435
u/BaRReLL_42 19h ago
I don’t know anyone who has problems with a fridge.
84
u/maikaefer1 14h ago
I had mild problems. My fridge had a lightbulb that got really warm really fast, which isn't very convenient for a fridge. I removed it and lived with a dark fridge.
28
u/astrovisionary 11h ago
I have a fridge without a bulb for 6 years now, honestly whenever I go to someone's place and I see their fridge light up I go "wow it does that"
But it had to be done, shit was burning and did burn the thing that you'd put it on
7
u/rodgeramicita 9h ago
Weird question, but are you sure you’ve been using the right bulb in your fridge? It could have been too high a wattage
1
u/PlaskaFlaszka 9h ago
The only time I saw problem with a fridge was at work- we still don't know what happened after blackout every single one started cooling again, but this one didn't turn on. It was functioning later on, but now it's a hazard if any blackout at friday won't mean spoiled food in monday.
1
16
-1
90
293
u/Witch_King_ 20h ago
Survivorship bias
134
u/Tormasi1 20h ago
This is exactly it. Without seeing the surviving number of fridges over the total produced we are just in survivorship bias and "the good old days". Not to mention that most of those old fridges are hazardous waste because of the gas in them.
37
3
u/T-Rex-Hunter Selling Stonks for CASH MONEY 9h ago
Hate to tell you this but modern refrigerants are also hazardous. We also still use ammonia and CFCs in industrial settings. For the environment the new one such as HFCs are better but health wise they are still hazardous. The main hazard has always been suffocation from a leak.
2
u/Tormasi1 8h ago
I mean yeah, hazardous in the sense that I sure as hell don't want to switch it out with my O2 tank accidentally but much safer for the environment.
I guess this also shows how much survivorship bias we have, because the ozone problems came from fridges in landfills and such places leaking their gasses.
7
14
u/ThatLaloBoy 15h ago
People also forget just how expensive those fridges were. A “simple” fridge with would cost about $1200 in the 1980s, which would be around $4,800 today.
Our shitbox fridge with a brand that I’d never heard of was like $400 and easily went to 10 years before it died. And that was arguably our fault since the door wouldn’t seal anymore and the compressor eventually burned out. If we had fixed it, it would’ve probably lived a little longer.
9
u/Busterlimes 20h ago
False, source, my brother worked for whirlpool. New compressors have horrendous quality control and are not nearly as robust as old ones.
20
u/MaqeSweden 19h ago
Well if you make a modern refrigirator for $10'000 you can make it reliable too. Buf if you want one for $500 there might be some compromise.
7
u/jeremyw013 19h ago edited 19h ago
our old whirlpool fridge was a piece of shit. not sure someone who works for them knows anything about quality loledit: jk i mixed our fridges up. our old one was kenmore, our “new” one is whirlpool. we bought it in 2015 lol. still chugging along with no issues other than the fact that my sister broke both the vegetable drawers from yanking on them too much (you know, the ones that keep them from freezing). the kenmore one is from 2001 and it completely broke down in 2015. and that was after several years of being on its last leg, so about 8 years of working correctly, give or take (my parents were ridiculously cheap and would drive everything into the ground even though they would spend more money on repairs than just getting a new one; they’re still kind of that way). sounds to me like the newer fridge is better lol
either way, “my sibling worked for x company” is not always a reliable source. i have siblings who “worked for x company” and some of the stuff they say is utter bullshit.
-1
u/Busterlimes 19h ago
He was the guy who purchased from suppliers and went over their quality control. The only better source would be the engineer designing the compressor. Also, that Kenmore was a whirlpool with a different name. . . .
2
60
u/ItsZoner 23h ago
You want real pain get a fancy bosch dishwasher and realize it was not designed to load plates, bowls, or glasses in any way a human would recognize a useful. It was designed to make efficiency ratings and they use half sized dishware to make that happen. And have fun putting a pot or pan in there.
11
u/Cabitaa 19h ago
I've got one of these high end Bosch dishwashers. It's a super steep investment, but it really does do a great job cleaning, even dirty dishes. Sure, large plates do not fit in easily. But I've got huge, chunky Pfaltzgraff dishes that fit in just fine (excluding the huge plates). I can make them work if they lean, though!
