<p>The freezer doesn’t seem to be as cold as usual, even though I’ve cranked it up all the way. Ditto the refrigerater part. Also, our energy bill seems awfully high and I’m wondering if it’s because of the fridge. It’s maybe 16 years old now. Should I wait for it to die completely or replace it now? I’m worried about food going bad in there and poisoning us all. (just kidding, a little.)
Is it true that big appliances go on sale in January?
I think I want one of those with the freezer in the bottom and with two doors for the fridge up top.</p>
<p>Yikes! We had a blackout on Xmas Eve and the surge when the power came on blew out our fridge. I feel for you! We haven’t had refrigeration since then and are waiting for a new compressor part. Every a.m. go for an ice run for the “ice box” and swab up the floor from the melted ice. Fun times! Stick bags of ice in your fridge til you figure out what to do and it works pretty well. Home Depot’s having a sale right now 10% off on big appliances til I think January 4…They had alot of fridges in the style you’re referring to.</p>
<p>You are lucky you’ve only been w/o refrigeration since Christmas Eve…My Amana (still under warranty) went out Thanksgiving weekend. I lost an 18 pound turkey I had roasted that Saturday plus everything else. MAYBE the new compressor will be installed today but I’m not betting on it. This is the second replacement compressor. I’m thinking of selling the fridge on Craig’s List and just buying a new one.</p>
<p>I understand every brand of fridge uses a compressor manufactured in Brazil…Embarco.</p>
<p>My dad has one with the freezer on the bottom, it works great for him. But be sure you have enough space to fully open the drawer, pull out the shelves, etc. I thought I did, but after working with his a few times, I know that won’t work in my kitchen.</p>
<p>Just FYI, my sister had to buy a dryer the week before Christmas–it was nearly $200 cheaper at Lowes than the Great Indoors. She was shocked at the difference. So it might be good to shop around, just in case.</p>
<p>Now is a good time to look. Sears runs after Christmas sales, particularly on Kenmore Elite. You can get 25% off. </p>
<p>It’s possible that the seals could need replacing and that the various parts under and in back could be cleaned and be more efficient. I wouldn’t bother if the thing is 16 years old. The new ones have better interior designs. For example, we bought a side-by-side with an ice maker in the freezer door that’s much more compact than the design of even a few years ago.</p>
<p>It’s nice to have the freezer at the bottom because you don’t open it as open. Don’t get two side by side doors, you can’t fit anything big in it (like a pizza box).</p>
<p>If it’s still cold, but not “cold enough”, it may indicate a couple of issues:</p>
<ul>
<li>weak compressor and/or loss of refrigerant</li>
<li>bad fan</li>
<li>dirty/clogged coils.</li>
</ul>
<p>Is the compressor cycling more frequently or running constantly?</p>
<p>Can you determine if the fan(s) are running? Depending on the make and model, there could be separate fans for the frig and freezer portions.</p>
<p>Dirty/clogged coils are easy to fix. Again, depending on make and model, they could be at the bottom behind the annoying kickplate that always falls off, or on the back of the unit. Typically a vacuuming will help, but a long soft bruch will help get some spots the normal household vac tools won’t reach.</p>
<p>At 16 years old, it’s most probably not worth a repair call and sales are abundant in January. Go with the most energy efficient unit you can afford.</p>
<p>The biggest problem I’ve had with refrigerators is the fan. The fan cools the compressor so if the fan fails the compressor will end up shutting itself off and not cool properly. Once I figured out the fan failed I just bought another one at an appliance parts store and replaced it myself. It was maybe 20 or 30 dollars. </p>
<p>You should be able to check to see if the fan is running by waiting for the compressor to cycle on and then holding a piece of paper up to the air vent at the bottom. Alternatively pull the fridge out and look at it directly if you can. Also, if the compressor’s cycling but the fan not working you’ll sometimes smell a ‘hot smell’ from it and the fridge won’t sound the same as it usually does when it’s running. Don’t touch the compressor because it can get very hot.</p>
<p>There are also some relays involved in cycling the compressor. My Kitchenaid fridge had a relay disintegrate which caused the compressor to not cycle. I found and replaced that myself also for about 20 or 30 dollars.</p>
<p>Defrost timer and defrost relay were the two parts that failed on our Jennair (grrrrr!) fridge; in both cases, the fridge showed symptoms similar to the ones described in the OP. Replacement of either part was a simple DIY project for DH wo is quite handy with all things electrical. H even posted his description of the fixes on some appliance repair forum (if I find the posts, I will get the link).</p>
