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3katz4me

Help - replacing one year old fridge

9 years ago

Well, I thought I loved the LG french door fridge I got last March but it has become so noisy I can't stand it. Vibrates terribly such that the shelves and items inside rattle horribly and very loud when you open it - drives me crazy. One time it was rattling a tray in the cupboard above that I hadn't pushed in far enough.

So I purchased the extended warranty and local dealer says I can get a different fridge. I still feel like I need to see that to believe it but I'm forging ahead.

It seems like I just went through this exercise but wanted to get the current opinions. I have 36 x 70 opening and if I can find a FD model that's 33 inches deep (or less) I'm not going to get counter depth as I really like the larger interior space. I thought that's what I got this time but AJ Madison dimensions were wrong so what I have now is sticking out farther than I'd like. My old one was 33 deep and I have a deeper than counter depth fridge cabinet surround so that would be the ideal size and no door dispenser. I'd prefer black but opening myself to stainless since there are more options. I have a black and stainless range and black DW and microwave and I'm okay with the mix of the two. I don't think I want to introduce black stainless into the mix however.

Any current favorites or stay away from recommendations? I have bad vibes for Samsung and GE just from stuff I've heard. In the past I always had Whirlpool fridges and they were great but for freezing items in the refrigerator if there was a lot of stuff in it. I haven't had that with the LG but could be because it was so huge inside and we rarely filled it up.

Comments (3)

  • 9 years ago

    It sounds like you have other reasons for not liking the fridge other than the vibration. Your syntax implies that the vibration wasn't there at the start. There might be something like a loose fan in it. The numbers might not work for getting it fixed, and since they'll give you a new, different fridge, there's no need to bother with it, but I thought I'd point it out.

    You'd have improved temperature control if you had a dual compressor fridge, but that's a big leap in price and you probably don't want to go there. You might try using insulated bags for the freezing spots, and that kind of thing, of your next fridge has that kind of problem.

    AJMadison's filters are fabulous and they have a broad selection, so are great for research. Before you buy, however, go to the maker's website and look at the manual and spec sheet. Those are most likely to have correct dimensions and will teach you about the features of the unit. Since you want something very specific in terms of size and features, there may only be one or two choices.

    People don't complain a lot about fridges (people with problems complain a lot in general, so you'll see many more complaints and bad reviews on the web than positives, but you can figure for every complaint on a mass marketed item, there are a hundred who are pretty satisfied). Fridges keep the food cold and almost all do it acceptably well. You know already about the kind of issues they have as well, but you have to pay a lot more money to get fewer issues. So I'm bumping this up to try to get more people to see it, but there may not be anyone here who has anything to add that you don't already know about the specific units that would suit you. Best of luck finding the fridge that best suits you.

  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For clarification, when you say you want a depth of 33" or less, is that measured to front of the door or out to the leading edge of the door handles?

    Brands to stay away from? The the most recent member surveys at Consumer Reports show 1 in 2 of
    all current fridges made by Whirlpool (including those branded as Kitchenaid, Amana, &
    Maytag) will have a major functional problem in the first three years of
    ownership. CR is currently recommending against buying any of those
    brands of fridges. Most FD, bottom freezer, and SxS fridges are reportedly
    experiencing lesser problem rates of 1 in 4 or 1 in 3 according to the CR
    members.

    For reasons that CR has not explained, those statistics
    exclude fridges covered by extended warranties. A pretty grim outlook, eh?

    FWIW, my 5 y.o. Kitchenaid FD fridge (with no through-the-door dispensers) is frequently very full. Apart from once producing ice crystals in an open mushroom container against the back wall, it has not frozen anything else in the fridge compartment.

  • 9 years ago

    Not sure they have what you need dimension wise but we have an Electrolux and love it. FD/CD, no water in door, ice maker in freezer.

    I agree with above that all manufacturers have issues/lemons. It's a crap shoot.