How do y'all feel about Frigidaire vs. GE vs. Whirlpool

[MotorSeven]

Since 2012, we are now on refrigerator #5. After the 3rd one I discovered that the neutral line that is on our grid circuit had been laying on the ground for years & the power company knew about it. So, the first 3 were most likely compromised with frequent brown downs. We went thru a LG, a Samsung, and two Kenmore's(one of them was a warranty).

The last Kenmore lasted around 5 years. The repair tech who condemned our older fridge told us that none of them made now are expected to live over 4 years. He also said to buy one with no fancy features, ice maker in freezer-not fridge side(yes they make them) & no thru the door options. So that was what we did.

So a week ago to replace the Kenmore, we bought a scratch and dent GE from Home Desperate. All others had to be ordered, and it was the only one we could take home that day & it was cheapest at $1K.

Personally I think the R600a Freon combined with aluminium coils is just a bad idea....and we are paying for it.

 

[5030]

If I'm not mistaken (and sometimes I am), all of the brands you mentioned are made by the same company, just with different badging and price.

I used to deliver steel to Whirlpool in Clyde, Ohio and you'd be amazed watching the finished assembly line as the names change on the machines.

They do have an excellent cafeteria there for employees and delivering carriers as well and I always made sure I was delivering right around lunch time so I could get my lunch there.

W'Pool also has a plant just north of Findlay, Ohio right next door to Ball Corp. Ball makes among other things, canning jars and lids. Used to deliver to Ball as well but mostly, W'Pool. I also have to say the employees at W'Pool go out of their way to be friendly and helpful. Nice plants, nice folks too.

The do plant tours at Clyde if you are interested. It's a huge facility and so clean you can eat off the floor.

Unloading was by appointment only but they never held you to it. It was always first come, first unloaded and unloading was a snap too. Baack in, unchain your load and in a minute or 2, it was unloaded.

When you deliver there, their material has to go on special skids supplied by them so their unloading machines can unload them from your truck. All done with optics and automated unloading machines and when they picked a rack up of material, it went into a specific area immediately and the machine came back for another lift. Pretty neat stuff and excellent inventory control as well.

 

[5030]

I had one of those old Maytags that never quit. I finally had to get rid of it when I couldn’t find a control panel knob to repair it.

Flea Bay is loaded with parts. I have an ancient MayTag wringer machine that I wash my shop towels in and the agitator cracked and there were about 10 on Flea Bay to choose from. It's one of the ones that came with a gas motor but a previous owner converted it to electric. Still does the job but of course it needs manual input.

 

[jyoutz]

Flea Bay is loaded with parts. I have an ancient MayTag wringer machine that I wash my shop towels in and the agitator cracked and there were about 10 on Flea Bay to choose from. It's one of the ones that came with a gas motor but a previous owner converted it to electric. Still does the job but of course it needs manual input.

Yeah, that was 20 years ago and I just tried the appliance parts people. Regardless, I think the new Speed Queens are still made as well as those old Maytags. They boast an average 25 year service life. They are definitely heavier than the other brands.

 

[ponytug]

Since 2012, ...

Personally I think the R600a Freon combined with aluminium coils is just a bad idea....and we are paying for it.

What does R600A do to aluminum? Isobutane isn't an obviously corrosive material to me. You can't use brass connectors with R600A due to corrosion, but I thought Aluminum is inert to it.

All the best,

Peter

 

[ultrarunner]

About 6 years ago bought a $150 table top ice maker for the RN station…

I figured if it lasts a year we are good.

No complaints form me and propane refrigerant…

 

[ning]

We've got front-loader wash & dry, and the (LG) washer's filter & drain port are near the bottom. Never been a problem for me because the washer & dryer are both on top of a shelf we built; laundry baskets, extra detergent & bleach fit under the wash & dry and the doors are at very convenient heights.

Most washers & dryers can be bought with drawer units that go under them now, with the higher end units often color-matched. We went with the shelf concept for better use of the space underneath, plus the shelf is a few inches higher than the drawer units typically are.

 

[gsganzer]

I'll look into the Speed Queen's next time I'm in the market for a washer/dryer.

 

[MotorSeven]

What does R600A do to aluminum? Isobutane isn't an obviously corrosive material to me. You can't use brass connectors with R600A due to corrosion, but I thought Aluminum is inert to it.

All the best,

Peter

I don't know, but most failures are Freon leaks...it's getting out someplace.

 

[jyoutz]

I'll look into the Speed Queen's next time I'm in the market for a washer/dryer.

They have an online dealer locator. They only sell at appliance stores, not big box stores like HD or Lowes.