<p>The ^%$@ fridge had been warned about the tree strikes rule. I think its time is coming - I just found a chunk of ice in the milk carton, and green beans in the produce bin look frozen as well.</p>
<p>If you have a student starting at college in fall, this might be a good time to get a mini-fridge for his dorm room - you would have it on hand if the main fridge goes out, and it’s bound to be cheaper in January than in August.</p>
<p>they actually have lots of deals in august- when we went to the costco near Ds school they had four or five mini fridges to choose from- that was also where I went ( but online) to get a small fridge to replace ours when * it * died.</p>
<p>I just finished chasing down an erratic cooling issue on my nearly new (but just out of warranty) freezer-on-the-bottom refrigerator. FWIW I think above posters have covered the likely culprits:</p>
<p>(1) dust/hair build-up on the coils
(2) fan not turning on
(3) defrost circuitry issue
(4) compressor dying (or if you’re lucky, compressor relay dying)</p>
<p>The first three can be investigated without involving a repair person. Good luck.</p>
<p>I have two family members who own near identical Whirlpool side by side refrigerators bought in 2004. Both stop working this year (just out of warranty) and had the same problem: no cold air. One was fixed just last week. The problem was a bad overload relay switch which turns the compressor on and off. The fan would come on occasionally but not the compressor. The switch failed in the open position which didn’t allow the compressor to start up. According to consumer complaints that I found on-line, some people had the switch fail in the closed position which allowed the compressor to run continuously causing it to overheat and start burning, Having a smoke detector located above the refrigerator isn’t a bad idea.</p>
<p>Locally, a parts place had the switch for $40. Appliance shops wanted $60. After buying the switch and installing it, the refrigerator started working. Out of curiosity, I went to EBay and found the same switch for $15.00! After reading complaint after complaint about various brands, keep things simple. No automatic ice-makers or door mounted water dispensers. Find a model you like and do a search on-line to see if there are problems with a particular brand or model. I wonder how many people have their compressors replaced when the real problem was a bad overload relay switch? </p>
<p>To the OP, if you still get some cold air in the freezer compartment, listen to the compressor and time how long it stays on. It’s a possibility that the overload relay is going bad and not allowing the compressor to run longer to keep the refrigerator cold. Your 16 year old refrigerator outlasted my family’s two 2004 bought unit. Don’t be too hasty to buy a shiny new model.</p>
<p>Our fridge is 20 years old and still runs just fine. I clean the fins and coils about once or twice a year. My approach when we bought it was to get the cheapest thing that fit in the cabinets. It has absolutely no features to speak of.</p>
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<p>Are you really suppose to do that? I don’t think our fridge even comes out.</p>
<p>According to this source: [Efficient</a> Refrigeration](<a href=“http://www.aceee.org/Consumerguide/refrigeration.htm]Efficient”>http://www.aceee.org/Consumerguide/refrigeration.htm)</p>
<p>“The energy efficiency of refrigerators and freezers has improved dramatically over the past three decades. A typical new refrigerator with automatic defrost and a top-mounted freezer uses about half the energy used by a typical 1990 refrigerator. So if your refrigerator is old, needs repairs, or is nearing the end of its expected 15-year life, it may make good economic sense to replace it now.”</p>
<p>There’s a little plastic piece under the door. I just take the plastic piece off and the coils and fins are exposed. I just use a crevice tool attachment on the vacuum cleaner to clean the dust off. There’s usually dust on the plastic piece too - I guess that it acts like a grill.</p>
<p>When the original compressor failed I bought a dorm sized fridge to use until the kitchen fridge was repaired, thinking it could go to college with my girl. And that’s where it is now.</p>
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<p>But is it as efficient as a refrigerator from the 1980s? I had a quick look to compare the efficiency of chlorofluorocarbon-based A/C units to non-CFC units and the highest-performing models today perform at the same level that CFC units of old did. If you have a CFC-based frig and it still works, then your appliance may be as efficient as the best available today.</p>
<p>BCEagle: your source, please? The stuff I’m finding indicates that newer refrigerators are far more efficient, even than those made before 1990.</p>