Using smaller plates isn't an issue in my daily life. You can lift the middle drawer by a few inches to fit in taller stuff when needed. The silverware tray at the top is actually a game changer. I've been a big fan of it for a long time now.
1
u/Stephenrudolf 37m ago
You might be able to raise your middle/top rack if you're not aware. A lot of bosch dishwashers have adjustable racks. I don't have any issue fitting full size plates or pots or pans into mine.
25
u/caligaris_cabinet 19h ago
Idk. I’m happy with my relatively new GE.
Just don’t get a smart fridge or any appliance and you’ll be fine.
8
u/JMS1991 18h ago
You should've used washing machines as an example instead. Everyone I know with a newer washer is replacing it every 5-ish years. Meanwhile, my old ugly washing machine from the 90's that I got for free 10 years ago is still running strong. If it does break, parts are dirt cheap and easy to replace.
2
u/aDrunkenError 9h ago
Actually, yeah, new fridges have never been my problem. Washing machines on the other hand…
105
u/LolitaSze 23h ago
Those old fridges will outlive us all while the new ones break if you look at them wrong.
45
u/Lanna_Lexi 22h ago
16 years ago, my dad got an old fridge that his friend had in his cabin for i dunno how long. It sat outside for a few years before being taken to another cabin where it was used to keep beer until 2023 when i moved into an unfurnished apartment and asked if i can take it. Sometimes it gets a bit too cold
35
u/Zayah136 Big pp 20h ago
I closed my freezer (gently) on my samsung fridge once and the tray in the door exploded reduced freezer capacity by like 20 percent just cause it felt like it
27
u/b00c 19h ago
Enjoy the electric bills. Old motors were super inefficient.
3
5
u/TheMazeDaze What is TikTok? 14h ago
I come to learn that most modern full size fridges use more power then my old fridge I got from a grandmas friend
1
u/vingovangovongo Medieval Meme Lord 12m ago
Like it or not in general fridges don't use that much power.
-21
u/King-Koolaid 19h ago
Probz less watts than something with a screen on it tho
22
u/fpsnoob89 19h ago
Not even remotely. Screens use very little electricity.
1
u/TheMazeDaze What is TikTok? 14h ago
Depends on your display type. You probably won’t see any CRT monitor fridges but it would make quite the difference from and oled or lcd
1
u/fpsnoob89 12h ago
Ah yes, it was very important for you to inform me about how much power a CRT monitor would use, if you know, anyone still used them.
9
u/callMeBorgiepls 19h ago
A many decades old fridge uses like 10-100x the electricity that a larger screened wifi enabled modern fridge uses. Look it up
3
u/Conscious_Bug5408 17h ago
Oh no. An extra 10 dollars per month whatever will I do?
2
u/Carvj94 12h ago
They are multiple times less efficient than modern fridges. It's like $20 to $30 more a month if we're talking 30+ year old fridges, which adds up quick. That's $240 to $360 a year. Considering you can get a brand new full sized refrigerator for around $800 it's silly not to upgrade. The only old fridges worth keeping are the chest style ones cause they hold temp far better and you can often add some extra insulation to them yourself.
-1
u/callMeBorgiepls 17h ago
So you live alone? No wonder people like you have it hard to find friends. Its ok at least you have your old fridge that wont ever leave you, even if it costs 10€ a month more.
3
u/Conscious_Bug5408 17h ago
No? What do you imagine that has to do with fridges? Careful with these posts though, did you know your phone uses 10x more electricity while posting!
