The cold facts about aging refrigerators

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Published Date 5/21/2019

When you moved in 20 years ago it was new. It was gleaming. Its glass shelves reflected the excitement with which you chose it among the dozens of models on the floor of the appliance store. But now it's sweating and leaking. It's cycling on and off, letting you know that it's badly in need of repair or, worse, should be replaced.

With a major appliance like this, whether you repair or replace it is a matter of dollars and cents — or perhaps sense. If it costs you half the original price of the unit to fix it might be time to say goodbye, replacing it with a new, more efficient model, according to Consumer Reports, whose web site offers repair-or-replace timelines for appliances.

No one will tell you this when you buy one, but Consumer Reports also says that a side-by-side refrigerator with an ice maker is more than twice as repair-prone as top-or bottom-freezer models without an ice maker. They cite a report in which more than 27,000 subscribers reported the issues they had with more than 53,00 broken appliances, electronics, lawn equipment, and more. Ice makers seem to be the culprit, with the repair rate at 36 percent for side-by-sides and 28 percent for top-bottom models. Bottom freezers without an ice maker? 15 percent.

But what about the expensive built-in you had installed that fits seamlessly into your kitchen and looks as if it's part of the cabinetry? The report admits they are worth repairing. Forbes writer Stacy Freed talks about how her Sub-Zero gave out and she called the "Appliance Whisperer" to diagnose the problem. He placed his tool bag on the floor and opened the unit, finding the original product information seal. He asked Freed if she knew how old the unit was. She admitted that all she knew was the brand name and that it was in place when she bought the house 5 years earlier. Oh. And that it matched her cabinetry. He pointed to a small sticker on the inside of the freezer. It read, "NOV86."

According to Sears Home Services, a typical refrigerator has a life span of 10 to 13 years. But Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove (according to their representatives) say their products should last at least 20 years, with some still in existence at 50 years old. You can extend the life of a refrigerator by keeping it clean to reduce the chances of accumulating bacteria, make sure there is proper ventilation around the outside and the inside (built-ins have vents), and don't overcrowd it.

Today's models use less energy than older refrigerators and, since they're on all the time, a new one can save you money in the long run. Look for tears, gaps or air leaks in the door gaskets; change your water filter and clean the dust off the condenser coils a couple of times a year. Signs the big guy has got to go include the need for constant repairs, excessive condensation, the motor is running hot, it's really loud, and its energy efficiency is making your monthly utility bills higher than they should be. Refrigerators are one of the highest energy-consuming appliances in your home.

You can find out just how inefficient your unit is with the EPA's handy-dandy calculator, which can be programmed with the type of fridge you have (side by side, French door, model year, capacity, and your own state's electricity price per kilowatt. The calculation lets you know approximately how much you spend annually on electricity for your fridge and how much you will save in dollars and carbon pollution over five years. In Freed's case she was paying $881 for a unit that was putting out 2,510 pounds of carbon pollution over five years.

A lot of repairs can still be made on all brands of refrigerators, but it comes down to cost. Most people will repair a fridge it's $300 or less—and that could cover fans, motors, some electrical devices. But if it's a problem with a sealed system like Freed's, you might be looking at a repair that's half the cost of a new fridge.

She considered that in 1986 her Sub-Zero had cost the original owner of her home $3,000 — a lot of money back then. To buy a similar-style Sub-Zero replacement now, she was looking at something north of $10,000. So in the end, she had her repairman clean the coils and install a new compressor. It took a few hours of labor and $900 later, her older, high-end fridge was fixed. Fortunately Sub-Zero keeps parts on hand for 15 to 20 years — a good, long time, but it's also a reason to stock up on a few parts and be ahead of the game.

Source: Consumer Reports, Forbes, TBWS

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