4 ms·

To a refrigerator dying young

6 points by pgrote 8y ago

nanis 8y ago
> Nor can I decide that I’d like to trade higher electricity bills for a longer life span; the government has already made that decision for me. Frustratingly, it’s not even clear that this is good for the environment, because it takes quite a lot of energy and materials to manufacture the appliances we’re regularly throwing away.
cmurf 8y ago
Simplistically, there are three eras worth considering. -Ancient refrigerators with mediocre seals and energy sucking compressors. -Modern refrigerators circa 15 years ago, with efficient compressors, good seals, no frost. -Today's technocraptasmic refrigerators. A refrigerator that boots, emails, needs firmware updates, takes photos? This immediately turns me into a "get off my lawn" jerk. I see it as tech gone awry, causing regressions, and not improving people's lives. Yeah, let's pay more for nonsensical complicated crap that will break sooner. Are we bored out of our minds? Back to the modern refrigerator: those compressors stand a good chance of lasting 20 years, as will all the duct work and seals if you keep them clean. And really there are a handful of mass produced models, that end up getting skinned by many companies who don't make refrigerators. They're the Toyota of refrigerators, you can find new replacement parts easily. The most common point of failure, is the compressor starter relay. I've replaced several, which just so happened to be the exact same Whirlpool part for a Kenmore refrigerator, and a Kitchen Aid refrigerator. They probably made millions of that base refrigerator and then skinned it. ~$40 part. Need a new refrigerator? You might find a used one someone's getting rid of that "doesn't cool, makes clicking sound" and at worst it's actually a bad compressor and it'll cost you $350 but last 20 years. Chances are it's the starter relay.
smileypete 8y ago
— the kind that quietly chug along decade after decade while needing only minor repairs — really are a thing of the past There's plenty of them out there, they're only a thing of the past for those that must have the typical massive american style fridge with all the frippery. For an american style fridge which will last, choose from the likes of Liebherr or Panasonic, but they are not cheap. Tip - door seals are often symmetrical so with a split at the top edge, simply turn it 180° so the split is at the bottom unseen. Tip 2 - tomatoes and strawberries slowly lose flavour when refrigerated; stored outside the fridge they should taste that bit better.

6 points by pgrote 8y ago

> Nor can I decide that I’d like to trade higher electricity bills for a longer life span; the government has already made that decision for me. Frustratingly, it’s not even clear that this is good for the environment, because it takes quite a lot of energy and materials to manufacture the appliances we’re regularly throwing away.

cmurf 8y ago

Simplistically, there are three eras worth considering. -Ancient refrigerators with mediocre seals and energy sucking compressors. -Modern refrigerators circa 15 years ago, with efficient compressors, good seals, no frost. -Today's technocraptasmic refrigerators. A refrigerator that boots, emails, needs firmware updates, takes photos? This immediately turns me into a "get off my lawn" jerk. I see it as tech gone awry, causing regressions, and not improving people's lives. Yeah, let's pay more for nonsensical complicated crap that will break sooner. Are we bored out of our minds? Back to the modern refrigerator: those compressors stand a good chance of lasting 20 years, as will all the duct work and seals if you keep them clean. And really there are a handful of mass produced models, that end up getting skinned by many companies who don't make refrigerators. They're the Toyota of refrigerators, you can find new replacement parts easily. The most common point of failure, is the compressor starter relay. I've replaced several, which just so happened to be the exact same Whirlpool part for a Kenmore refrigerator, and a Kitchen Aid refrigerator. They probably made millions of that base refrigerator and then skinned it. ~$40 part. Need a new refrigerator? You might find a used one someone's getting rid of that "doesn't cool, makes clicking sound" and at worst it's actually a bad compressor and it'll cost you $350 but last 20 years. Chances are it's the starter relay.

smileypete 8y ago

— the kind that quietly chug along decade after decade while needing only minor repairs — really are a thing of the past There's plenty of them out there, they're only a thing of the past for those that must have the typical massive american style fridge with all the frippery. For an american style fridge which will last, choose from the likes of Liebherr or Panasonic, but they are not cheap. Tip - door seals are often symmetrical so with a split at the top edge, simply turn it 180° so the split is at the bottom unseen. Tip 2 - tomatoes and strawberries slowly lose flavour when refrigerated; stored outside the fridge they should taste that bit better.