Probably need to replace the fridge?

[WillTravelForFood]

Been monitoring our 10yr old fridge with three different fridge thermometers for the last few (weeks? months?) because something just didn't seem right.

First: YAY THERMOWORKS! They have decent fridge thermometers

Today, saw a temp swing from 50 degrees to 32 degrees. When it was at 50, hit the "power cool" button, and waited. Took about 10m for the compressor to kick in (up to that point, the fridge had been kinda quiet. Unusually quiet.

It got to 32. Now it's back up to 45-ish. Temped some water that was in a pitcher, and it matched temp-wise.

We figure it's about time for something new. What do you think? Right choice, or should we consider other options?

[PNWsmoke]

Seals on door?

[Dan Deter]

I'm guessing yes, replace, since the compressor doesn't seem to be kicking in when it should. I would also wonder about the temps in the garage. I'm at the time of year when I need to adjust my settings again (I have to adjust it seasonally to prevent it from getting to warm in the summer or freezing items in the winter). I wish consumer fridges let you set an actual temperature instead of a dial reading 1-6 (or 7 or 8).

[jfmorris]

If this is your main fridge in the house - yeah, sounds like time to replace. They just don't make them like they used to, as far as durability. A buddy of mine has a 1950's upright fridge in his garage that just keeps going and going...

If its a secondary fridge in a garage, and the garage is warmer due to weather changes, then the advice above about tweaking the settings applies. I have two kegerators in the garage, and using the built in thermostat means chasing the proper 38F beer temp I want with seasonal tweaking of the built in thermostat, with a water bottle and my thermopen as the arbitrator of whether its set where I want it. Fixing to get a couple of Inkbird temp controllers to control the temp instead.

[gboss]

"They just don't make them like they used to, as far as durability"
I would not rule out survivorship bias.
Additionally, refrigerators are much less expensive now, in inflation adjusted dollars, which significantly skews the repair/replace decision. A modest 1952 refrigerator @$329 ($3700 today) was much more likely to have a repair done than a $900 refrigerator today.
Energy savings ROI was ~7y for my late '90s fridge, so I'd bet he's paying more in the long run...

[gboss]

"Between 1987 and 2010, real prices of refrigerators decreased by about 35% while
average energy use decreased by more than 50%"

https://www.aceee.org/sites/default/files/publications/researchreports/a132.pdf

[jfmorris]

gboss sure - there is survivorship bias in seeing that a 1952 fridge is still working in 2023. Most were long ago in land fills - even if repairable, they were rusted out, or not big enough, or nice enough, compared to more modern devices. It's only in recent years that folks would want an old curvy 1952 fridge with limited freezer space, for nostalgia.

The main reason the old units lasted longer was thicker metal in the coils and heavier duty motors. All things that decrease efficiency...

[STEbbq]

New fridges are 2k. It sounds like at least a appliance repairman call would be worth it?

[WayneT]

I’d say time to replace.

What brand is your fridge? We have made a decision to ‘de-Samsung’ our kitchen in favor of other brands. The dw was the first to be replaced with a Bosch. Next will be the fridge due to some recurrent icing around the refrigerant coils that the cooling fan blades hit and makes an annoying sound. I’m just not confident in their large appliances anymore.

[gboss]

Our Samsung stove burner knobs were ridiculously low quality. Cheap-ass plastic with a big ole fender washer in there to make them feel weighty. Surprise, the washer didn't keep the plastic from cracking around the stems. garbagio.

[Sdell]

I had a Samsung that constantly iced up and made the same annoying sound when the fan hit the ice. Drove me nuts. The ice maker also would jam up even after replacing the entire ice maker unit. Samsung refused to admit anything was wrong with the design and would not do anything after the ridiculously short warranty had expired. After only for years I gave up. Avoid Samsung large appliances at all costs. I got an LG as a replacement. It has been fine so far but it has only been two years.

[Bkhuna]

I was a victim of the Great Samsung Ice Machine Mass-a-cre a couple of years ago and it took everything short of a court fight to get them to replace a defective fridge. They knowingly installed bad ice machines in several years production of fridges.

I won't have another Samsung appliance in my house (including TV's).

[WillTravelForFood]

It's main fridge, in kitchen

We've had good success with Samsung over the last 15-20 years.

We've checked door seals but didn't seem anything weird

[Steve B]

Either new fridge or relocate to Antartica.

[Donw]

Have you vacuumed and cleaned the coils? Is the rear of the fridge closer to the wall than the manual recommends? Your manual should provide instructions on how to clean the coils. These are fairly easy steps that might help before spending money on a new one, which nowadays, will cost twice as much for half the quality of your older model.

[HawkerXP]

Be sure to pull the plug before any cleaning.

[Oak Smoke]

I’d be very uncomfortable with a fridge temp of 50 F. The food in it could spoil much sooner. Good luck with the repairman those guys are busy and have to order parts most of the time. I have a friend who owns an appliance business. When he steps out the door on Monday morning he is booked for the week. I can’t imagine what it would be like in an area with more people than we have here. I’d start shopping around for a new one.

[captainlee]

Friends just went through this with LG. No parts available for a 10.yr old frig compressor. A simple part but not available . Service told them to replace it.

[FireMan]

Yup, throw it out & get a new one! Ya need any help selectin a new one, cuz we’ll have tons of opinions.

[Red Man]

I’d say not to bother calling a repair company. Even if they can fix it you’d likely be looking at a bill that’s at least half the cost of a new one. I would verify the coils are both clear and if they are, then replace it. At least make sure the coil on the bottom or back is clean.

[WillTravelForFood]

A quick jaunt to a handful of local places tells us theres a lot of bad fridge designers out there


We aren't asking for much, but apparently what we DO want isn't mainstream enough to warrant a unit on the sales floor.

[gboss]

What are the freezer temps like? Are they normal-ish?

https://www.nelaappliancerepair.com/blog/why-is-my-samsung-refrigerator-warm-but-freezer-cold/

The evaporator fan or damper sound like fairly easy fixes. I presume you would have noticed a hunk of ice on the evaporator coils by now.

It could also be a malfunctioning temperature sensor or control board, I would imagine.

[WillTravelForFood]

Freezer seems normal-ish

[jfmorris]

I dealt with both those failures. The current side by side had iced over coils in the freezer side, but I didn't know it as they were covered by a shield. Once I emptied the freezer and took out 4 screws, that metal shield at the back exposed the issue. Ultimate cause was dust and dog hair build up on the coils under the fridge.

On another fridge, I had to replace the damper solenoid that opened the damper to let cold air from the freezer into the fridge. Easy DIY fix.