New Refrigerators

Yeah, that's something that worries me about my new refrigerator. Will it last more than a year or two? Are they now designed, to die right after the warranty expires? Most everybody seems to say that the new refrigerators don't last as long. I would have kept my old one, except that even turning the defrost timer knob once or twice daily, didn't seem to convince it to defrost anymore. Funny, that evaporator coil doesn't cool the refrigerator part very well, once it turns into a solid block of ice. Must be the last of airflow.

I read my new refrigerator manual, or maybe the sales person said something about the compressor working harder or running faster, than the old ones? So do the make the compressors "smaller" in some way, and then make them work harder, for efficiency supposedly, or to make them wear themselves out faster?

My refrigerator manual had a whole page, talking about the normal noises that the refrigerator can be expected to make. And it makes funny noises, especially after the compressor starts up. What are they? Thermal expansion or contraction? And why does the manual say that hearing the ocassional hiss from defrost water hitting the heating element, is normal? I would think the element shouldn't be in the path of dripping water? What? No room to move it to the side or something?

My new refrigerator works great now, but why must I wait 5 years, just to see if it is a piece of junk?

BTW, within the 63 1/2 inch height restriction imposed by the cupboards above, I still had to get a refrigerator with the coils on the back, rather than the fan underneath, and I understand the coils on the back need around 3 inches of clearance for proper ventilation. If they can't vent the heat, then the evaporator won't cool so well, and the refrigerator will run and run. But I couldn't see whether the coils were jammed against the power cord plug back there. The new refrigerators have the extra grouding pin on the plug, and old kitchens don't have that kind of outlet, so a "cheater" plug must be added, making it stick out all the more. No room to scoot back behind to see. And I don't like to lose sleep wondering about such questions. So I found a small mirror, only but a couple of inches long, and a flashlight, and once angled right, I could see it so clearly. Not quite touching. What a relief.

And although a "simple" refrigerator may seem simple, isn't it amazing to count all the electrical circuits one can expect to find in a "simple" refrigerator:

1. The compressor
2. The evaporator fan, and possible condenser fan
3. Is there a relay circuit to turn on the compressor, triggered by the thermostat?
4. The inside light or lights
5. The heating strip around the doors. Without it, or when it goes bad, the door "sweats" from condensation around the rubber gasket, making nasty mildew and rust. I saw on a big pricy model, some switch or mode to reduce power to the heating strip, and a caution about turning it back to full power, if condensation is observed.
6. The optional ice maker hookup

 

P.S. I don't think the heater strip around the doors, uses all that much electricity compared to what the energy-consuming compressor does. It's not "hot," but merely adds a wee bit of heat, to drive away the cold from such problem areas. The light bulb(s) make a lot more heat, but generally, they aren't on very long. But they are on all the time, in supermarket refrigerators, so that would be a prime place to switch to LED lights to conserve electricity, in a place where so many lights, really add up. BTW, the refrigerator uses more electricity than any other kitchen appliance, although newer models seem to use less than older ones. I notice my newer refrigerator doesn't seem to run and run so much, as the old one did.

 

My new refridge from best buy has a tv in it. What you know bout that? haha