Major Appliances

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,511
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Horsens, Denmark
Must have been a small side by side, or really large pizzas. :confused:

I don't think this problem requires outliers. A typical pizza is...16" across? An entire (typical) fridge has an exterior dimension of 36". Subtracting (conservatively) 6" for cladding and insulation, even if the freezer section was the same width as the fridge (I haven't seen one that is), it wouldn't fit flat.
 

Bozo

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Feb 12, 2002
Messages
4,396
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Twilight Zone
If my memory is working correctly, side by side refrigerators are the least efficient. And a real pain to get things in and out of.
 

BingBangBop

Storage is cool
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
667
I access the refrigerator the most, so it must be the most convenient. That means it should to be at eye-level (i.e. on the top). Further, since cold air is heavier than warm, putting the freezer on the bottom should be slightly more efficient energy wise. However, here are other factors that are probably much more important than freezer placement in determining efficiency like how much insulation, compressor design, and even the quality of the door seals. So really it is the fact that I want the refrigerator at eye level rather than the freezer that is the most important factor to me.
 

e_dawg

Storage Freak
Joined
Jul 19, 2002
Messages
1,903
Location
Toronto-ish, Canada
We just bought a whole set of high end appliances, so i can share some of my findings...

- Samsung VRT high capacity front load washer/dryer set with steam and SilverCare technology... works very well, but expensive and slower to wash than top loaders (as are all front loaders, but they are gentler on clothes).

LG also makes great washer/dryers as well. I researched this heavily, and between Samsung and LG (LG has been the leader for years, Samsung only recently), they are the undisputed leaders in front loaders.

Got the Samsung over the LG because of the SilverCare technology. Front load washers have been known to have mold growth problems if you're not careful (e.g., keeping the door open when you're not using it). The SilverCare antimicrobial rinse not only helps freshen your clothes and guards against microbial buildup in the washer due to soiled undergarments etc, it also helps prevent mold issues common to front loaders.

We don't actually use the Steam feature, although we thought it would be a useful feature at the time. You could save money by skipping that feature.

My wife LOVES front loaders and our Samsungs partly because they are pretty and are gentle on her clothes. Good thing she does most of the laundry, because if i had to do it again, i think i would save $$$ and washing time by getting a cheap, fast, and less pretty top-load washer/dryer set.

- Bosch SHX60... series dishwasher. Super quiet, cleans well, low water and energy usage. But, takes longer to wash and especially dry (no heat assisted dry cycle available), and for some reason, Euro dishwashers (Bosch and Miele are the top Euro options -- both super quiet and energy/water efficient) are smaller in capacity than North American ones. It's great for couples and small families, but if you have a large family or host parties regularly, good luck.

It works very well, but we do wonder if we had to do it again, maybe we might have gone with a quiet model GE, Kitchen-Aid, Maytag/Whirpool/Amana to have the extra capacity for parties, gatherings, etc., because that's when you need a dishwasher the most.

- Kitchen-Aid french door fridge. We actually LOVE the french doors. Our island is also pretty close to the fridge so it's more practical than top/bottom models. And, since we use the fridge much more than the freezer, we don't care that it's on the bottom and not very tall... we'd rather put our priority on the primary usage.

We didn't specifically choose this model Kitchen-Aid except for the fact that it had french doors and this was the only option in that price range for our built-in cutout depth.

- Miele induction cooktop. Love it. Blazing fast to heat anything. You can boil a pot of water in half the time compared to a typical electric element. We did have to buy new pots/pans, as our aluminum ones didn't work, but you can get induction-compatible pots/pans for pretty cheap these days. Just bring a magnet when you're shopping. Sears and other places routinely discount cookware sets for half price.

Super expensive, but it's brilliant. Probably should have gotten a cheaper induction model from another mfr, but friends of ours had the Miele and raved about it, so we thought we'd go with the tried and tested option. Don't know if i would ever go back to electric elements again. I would only consider natural gas as the other option now. We also thought induction would be safest with kids.

---------

As for places to buy, Sears is a respected place for appliances in Canada. We actually went to somewhere else (Tasco, which is a big name locally), but if we were to do it again, we would have gone with Sears, which provided good service to my in-laws over the years. I can only assume that Sears in the US would be similar in level of service and competitiveness.

Also, look to see if you have any state or federal incentives or rebates for getting energy efficient appliances. You can save hundreds of $.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,511
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Horsens, Denmark
We did buy the top-end Samsung VRT front-loaders with silver and steam, very happy with them as well.

The dishwasher I'm looking at now (after selling my wife on a white kitchen) is this one.

Induction is almost certainly in our future, currently looking at the frameless models.
 

CougTek

Serial computer killer
Joined
Jan 21, 2002
Messages
8,724
Location
Québec, Québec
At 3000$ MSRP, I hope he sings, makes breakfast and tells you the meteo in the morning. My Maytag is ten years old, consumes less energy and survived being treated like a punching bag replacement several times. Nothing could have beaten its value.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,511
Location
Horsens, Denmark
Singing isn't on the menu, but there are quite a number of significant features. The ones we particularly care about:

1. French Door Config
2. Stainless Steel
3. ~25 cu. ft. capacity
4. Front Dispenser (incl. ice crusher)
5. Double Drawer Freezer
6. Digital Temp Gauge
7. LED lighting

There are others with some of those features, but few for the price.
 

sdbardwick

Storage is cool
Joined
Mar 12, 2004
Messages
598
Location
North San Diego County
I don't think that has an ice dispenser (maker, sure); hard to engineer through the door ice dispenser with bottom drawer freezers. The link provided only lists water dispenser.
 

