Refrigerator Issue

[SARGE67]

Our "plain Jane" Maytag fridge has been noticeably starting and stopping every few seconds before kicking in and settling down and cooling just fine. Doesn't do it on every cycle but enough to notice. For all I know it's been doing it for a long time, but I began paying attention a month ago. We wouldn't lose much if it completely died. We only keep 6-7 ice packs in freezer, an occasional bag of ice from 7-11, no food. The lower fridge basically just wine, beer, cheese, hummus, and fruits and veggies, maybe leftovers at times. She wants a new fridge, nothing fancy dancy or side-by-side stainless steel. Any opinions on brands to avoid? Price really isn't an issue. A friend says stay away from LG and Samsung appliances.

Thanks

 

[gasgas]

Starting relay is most likely the problem
Or a defrost issue
Starting relay are fairly cheap and probably get one online
Sears still has a parts lookup with the model number

 

[Brains]

I've seen a LOT of people report problems with LG and Samsung fridges, but ... I dare say this, but ... Our Samsung is still going strong after almost 14 years. No idea what I would buy today, good luck. They don't seem to build them for longevity.

 

[Fishkiller]

Wife hated LG and Samsung stuff seems to break faster. We have a Kitchenaide and it is OK not great. Seems all the newer stuff all have to be connected to the “smart” home

 

[Texasjack]

Watched a video about what refrigerators to buy and which to avoid. The bottom line was that ALL OF THEM being built right now are JUNK.

The only thing you can do is to try to avoid things that have a high breakdown rate, like "ice through the door" (which is nearly 100% chance of breaking).

I've noticed that the little fridges are all using propane now instead of Freon. That way they can not only break down but also burn down your house as well.

 

[dsgrey]

Our LG is 4yo. Big fridge with ice maker but none of that "in door" stuff since every brand seems to have issues after a year. I've also read stories about LG and Samsung having issues but knock on wood, ours has been problem free.

 

[TipBledsoe]

I second the notion that all brands are junk now days. You have the right idea about it by avoiding the fancy to hopefully get better performance.

 

[striker55]

They don't make appliances to last. Stay away from LG our 5 year old stainless refrigerator compressor went out. Luckily LG paid for the compressor but we foot the bill for the labor. Plus the motherboard board was replaced, ice maker not working and door alarm had to be shut off.

 

[Tnhawk]

Haven't had any problems with the LG I have now. It replaced a GE which was about 15 years old with a broken ice maker. The previous owner left a LG when we bought the house and it is used in the garage.

 

[striker55]

Haven't had any problems with the LG I have now. It replaced a GE which was about 15 years old with a broken ice maker. The previous owner left a LG when we bought the house and it is used in the garage.

Probably an older model to last longer. Their was a class action law suite over the compressor issue. Which we missed by a few months.

 

[thequintessentialman]

Watched a video about what refrigerators to buy and which to avoid. The bottom line was that ALL OF THEM being built right now are JUNK.

The only thing you can do is to try to avoid things that have a high breakdown rate, like "ice through the door" (which is nearly 100% chance of breaking).

I've noticed that the little fridges are all using propane now instead of Freon. That way they can not only break down but also burn down your house as well.

Propane is an efficient refrigerant and appliances don't hold that much (one of the reasons so hard to work on). Some of the new "freon" mandated by the feds starting next year are moderately flammable. I'm not sure what that means...



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[Texasgordo]

 

[Mowingmaniac 24/7]

Our first year of owning a Kenmore Elite (now 18 years old) it stopped working correctly...no, at this point I don't recall the fine details.

My wife called an appliance service man.

He took one look and declared: A chip needed to be replaced, gave us the part no. and said he didn't have one in his inventory, but we could buy it online. He didn't charge us a thing, the rarest of things...an honest man.

We did...if I recall correctly, it cost all of $45.00 and was soon installed by my wife and Voila', it's been running like a champ since.

 

[oldag]

There are only four or five manufacturers. They just stick different labels on them.

 

[1911'S 4 Me]

There are only four or five manufacturers. They just stick different labels on them.

Same as washing machines and dryers.

 

[thequintessentialman]

Same as washing machines and dryers.

Same with a lot of appliances; check out lawn mowers...

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[MountainGirl]

My only suggestion is to get one that DOES NOT go online - nor talks/communicates with any device/appliance that can.

 

[gasgas]

But no one has offered a solution for fixing the problem
Still the start relay is the first thing to check; if there is power to compressor
Also LG and Samsung are junk

 

[skfullgun]

I have had good experience with Kenmore and Frigidaire.

When I bought my current home, the former owners left a side-by-side Frigidaire in the kitchen. At the time, I was still working in the Houston area, and driving from Laporte to East Texas on an almost weekly basis. The “ice/water through the door” did not work. Neither did the icemaker - which I later removed and just bought ice trays. It was just fine for a weekend place and I actually kept it for the first two years I lived here full-time.

I figured it was about 15 years old at the time. It still kept food cold/frozen and it was just me - so no complaints from a Mrs. Then, it started “peeing on the floor “about once a month with no warning, I would walk by and step in a huge pool of water in front of the refrigerator about once a month. I researched and tried everything and nothing worked. So, I put a towel in front of it and just threw the towel in the washing machine when it had soaked up that months “pee”.

I finally got tired of that and bought another Frigidaire that Conn’s had on sale - a SS side by side - no door access, no ice maker, for about $900 tax and delivery included. I’ve had it about two years and, so far, it has worked flawlessly with zero issues.

When the new one arrived, I moved the old fridge out onto the patio, transferred my refrigerated groceries into the new one once it cooled down, and left the original one unplugged for about two weeks.

Talking to a friend of mine after I had gotten the new fridge, she said she had the same problem with her Samsung refrigerator and struggled with it for months. Repair man told her that it was an issue with the thawing feature on many refrigerators, and to unplug it for at least 24 hours. Once she plugged it back in, she no longer had the problem with it peeing on the floor..

Guess what, I plugged in my old “porch” Frigidaire and it has been running for almost 2 years without ever peeing on the floor again!

Many of today’s appliances and gadgets can be restored by a reset. You might want to try it on that faulty fridge.

Sorry for the long post…

My power is currently “off” and I just stuck my zero-turn in the ditch - so I had a few minutes….

 

[Mowingmaniac 24/7]

Skf,

I really appreciate your 'fridge' post.

Good read and maybe help someone out...

Thanks for doing it!