washer was making a noise, turns out it was two metal washers between the transmission and the drive wheen!!! They need lubrication, I in turn, had a repairman who replaced the belt and drive pulley, and then when the noise returned, he wanted to replace my brakes for 300 dollars!! I called Alliance, spoke to a tech, and $8.00 later, WD-40 Silicone spray fixed the problem. If I have to do this evry six months, it is still better than an unnecesssary 300 brake replacement!!! I am ranting I know, so I will get a new fridge soon. BTW, my sister in law had the dreaded Kenmore Oasis washer that kept making a noise, seven or eight service calls in less than five years, the machine still made the noise, until it peed water all over the floor, and they replaced it with a SQ!
Mike
 
nearly had to replace a compressor or buy new last week

My first fridge was an 18 cu ft GE, freezer on top, bought 1988. After seven years, it stopped working. The compressor had actually been RECALLED and I had ignored the letters, thinking they were extended warranty offers. GE gave me a $350 credit to be used either on the repair or purchase of a new GE. This was based on their calculation that a $750 fridge should have lasted 15 years, but since I got only 7.5 years out of it, I was entitled to a credit of half the purchase price.

I bought a similar GE model (18 cu ft, but with the new refrigerant) and my electric bills dropped $10-15/month overnight. This was now 1995, and thus consistent with what others have written in that changes rolled out in 1993 resulted in dramatic savings.

In 2004, I opted to buy a SxS for a number of reasons: wanted counter depth because the fridge is the first item on the right when you enter the kitchen and the old one stuck out 9 inches; needed more space; because of some orthopedic issues it was easier for me to place frequently used items on top and less used items on the bottom---of both sides. Capacity went from 18 to 23 (Frigidaire counter depth model) and power consumption remained the same.

During this week's heat wave, I began to think the compressor was giving out, because on Saturday the freezer could only keep the temp at 14C/6F. However, before giving up, I inspected around the unit and discovered that the housekeeper had stored roughly 20 paper shopping bags on the left side of the fridge, between the cabinet and the fridge. It felt hot there, so I figured perhaps the fridge can't dissipate heat with the bags blocking air circulation. I removed the bags and within 12 hours the temps returned to normal and icemaker began working correctly. I am having the repair service come out this week anyway to look at it and be sure the compressor is ok, but I think I solved the issue myself. Normally I roll the fridge out once a year and clean all accessible areas with a canister vacuum, but I recently broke my leg and can't perform the task right now. So I think a service call is best just to be sure. Also have a dryer belt that needs replacement and I can't do that on crutches either.

Anyway, during the several hours when I wasn't sure the fridge would be ok, I thought that I'd pay to replace the compressor if needed, assuming that would be $500-600. I like my current fridge, it was made in USA, and its current replacement in the Frigidaire line does not garner terrific reviews, including reviews from buyers who owned the previous model and who wrote "quality and design have deteriorated from the previous model". Also, knowing that there have not been major changes in energy efficiency since 2004 (when my fridge was built) meant that there were few if any savings to be gained with a new model.
 
Perhaps it would be more tolerable if retail prices were in line with the shortened life expectancy of modern appliances as with computers and LCD TVs.

However, even after taking inflation into account prices are still up there across the board for appliances with roughly half the service life.
 

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