BingBangBop

Storage is cool
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
Messages
667
Requiring LED lighting as a necessary feature... If you are that picky then there are going to be very few models to choose from and they will all be very expensive.
 

Stereodude

Not really a
Joined
Jan 22, 2002
Messages
10,865
Location
Michigan
Well, don't say you weren't warned. I've posted this before and I'll post it again. French Door refrigerators suck. We have one and hate it.
 

Stereodude

Not really a
Joined
Jan 22, 2002
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Michigan
Mine doesn't have a divider up top. :scratch: The freezer is just worthless due to its layout and design. His may be even worse.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,511
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Horsens, Denmark
I suppose it depends on how you use it. In our freezer there are only two things. Ice cream and frozen veggies. I suspect it will do just fine for that.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
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Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,511
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Horsens, Denmark
After doing battle with sales prices, price matching, and a massive stock shortage of some killer deals, this is what I will hopefully be ordering tomorrow.
 

time

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Jan 18, 2002
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4,932
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Brisbane, Oz
Three and a half years on, what do people make of French Door fridges? Most seem to have a single drawer for the freezer, with an internal mezzanine drawer to stop it just being a giant bin.

Stereodude's criticisms make sense to me, but I haven't tried to live with one - the last bottom-freezer model we had used 3 drawers behind a door for the freezer (GE, from memory).

And does American kitchen construction place any limits on fridge size? Here, fridges usually live in cavities between cupboards and are typically 900-1000 mm across. I'm cursed with 900mm, which is less than 3ft and therefore too small for most 3ft fridges (which seem to range from 908 to 916mm across).

Sharp and Electrolux make a 4-door French Door where the freezer has 5 drawers (plus 2 ice-cube drawers). The snag is that the shelves aren't adjustable so tall bottle/carton space is limited to a couple of small door shelves. And also it's supposed to need a whopping 60mm air gap each side.
 

Stereodude

Not really a
Joined
Jan 22, 2002
Messages
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Michigan
Three and a half years on, what do people make of French Door fridges? Most seem to have a single drawer for the freezer, with an internal mezzanine drawer to stop it just being a giant bin.

Stereodude's criticisms make sense to me, but I haven't tried to live with one - the last bottom-freezer model we had used 3 drawers behind a door for the freezer (GE, from memory).
For what little it's worth, I still hate mine.
 

Mercutio

Fatwah on Western Digital
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Jan 17, 2002
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I am omnipresent
IIRC there's a HUGE efficiency gain for chest-style freezers. I don't know if that applies to the bottom drawer style but that efficiency gain may be the reason for the uptick in its popularity in French door fridges.

Most American kitchens in single-family homes are arranged in such a way to allow for a fridge that is more than 2m tall to be installed. Smaller units do exist but they are atypical. I consider the fridge in my apartment to undersized, but it would probably be spacious in a European home.
 

time

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Jan 18, 2002
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4,932
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Brisbane, Oz
For what little it's worth, I still hate mine.

Is the layout as I described?

Mercutio, height isn't my problem, width is. In more ways than one. ;)

Do most people have side-by-side, french door, or freezer on top/bottom? We currently have freezer on top with 3 shelves and a fridge section with 5 shelves (I can't find one this big any more). Thanks to a retractable half-shelf, we have 2 meters of tall bottle storage for milk, juice, softdrink, wine, beer, etc, etc. None of the fridges I've looked at can match this, regardless of size. :(
 

P5-133XL

Xmas '97
Joined
Jan 15, 2002
Messages
3,173
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Salem, Or
Consider separating the freezer from the refrigerator. Get a full size refrigerator w/o freezer and then get a separate chest-style freezer (store it in your garage). It'll cost more because you will be buying two major appliances but you are likely to double both your refrigerator and freezer space.
 

Stereodude

Not really a
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Jan 22, 2002
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Michigan
Is the layout as I described?
It has a large single sliding drawer / bin on the door, and inside there are two wire shelves. The upper one has the ice maker on the left and empty space for frozen stuff on the right of it. There is a pull out wire shelf below it. And of course the large wire bin attached to the sliding pull out door.
 

mubs

Storage? I am Storage!
Joined
Nov 22, 2002
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4,908
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Somewhere in time.
Having two appliances will also significantly increase power consumption. That would be a big deal in some parts of the world. Also, these things are getting more and more efficient all the time, pushed by mandates from governments.
 

ddrueding

Fixture
Joined
Feb 4, 2002
Messages
19,511
Location
Horsens, Denmark
I have this French door fridge. I really like it. The only complaint I have is that the water dispenser stops operating when the opposite door is open (for no apparent reason). If I had it do to again, I wouldn't have a water/ice dispenser at all. Filtered water and bagged ice would be the way to go, IMHO.

As far as the size, I built the cabinetry around it, so that wasn't an issue.
 
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