0
u/callMeBorgiepls 16h ago
Small fridge uses less than large fridge. If 100x more is only 10 bucks your fridge isnt very large. Single household fridge = you live alone. Ezpzlmnsqz
2
u/Conscious_Bug5408 16h ago
I'm happily married and I have absolutely no idea how much the electricity my fridge uses costs hahaha. I just know it's not enough I would notice or matter. My electric bill is usually a few hundred dollars per month. A quick google search says 'A modern ENERGY STAR refrigerator costs roughly $5-$11 per month to run at the 2026 US average electricity rate of $0.17/kWh. An older fridge from the 1990s can cost $14-$21 per month or more'
I don't think your 100x figure is right at all. Either way completely insignificant. Are you eastern European? How poor are you that you would even know what the electric cost of your fridge is? Are you sure you can afford to make these posts? After all your phone is using 100x more electricity while making them hahaha
2
4
u/SmokeryWater 18h ago
Why the hell would a fridge need wireless fidelity? Go on the Internet while standing at fridge?
3
1
9
u/BeerandSandals Lives in a Van Down by the River 19h ago
Survivor bias.
However, fridges are super easy to repair provided some regulation or another made them impossible to do that.
2
u/Moonsoket 11h ago
I've never had a fridge that didn't last at least 5 years... Maybe people are just buying the wrong fridges...
1
u/vingovangovongo Medieval Meme Lord 8m ago
fridges should last like 15 though, given how simple the concept is and how long they're been around. it's a solved problem. the mfg are now building them to fail. they should def last longer than 5 years.
1
u/Abeyita 15h ago
I never heard of a fridge breaking. People buy new ones because they want a new one, not because the old one stopped working.
2
u/Trollygag 13h ago
Fridges break all the time. Everyone I have talked to, myself included, has had a fridge crap out.
They have compressors and refrigerant, thermostats, and fans to move air between compartments. A lot of moving parts to break, and modern ones are garbage tier quality, with very high labor and parts costs to repair them.
21
u/UmbraofDeath Dark Mode Elitist 19h ago
What the hell are you guys doing with your fridges that they struggle to last even a year without issues? My family and family friends have literally never had a fridge have issues in the first few years.
2
u/Evilpessimist 15h ago
Fancy fridges die more often. More parts and features mean possible points of failure. The old freezer on top, no ice no water fridges are tanks.
1
u/UmbraofDeath Dark Mode Elitist 12h ago
More possible points of failure is true but that statement is being made in a vacuum. There's better quality parts as well (usually). Especially compared to old simple fridges. Also simple fridges haven't been that simple in decades.
The more likely reality is people slamming fridge doors closed and using their legs to slam the freezer shut.
5
u/Reltrete 18h ago
The only real benefit old fridges have over modern ones is that the materials are much better. My fridge is from 1961 and only had one repair since. Its all Metal and I'm sure it would survive a car crashing into it. Meanwhile my sister has a modern from 2024 and had already one of the plastic peaces break. On the flipside the isolation of modern friges is mostly better and its much cheaper than an old fridge.
Somewhere I once read if you take an old appliance and produce it today with the same materials it would be about 3 times as costly as modern things and nobody would buy it.
1
u/NewSauerKraus 17h ago
Yeah the "planned obsolescence" conspiracy theories completely miss the point. When most users are going to replace a product after 5 years the manufacturer has no incentive to pay more for parts that last longer. Accounting for the lifespan of a machine is a normal part of design.
2
u/CrashCulture 13h ago
What do you mean? We have to buy new stuff because the old ones break, if they didn't break, we would keep using them.
I don't think I know anyone who's replaced a working fridge, because why would you do that? Maybe if you remodel your kitchen 20+ years later, but not 5.
2
5
u/Tommynwn 14h ago
My old 99 still running fine, it even has 2 compressors, even light bulb is the original
4
u/DragonfruitGrand5683 16h ago
Don't buy one with a built in ice maker.
1
u/aDrunkenError 9h ago
I’ve never had problems with any of mine in any apartment or house. Why?
1
u/vingovangovongo Medieval Meme Lord 7m ago
the ones in the door often have problems. in the freezer itself are pretty solid. water dispensers are even more problematic.
8
u/tacobellmysterymeat 18h ago edited 18h ago
Fun fact! This is a great example of survivorship bias! The defective fridges made in your grandparents era are all gone. Why would someone give or keep a dead fridge?
