Anyone have a recommendation for an inexpensive top freezer refrigerator that is no frills but of solid quality, function and reliability? Looking for 18 - 20 cubic feet. Really need nothing more than a box for cold and a box for frozen with separate thermostats. Glass shelves and adjustable door shelves would be nice but not critical. Thanks.
The best time to buy is a three day weekend, which is this weekend. There are usually big appliance sales. I buy most appliances from Home Depot because they have free delivery and take away of the old appliance. They have been very good about showing up on schedule also. I bought a no frills ice maker glass shelf fridge for our beach house last spring for about $599 on sale. It’s GE and made in the U.S. Home Depot has a good search feature and you can buy it and schedule delivery on line. Lowes and Sears have made me very unhappy in the past.
MNK, are you looking for a dual compressor fridge?
Have no idea BB, I’m not that sophisticated in the world of fridges, lol. Want to replace a 10 year old Roper for my son and daughter in law that is leaking from the freezer into the cold food box. I figure that with a fridge that old and of that price point, the cost of repairs makes it nutty to not just replace it, particularly since their first kid will be arriving in the next few weeks and I want them to have a reliable unit.
The Lowe’s sale runs to 3/1. Generic 18 cu Frigidaire for 468.
One thought: get them to measure the spot where it will go. I had cabinets above mine and some 18 cu. ft. fridges were about an inch too tall.
@OspreyCV22, thanks for the replies. Yes, we had them measure the existing refrigerator so we will know what fits. The dimensions really have changed over time. A few years ago we had to replace our 24 cu ft unit and for the dimensions of the space, we could only fit a 22. More insulation, thicker structure to cut down on noise yielded a smaller capacity.
Yes, what Osprey said! Equal volume fridges come in all sorts of height/width/length combinations. Measure before you buy!
A dual compressor fridge has two separate cooling mechanisms for the fridge and freezer compartments. The big advantage is that temperature can be regulated with a greater precision, and because there is no air exchange between the chambers, if something starts to smell funky in the fridge, the freezer foods will not absorb the stench. 
The downside is easily guessable - it costs more. So… I guess this is not what you are looking for.
We have a basic upright Maytag freezer from HD - it has been working just fine for the last 8 years even though it is located in the garage.
That’s pretty good for a garage freezer!
We have had excellent luck at our Sears outlet store. If you don’t mind the occasional scratch or dent–you can save 50%-75%. If I remember correctly our 18 cubic foot GE cost $210.
My Whirlpool leaks from the freezer into the fridge part, if what you mean is water running down the back and pooling under the drawers at the bottom. My model is known for it, and it does this if the fridge part is kept at optimal temperature. Ice forms in the drain line going to the catch pan on the floor. A little warmer and it doesn’t do it. The fix for mine is to take everything out of both sections, dethaw the ice in the back of the freezer until the line runs clear.
Good luck on new. I buy from Home DePot or Lowe’s; love the free delivery and taking away the old. I now rely heavily on the customer reviews.
We just replaced our garage refrigerator with this: http://www.sears.com/kenmore-21-cu-ft-top-freezer-refrigerator-w/p-04660212000P?redirectType=SKIP_LEVEL. We’ve had it less than a week, but it seems like it’s keeping the frozen stuff frozen and the refrigerator stuff not frozen, unlike what we just replaced (floor model LG…terrible and almost the same price 5 yrs ago).
I bought a GE top freezer refrigerator last year from home depot.
http://www.homedepot.com/b/Appliances-Refrigerators-Top-Freezer-Refrigerators/N-5yc1vZc3nsZloZ2bcqsv?NCNI-5
Thanks everyone. It’s off to Home Depot today.
The thing with home depot is delivery, installation and haul away of your old fridge is free. If you have the manual for their current fridge you will have the exact measurements of the one that will fit that area. Also with an ice maker home depot contractors will be able to connect to your water line which other stores might charge for.
When we went shopping for a new fridge, one of the reasons we didn’t buy at Home Depot is that they were the only retailer who wouldn’t hook up our water line.
Interesting. Home depot was the only store that would hook up our waterline. We were originally buying the same fridge from Best Buy and they had issues in regards to connecting to the waterline. I guess it depends on the Customer Service salesperson you are dealing with.
Sears is having a promotion. Use code extra50 to get $50 off the sale price.
http://www.sears.com/kenmore-19-cu-ft-single-door-bottom-freezer/p-04669313000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2&sid=IAx20091026x000001&aff=Y&PID=806314&AID=11042411
Thank you everyone for all the great tips, suggestions, and discount codes :).
Home Depot just installed 2 fridges at parents’ house but refused to hook up ice maker because it had s copper water line and theirs was a plastic one. They said the different materials would cause it to leak. We decided no ice maker to keep things simple.