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WWYD: New Refrigerator or Repair?
Our fridge blows. I noticed recently that it didn't seem as cold as it should be - water, milk, etc is not as cold as it should be. We've defrosted it and I vacuumed out a lot of dust, but it's still not cold enough. (Temperature is reading about 55 degrees.) So, here's my questions:
1. Any other trouble shooting/issues that it could be that I could fix myself?
2. I'm limited as far as repair options, so just to have someone come look at it will be $75. Worth it?
3. Should we spring for a new one?
The appliances that came with our house are Whirlpool, and I think all of them are kind of lousy. Our oven gets about 10 degrees hotter than the selected temperature. The dishwasher is okay, but it takes f.o.r.e.v.e.r. to finish a cycle. It's like 2 and a half hours. If we do get new appliances, we'll probably buy Kenmore.
TIA.
Re: WWYD: New Refrigerator or Repair?
BTW - the freezer works fine.
Also, FWIW, Whirlpool is one of Kenmore's suppliers, so if you hate the whirlpool, you will want to do you research:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/appliances/news/who-actually-makes-all-those-appliances/overview/index.htm
Ditto all PP, unless it's less than 5 yrs old, I would just replace. We have a Kenmore french door (freezer on bottom) and love it.
The only trouble shooting I can think of in the interim would be to check your vents/filter (thingy) - it may not be getting enough air flow.
Ditto pps--if it's older, I'd buy new. You could possibly get a good deal if you bought a bundle of new appliances (frig, oven & dishwasher). It'd be a chunk of change but with financing options, it could work out. Plus, on the bright side... new appliances, yay!
This.
There was an article in Real Simple awhile ago (like 2 years ago) that said that if your fridge is more than 10 years old and you replace it with a comparably-sized new model, you'll save enough in energy costs to pay for the new fridge in 2 years.
I used that article as justification for replacing all the appliances in our old condo, which all still worked but were 20+ years old. It made a huge difference in our electric bill. After seeing how much our electric bills went down, we found that it would probably take more like 3.5 years to save enough on the electric bill to cover the cost of the 3 appliances. Still a good savings!
Our current house came with Whirlpool appliances, and I also think they're lousy.
I would check Consumer Reports to get ideas on the best options for new ones ... and read consumer reviews where you can find them. It's easy to find reviews on sears.com or bestbuy.com - not that you have to buy at those stores, but you can read reviews there.
Mr. Sammy Dog
Born 37w4d on 09/27/11 - 5lbs 10oz 19 inches
You can also save money on new if you don't mind scratches or small dings. Appliance paint is cheap!
We got a new fridge that was a) a floor model and b) dented on the back corner from Lowes for about a third of the sticker price (plus I talked them into more off since there was some damage higher up from when they obviously tightened the appliance dolly too much and indented the edges further). It is going into a slot with cabinets on both sides so nobody will ever see the dings. Our electric usage dropped noticeably when we got rid of the old one.