<p>Op I am glad that you call the repair. Motherboard problems are not for Diy types.</p>
<p>Freezer at 0 and fridge at 37. Woot!! Bonus of all this, I tore all the shelves out while the fridge was off and gave the whole thing a good cleaning. And all the 1/8 full jars of stuff that I just couldn’t bear to throw out…gone! It feels like a new (ish) fridge.</p>
<p>Don’t know if this was suggested yet…when mine ran warm it was simply because the coils were covered in dust. Have you taken off the bottom vent cover (probably where your water filter screws in) you need to,get in there as best as you can and clean the dust off with a vacuum. That was my problem. Mine is 13 years old and were just waiting for an excuse to,get a SS french door model.</p>
<p>This must be the month for refrigerators to break down. Our 13 year old Kitchen Aid side-by-side stopped cooling this past week. It’s a model with cabinet panels. Although I know it’s probably better at this point to replace it, I can’t justify the cost. We’ll be putting the house on the market some time this year. New panel models, to match the rest of the kitchen, are $4000 and up. I did find a GE for about $2500, but I don’t know if the panels will fit. The other option is to replace it with no panels, but then I’m stuck as to the color. The built-in microwave is white, but buyers seem to want stainless. </p>
<p>BTW–We’ve done all the trouble shooting: started with cleaning the coils (although I did them at Christmas), pulled it out and cleaned the back, changed the water filter, unplugged it for a couple of days. We turned it back on today, and it’s not cooling still. </p>
<p>The day before it stopped cooling the water stopped working. We woke up the next morning to melting ice cubes and refrigerated items starting to warm up. The water works now for some reason. </p>
<p>We do have an old fridge in the basement so no food was lost. The upstairs fridge is really, really clean as is the floor underneath it! </p>
<p>I’ll see what the repair person says on Tuesday. That’s the soonest he could get out here.</p>
<p>My advice would be to call an independent appliance repair company .one with a good reputation. Not the warranty guys from the place where you bought the fridge. I have dealt with multiple issues with appliances and the only one who has ever taken control and got it right was an older gentleman who runs a local mom and pop. He has resurrected my fridge and also gives awesome advice as to which brands to stay away from</p>
<p>That independent guy in my town is in great demand thus I need to wait a week for him to get out here. I’ve had this guy out before and was pretty impressed with the company.</p>
<p>We left behind a 25 cubic ft top freezer Kitchen Aid when we moved almost 2 years ago. It was getting close to 20 years old- bought in Dec 2012, just before a new raft of energy requirements came about, for our being built house. Had the thermostat repaired once several years ago and decided the next time it needed repairs I would buy new. Got lucky it lasted. </p>
<p>Researched new ones then and just recently. We “inherited” an around 6 year old side by side in this house. Hate the space usage in the freezer (brought our 5 cu ft chest freezer with us), used to going low for bins. Like having the ice and water in the door- here in Florida we drink more water. Took a small magnet with me- the Whirlpool stainless look is magnetic, LG and Samsung were not. For now will keep this one as we have gotten used to it. Decision to keep white/bisque or match the stove will come later. Newer refrigerators are not expected to last as long. Energy efficiency worst in side by side but each year we keep this one adds a year to the time for a new one. By then repair rates and other faults of some brands could improve. I also did the door open/close test- some models were better than others. I may have to train H to be sure he closes both sides if I want to keep the magnetic calendar and notepad on a new refrigerator some year.</p>
<p>Wis…ummm…bought in December 2012 and is 20 years old? That’s not right!</p>
<p>We bought a new fridge last year. I looked at French doors & water in the door, but decided too cluttered looking and takes away shelving space.
Bought a Maytag bottom freezer & absolutely love it.
Wire drawers in the freezer, & the light really makes a difference.
I love having things I need the most at eye level.
The crisper drawers work better than in any other refrigerator that Ive had.</p>
<p>lje62, what brands did he tell you to avoid? Please?</p>
<p>DH is tall, but he was initially ok idea with bottom freezer if we went with the two freezer drawer type (slim one higher up). Pricey but nice. </p>
<p>Then we went home and looked at our side-by-side. It’s a wider version, with substantial freezer space. The shelves and bins seemed to offer more and handier space than the bottom freezer model. On top of that, it has many door shelves that offers even more space (well suited for small items).</p>
<p>There are actually only a few manufacturers that make the different models / brands.</p>
<p>[Appliance411</a> The Purchase: Who Makes What?](<a href=“http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/make.shtml]Appliance411”>Appliance411 The Purchase: Who Makes What?)</p>
<p>EK-Thanks for the link. It’s pretty interesting and good information.</p>
<p>Our appliance repair guy showed up this morning. Bad news in this house: it’s a freon leak and thus really not repairable. </p>
<p>So now I look for a new refrigerator. Really not what the budget needed right now, and a tough decision to make in terms of color. The panel ready models have become too pricy to justify the cost. The built-in oven and cooktop are white. DH thinks we’ll take a new fridge with us when we sell in the very near future. I’m tired of white, but it matches. I would prefer black for some reason, but it does not match. I dislike stainless. ARGGHHH! Not a decision I want to make as there is so much uncertainty in terms of our future living arrangements.</p>
<p>If you are moving in the near future, get a white fridge to match the other appliances…not necessarily top of the line…and plan to leave it when you sell. The NEXT owners can get a new model.</p>
<p>When you move, your new place might already HAVE a great fridge.</p>
<p>I always hated side by side, even when it was brand new. Replaced by french door, bottom freezer and lov it because of space. We paid about $1,500 for the floor model that was over $3k. Now if you are asking about loving refrigerator, I hate them all, they all freeze in some spots of the refrigerator, plastic always breaks, but it breaks in ALL appliences, not just fridge, since let’s face it, recycled garbage cannot function, it just does not perform, garbage remains garbage even if it is recycled. To prove the point, when we asked various people to come and give us estimates for our house siding, you know what they swear and brag the most, yes, their plastic is not made of recycled plastic. So, no matter how much you pay, forget function, it will not work to your liking, look for space, accessibility and french door /bottom freezer is the best design for that.</p>
<p>Why kvetch about liking or not liking ALL fridges (or vinyl siding, or doctors, or whatever). This doesn’t help the OP, and really is irrelevant to anyone but YOU.</p>
<p>thumper1,
I was not answering your questions at all. I am lost at your post #56. If you hate me, say so, what my comments have to do with you?</p>
<p>Oh my God, Miami- you hate REFRIGERATORS!! LOL. Gotta love the internet.</p>
<p>We’re pushing 20 years on the side by side. The cooling issue was the bottom of the door seal- after I saw replacement prices, I just went and rigged it back in place. (I dunno, it worked.) </p>
<p>What I like is having some things at eye level, in the freezer. Different shelves that don’t get so cluttered. For the French door models with the freezer below, how much does stuff get piled up? Do you find yourself having to pull out lots of packages, to get to what’s on the bottom? </p>
<p>Shellz, glad you got this fixed What I found was, as each other appliance was replaced, the energy savings with newer models was huge. Replaced the dryer, bill went down noticeably. Got new window AC units, small bill even through the hottest summer months. So, though I can’t offer some technical explanation, it has been worth the purchase cost.</p>
<p>My stumper: when the time comes, do I go with a stainless steel fridge, replace the hated flat top stove, to match? I see some trend away from SS and wonder what others think.</p>
<p>I guess if your position is that all fridges are failures, you might as well get the $500 model and not the “expansive” one! Thumper wasn’t saying she hated YOU, Miami. She was pointing out that you rarely express a positive thought on anything. Refrigerators just take it to a whole new level. At least doctors can defend themselves! :)</p>