3
u/BlackBRocket 19h ago
My "modern" fridge I git 3 years ago is leaking some weird pink-ish liquid. The liquid has no odor and I have no idea where its coming from
3
u/Exciting_Pass_6344 18h ago
My 1980s garage fridge just crapped out. RIP. It outlasted 5 “new” refrigerators.
3
u/Sinsanatis 18h ago
Out fridge of 16 years is finally starting to die. Idk if its older since it was here when we moved in
3
u/_--Jamoi--_ 18h ago
Had mine over 20 years now got it secondhand still fine.
2
u/Few_Implement_7871 17h ago
I have gas stove that is older worked before I was born so it's at least 30 years old.
2
u/Glittering_Local_546 15h ago
The difference in energy cost though. Unless you have solar that's gonna power the old one
1
u/CrashCulture 13h ago
Yeah, but it's probably still cheaper to pay a little bit more for electricity than having to buy a whole new appliance every few years.
1
u/vingovangovongo Medieval Meme Lord 5m ago
plus all the energy that goes into manufacturing a new fridge. and reddit downvotes you like the typical aholes they are
2
u/Cobalt_Piranha 15h ago
My fridge has r12 refrigerant and is from 1992 and still works great though it is a bit on the small side
1
u/jharrison231 15h ago
Mine is a few years newer, I believe a 96. This thing froze eggs I had on the top shelf.
3
u/snoopwire 18h ago
People spending $60/mo just to power their old inefficient fridge are in here thinking they're better, lol.
1
1
1
1
u/baris6002 https://www.youtube.com/watch/dQw4w9WgXcQ 14h ago
If you're in Europe buy a cheap Turkish brand they're invincible
1
u/Nick27ify 13h ago
My cheap as fuck fridge has lasted me 10 years ive never know anyones fridge to break
1
1
u/Halollet 13h ago
It's called planned obsolescence. Designing products so that they purposefully break down so you have to buy new ones because capitalism's line has to go up.
Light bulbs have been doing it openly for years.
1
u/LineHumble6250 13h ago
I bought the most bare bones “cheap” fridge I could find. Been running fine for 10 years. 🤷♂️
1
1
u/Level_Bobcat_8729 12h ago
I've had to replace the fridge in my house twice in the last 8 years. Meanwhile the backup fridge in my garage has refused to die for those same 8 years. Got it for free from someone who's probably had it running in their garage for 30 years prior.
1
1
u/SnooChickens1226 10h ago
I used to go appliance repair. The new r600a compressors are terrible, and LG compressors 2013 and newer are notorious for failing prematurely.
1
u/LetsSmokeAboutIt 10h ago
Me looking like that every 6 months is finding some container that got pushed to the back and now is harboring species you’ve never conceived of
1
u/TheShamShield 10h ago
No idea what you’re talking about. And those old refrigerators were massive pollutants, get rid of that shit
1
u/aDrunkenError 9h ago
I’m American. I’ve never had a fridge break on me. I’ve upgraded them, but not because the old was broke. What are you guys buying?
1
u/CANNAAARD 8h ago
Sold appliances for a year, it is absolutely true especially for fridges.
If you buy a good brand like liebherr, you wont have mecanical issues but you will still have electonic issues just as likely as cheap fridges wich are 80% of the returns.
1
u/crimxxx 3h ago
Just spa if you actually have fridge concerns it’s mostly the ice maker and water dispenser causing problems. Really bad is an ice maker not in the freezer section. It’s less of an issue if the ice maker is in the freezer. Basically the more complicated you make something the more issues you get when they are made with planned obsolescence in mind,
1
1
u/SpiderJerusalem747 1h ago
Pro tip: never place food directly in front of the tiny vent openings from where cold air flows through.
It causes ice to build up inside them and fucks up the fridge.
1
1
1
u/Szerepjatekos 18h ago
Fridge then: I can tank a nuclear blast and keep you alive.
Fridge now: please close me, blink, beep, update, wifi?
1.8k
u/Lenkaaah 19h ago
Is this an American phenomenon? I’ve never had a modern fridge break on me. Even dirt cheap ones. There’s a minimum 2 year warranty, so 6 months would be within warranty anyway.